Teriyaki Chicken Skewers

About this recipe

Teriyaki at home is worlds away from the syrupy bottled stuff—it's just soy, mirin and a little sugar reduced into a glossy glaze, brushed on in layers as the chicken grills. The technique is patience with the brush: glaze, grill, glaze again, so the sauce caramelizes into a sticky lacquer rather than burning in one go. We use thigh for juiciness. A scatter of toasted sesame and sliced spring onion at the end, and it's a weeknight dinner that feels like a treat. Mirin is the secret—the sweetness comes from fermented rice and rounds out the salty soy. Brown sugar adds depth, ginger and garlic add warmth, and sesame oil adds nuttiness. The cornflour paste (cornflour mixed with water) thickens the glaze so it coats rather than runs off. This isn't a thin sauce; it should be thick enough to cling to a spoon. Reduce it gently over low heat so the sugars caramelize without burning. The technique is gradual layering. Brush the chicken with glaze at the start of cooking, then again in the final two minutes so the sugar caramelizes into a shiny lacquer. If you put all the glaze on early, it'll burn and taste bitter. Build it in layers. Serve teriyaki chicken skewers over steamed short-grain rice with quick-pickled cucumber on the side. The glaze creates a salty-sweet-nutty finish that tastes restaurant-quality. High-protein at 38g per serving, satisfying and elegant. Leftovers keep for three days and are excellent reheated gently or eaten cold straight from the fridge.