Homestyle Chicken Teriyaki

It was the smell that defined my childhood. Actually, not just one smell but a perfect three-chord progression of smells that would unfold over the course of a Sunday afternoon. First, the ominous scent of charcoal briquettes lit by twisted coils of newspaper. Then the clean burn of said briquettes heating themselves to an ashen gray. Finally, the dizzying, hypnotic aroma of sugary, soy sauce-soaked meat hitting the flames. I’d cruise my plastic tricycle through the clouds of meat smoke, soaking it in through my pores. 

Take a whiff of that... green onions, garlic, ginger, jalapeño.

At the end of it all, a large Pyrex baking dish filled with glossy black filets of teriyaki flank steak would emerge, stationed next to the big electronic rice cooker on the kitchen table inside, both shooting plumes of steam into the cramped kitchen air.

This whole operation was all the more impressive because my jii-chan, whose right side was paralyzed from a stroke, managed every step of the process, from beginning to end. Start to finish. Clearly something magical was going on.

Some thirty years later, teriyaki is everywhere - fast food chains, bottled sauces - but at the time it felt like a best-kept secret.

That teriyaki taught me that food is family. Food is culture. Food is a celebration.

Well-coated, but not swimming.

Jii-Jii passed away before I had the wherewithal to ask him about that teriyaki marinade. The only thing I’ve managed to procure is a small yellow post-it note with four ingredients written on it: soy sauce, garlic, sugar, white pepper.

And I spent the better part of my 20’s chasing that teriyaki. But with every attempt, every conceivable variation of those four ingredients, the magic would elude me.

About five years ago, I started tinkering with my own rendition. I went with chicken thighs instead of flank steak (have you seen how expensive flank steak has gotten!?!). Added some fresh green onions, grated ginger, a little bit of citrus. And it's pretty good. Actually, it's very good.

Hopefully for my kids, I'm creating some sort of sense-memory that will be just as cherished. It could totally go the other way, though, and they end up hating the stuff. "Why is daddy making me breathe this smoke?!? Cough cough." Either way, this teriyaki recipe is a personal variation on a treasured family tradition.

I hope you dig it.


Homestyle Chicken Teriyaki

Transcribing this recipe was tough because usually I just free-form it. About this much soy sauce, a little bit of this, a touch of that. The imporant thing is to get the soy-sugar ratio to your liking. I always go with reduced-sodium soy sauce, but depending on what you go with, make sure you taste and adjust accordingly.

Yield: Serves 3-4 
 

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds, boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 2 cups reduced-sodium soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon ginger, finely grated
  • 3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 4 green onions, finely chopped
  • 1 jalapeño pepper, deseeded and finely chopped
  • zest and juice of 1/2 lime
  • 1 tablespoon of sesame oil
  • 2-3 springs of cilantro, optional
     

Directions

  1. Place ginger, garlic, jalapeño, and green onions in a large mixing bowl. Add soy sauce and brown sugar. Whisk well with a fork until sugar is nicely incorporated.
     

  2. Mix in the zest and juice of 1/2 lime (cut the other half in wedges and serve with some ice cold Pacificos) and sesame oil.
     

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    Place chicken in a large freezer bag. Pour marinade over chicken, adding enough to evenly cover all pieces - they shouldn't be swimming in the marinade. Add sprigs of cilantro. Seal bag, place on a dish and refrigerate for 2-6 hours, flipping once for even marination. Reserve any extra marinade.

  4. Remove chicken from fridge about 30 minutes before grilling. Prepare an outdoor grill for medium-high heat. If using charcoal, bank coals to one side to leave an area of indirect heat.
     

  5. Place chicken on grill over direct medium-high heat. Grill for 4-6 minutes per side, until nicely colored. Move over to indirect heat and cover. Cook for another 3-5 minutes, until perfectly done.