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Chicken Teriyaki Rice Bowls (Teriyaki Donburi)
Contrary to popular belief, “teriyaki” refers not to a sauce, but a technique. Meat is seared or broiled, then given a lustrous shine with a glaze of soy, mirin and sugar. In this recipe, our adaptation of one taught to us by Japanese food authority Elizabeth Andoh, chicken thighs are briefly marinated and tossed with a little cornstarch before they’re cooked in a skillet. “Donburi” refers to individual one-bowl meals of rice with various toppings. To complement the chicken and add texture and freshness to the donburi, we also throw together a simple cabbage slaw.
4
Servings
Tip
Don’t forget to drain the chicken before coating it with cornstarch. Excess liquid will cause splattering during cooking.
35 minutes
Ingredients
-
4
tablespoons sake, divided
-
4
tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon soy sauce, divided
Directions
-
01In a medium bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons of the sake and 1 teaspoon soy sauce. Add the chicken and toss. Let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 hours. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium, combine the remaining 1 tablespoon sake, 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, the mirin and sugar. Cook, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved, about 1 minute. Off heat, stir in the ginger; set aside.
Reviews
June 22, 2026
Delicious
We made this tonight and loved it. Cheated a bit and used packaged angel shredded cabbage. Once everything was prepared while the chicken and cabbage was marinating and the rice cooking. It went together quickly. The crunch fron the cabbage was delightful. Company worthy.
March 27, 2026
There are a lot of chicken teriyaki recipes out there. . .
And this one is my favorite. Tossing the chicken pieces in cornstarch before sauteing makes such a difference, don't skip it. With the cabbage and rice, a meal to make a lot of people happy.
February 3, 2026
Notes on this great dish
I made this dish and loved it. I substituted sake for a dry chardonnay; it turns out the same. I would double the sauce for the chicken and then cook half of it separately so you have some for the rice at the bottom of the bowl. Also, double the recipe. I made this, and it fed two and a half people.
December 10, 2025
Quite good!
Everyone in the family loved this. Made with both regular chicken and also faux chicken for my vegans.
December 3, 2024
Very good
Didn’t have cabbage so I used some mixed mushrooms. Didn’t provide crunch but added a lot of flavor.
This was an awesome dish, I did cut back on the chicken as I had some trumpet mushrooms and frozen edamame to add. I microwaved the mushrooms to remove some moisture and then added them with the chicken. The mushroom water I added to the soy-ginger sauce. Topped it off with some togarashi powder which added some heat.
A real masterclass in flavor balance, simplicity, and pure joy of food. It is very fun and relaxing to make, and is a powerhouse of flavor along with being a balanced meal. This is our kids' favorite meal (and one of ours too), and makes a regular appearance multiple times each month! Thank you!
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Spectacular dish for a Tuesday night we were searching for more.