Recipe: Seattle-Style Teriyaki Sauce (Patreon)

Please note: There are three recipes for making Seattle-style chicken teriyaki—this recipe is for making the sauce specifically. For instructions walking you through grilling the chicken, see here. For a guide on making a teriyaki shop side salad (and its iconic sweet mayo dressing), see here.

Every recipe I publish here is personally tested, tasted, and approved.

What I love about this recipe:

The sauce uses simple ingredients but packs huge flavor.

The sauce lasts forever in the fridge, making future meals easier.

Applying the sauce in layers towards the end of grilling lets you build up flavor without burning it.

Yield: About 2 ½ cups of sauceActive Time: 10 minutesTotal Time: About 1 hourNote: You can add other ingredients to the initial simmering phase if you want to flavor your teriyaki sauce. Try it with ½ cup of pineapple juice, or a teaspoon of sesame oil, or a couple tablespoons of chili garlic paste, for instance. You can also add other aromatics like scallions, onions, or mushroom trimmings.

Ingredients

For the teriyaki sauce:

1 cup (240 ml) sake

1 cup (240 ml) mirin

1 cup (240 ml) soy sauce

1/2 cup (100 g) packed brown sugar (white sugar also works)

2 whole garlic cloves

1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, sliced

1 small chunk carrot

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 tablespoon finely minced fresh ginger

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons cold water

Method

Combine the sake, mirin, soy sauce, brown sugar, whole garlic cloves, sliced ginger, carrot, minced garlic, minced ginger, and rice vinegar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Simmer until the aromatics have infused the sauce and it has reduced to around 2 ½ cups, about 45 minutes. Remove and discard the ginger slices and whole garlic cloves.

Whisk the cornstarch with the cold water until smooth, then stir it into the simmering sauce. Cook until the sauce is glossy and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Allow sauce to cool to room temperature then transfer to a sealed container. You can store it in the fridge for at least several months (I’ve kept teriyaki sauce for over a year with no sign of deterioration).

If using this sauce to make Seattle-style chicken teriyaki, head to this recipe for further details.