You may know this already from our Chicken Teriyaki recipe, but Teriyaki is not the name of the sauce but rather a cooking method used in Japanese cuisine. Meat or fish is grilled and basted with sauce for a nice shine, or it can be cooked and mixed with the sauce in a frying pan.
The sauce used for Teriyaki is usually the mixture of sugar, soy sauce, sake and/or mirin. While more and more retailers carry sake and mirin for cooking in many parts of the world these days, one of the most frequently asked questions to us is “Can I skip sake?” or “What’s the substitute for Mirin?” While we try to avoid unneeded and complicated ingredients to make it easy for everyone to enjoy Japanese food at home, sake and mirin are essentials in many of our recipes. Teriyaki is definitely one of them.
Since I often say, “If you don’t want to use sake, skip it!” I decided to test my own words and try making Teriyaki without sake or mirin today. I used pineapple juice instead! It helped to thin the soy sauce and sugar mixture and yet added some sweetness. I know pineapple juice is not a true substitute for sake or mirin in other dishes probably, however for chicken wings it worked! Pineapple juice is not an unusual ingredient to marinade meat anyway, and who doesn’t want to drink up the leftover juice after making the sauce!
Since chicken wings are tiny, marinading is not really needed. I simply rubbed some grated ginger and garlic with a bit of salt while preheating the oven. While the chicken is in the oven, I made a sauce. Very easy! The recipe can easily be doubled or tripled to feed a crowd.
Teriyaki Chicken Wings Recipe
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds chicken wings
- 1 clove garlic (grated)
- 1 tsp ginger (grated)
- 1/4 tsp salt
Sauce
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1/4 cup pineapple juice
Topping (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F (205C.) Rub grated garlic and ginger and salt on the surface of the chicken and set aside while preheating the oven.
- Place chicken on the baking sheet covered with aluminum foil and cook in the oven for 40 minutes.
- While chicken is in the oven, mix all the ingredients of the sauce in a small pan and boil for 8-10 minutes until the sauce gets thickened a bit.
- Brush sauce over cooked chicken and put them back in the oven for another 5 minutes. Repeat brushing another layer and cook for another 3-5 minutes.
- Serve on a plate and sprinkle on sesame seeds.
20 Comments
Hi there,
To begin with, I do love and enjoy cooking your recipes. And am so grateful for your site.
About the Teriyaki chicken wings, do we have to cover the chicken wings with foil after brushing the Teriyaki sauce over, or jut leave them uncovered while placing them back to oven?
Thank you,
Dawn
Hi Dawn,
Thanks for your comment. I’m glad you enjoy cooking our recipes!
For this teriyaki chicken wings, you don’t need to cover the chicken wings after brushing the sauce. It is actually better not to cover.
Thank you Yuko, Thank you Noriko.
I always thought of Japanese food as a piece of art . Just like a beautiful painting in the frame. And that nobody but Japanese master chefs could do that art as tasty and beautifully as they do.
I never dreamed of being able making any kind of Japanese food up until I discovered your site. It’s so good to have you in my kitchen almost everyday!!
And I Thank you for that.
Looking forward to learn more and more from you, ladies.
Dawn,
thanks, keep cooking!
Woww this menu looks healthy. I was thinking its a fried chicken. Thank you. I already have tried 2 dishes from you. Can’t wait to try everything.
Paint,
thanks!
I’ve just tried your teriyaki chicken recipe today & it’s easy to prepare and the outcome was successful. Looking forward to see more recipe posting from you. I’m from Singapore 🙂
Jaz,
thanks! Hope you can try many more recipes!
Do you know of teriyaki recipe that uses togarashi for a little more spice.
Phil,
that sounds good too.
First, thank you so much for your wonderful website! I just happened on it and am anxious to try some of these wonderful recipes. I’m unable to eat garlic, onions or peppers (which I really miss!). Do you have any advice on alternatives when your recipe calls for one of these? (Like a substitute for the garlic in teriyaki chicken?) thanks!
If you can’t eat those things, just omit them. Our Teriyaki Chicken recipe doesn’t call for garlic (not Teriyaki Chicken Wings). You could skip onions too.
Can you replace chicken wings with chicken breasts? Just curious cause I have a lot of chicken breasts at home 🙂 Thanks!!
Hi Pearl,
This recipe is specific to wings, but I’m sure the sauce will go great with chicken breasts, too!
You should cook longer depending on the size of the meat.
Yuko san, can I substitute the pineapple juice, not easy to get it here even for canned ones.
Joey, how about you try with orange juice? Sweet and sour is the flavor we are looking for.
Or if you have Sake and/or Mirin (more typical Teriyaki), you can definitely use that too.
If we want to go the traditional route, how much mirin, sake, sugar and soy source should we use?
Hi, your site has really inspired me to cook Japanese food more often. Thank you so much for the clear instructions. I have the same question as Keith. Please do let us know. Many thanks
Hello! This recipe looks amazing! I can’t wait to try it tonight.
Can I cook the sauce and just pour it over some Fried chicken wings? Or do I have to cook the sauce longer?
Jose,
never tried, but pouring the sauce over fried chicken may work. Sounds yummy!