Home-styleEasy 30 min serves 3

Teriyaki Chicken Thighs (照烧鸡腿)

Name: Teriyaki Chicken Thighs (照烧鸡腿)
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 3 servings
Cuisine: Home-style
Ingredients: boneless chicken thighs, skin on; light soy sauce; mirin; Shaoxing wine; brown sugar; ginger, grated; garlic, grated; cooking oil; toasted sesame seeds; steamed jasmine rice, to serve

照烧鸡腿 · zhào shāo jī tuǐ

家庭快手版 · Home version: Home version mixes its own tare from soy, mirin and sugar. Restaurant version brushes the tare three times while grilling for a lacquered finish.

照烧 means "glossy grill" — the shine comes from sugar in the tare caramelising against hot protein. Chinese home cooks borrowed it for its one-pan convenience: sear, sauce, done, and the same pan reduces the glaze.

Recipe author: HǎoWèi Test Kitchen

Home-cooking research team

Reviewed by HǎoWèi editorial team · Last updated 2026-08-29

More chicken recipes →Quick & Easy

Ingredients

boneless chicken thighs, skin on去骨带皮鸡腿🛒 local600 g
light soy sauce生抽🏮 asian3 tbsp
mirin味醂🏮 asian3 tbsp
Shaoxing wine绍兴酒🏮 asian1 tbsp
brown sugar红糖🛒 local1 tbsp
ginger, grated姜末🛒 local1 tsp
garlic, grated蒜末🛒 local2 cloves
cooking oil食用油🛒 local1 tsp
toasted sesame seeds熟白芝麻🏮 asian1 tsp
steamed jasmine rice, to serve茉莉香米饭🛒 local3 bowls

🌶️ Adjust to your taste

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Instructions

1Whisk soy sauce, mirin, wine, sugar, ginger and garlic into a tare. Set aside.
调照烧汁
🔍 Look for Low heat
Visual: 糖完全化开，呈深琥珀色液体Sugar dissolves into a dark amber liquid
You know it's right when: 碗底没有颗粒感No grit left at the bottom of the bowl
2Pat the thighs very dry and score the thick parts. Heat a pan over medium, add oil, place skin-side down.
皮朝下入锅
🔍 Look for
Visual: 表皮稳定滋滋响，不飞溅Skin makes a steady sizzle, not a splatter
You know it's right when: 下锅前表皮摸起来干爽Skin is dry to the touch before it hits the pan
3Cook skin-side down 8 minutes, pressing gently, until the skin is deep gold and crisp.
煎脆鸡皮
🔍 Look for Medium heat 8 minutes
Visual: 表皮深金黄，表面平整Skin turns deep gold with a flat surface
You know it's right when: 鸡腿能轻松脱离锅底Chicken releases without tugging
4Flip, cook 3 minutes, then pour in the tare. It will bubble up immediately.
倒入照烧汁
🔍 Look for Medium-high
Visual: 酱汁剧烈起泡并变深Sauce bubbles hard and darkens
You know it's right when: 气味从刺鼻转为焦糖香Smell turns from sharp to caramelised
5Reduce 3-4 minutes, spooning sauce over the chicken, until it coats the back of a spoon.
收汁上光
🔍 Look for Medium heat 3-4 minutes
Visual: 酱汁变糖浆状，油亮Glaze becomes syrupy and glossy
You know it's right when: 锅底划一道汁不会立刻合拢A line drawn through the sauce in the pan holds
6Rest 2 minutes, slice, and pile over rice. Spoon the pan glaze on top and scatter sesame seeds.
切条装碗

Tips

· Dry skin is the whole game — moisture steams instead of crisping.
· Mirin is sweet rice wine; dry sherry plus a pinch of sugar is a decent stand-in.
· Pull the pan off the heat the moment the glaze coats a spoon — it burns in seconds.

Sources & references

Quantities, technique notes, and substitution ratios are cross-checked against established Chinese cookery references and standard food-science sources.

Read our editorial policy
Fuchsia Dunlop, Land of Plenty: A Treasury of Authentic Sichuan Cooking
USDA FoodData Central — ingredient nutrition and portion data
Traditional Chinese family-kitchen practice and regional taste records

Common questions

Can I skip Shaoxing wine? What's the substitute?

Dry sherry is the closest 1:1 swap (fidelity ~80%). No sherry? Use a splash of white wine plus a little water, or just skip it and add a tiny extra pinch of sugar — the wine's job is depth and removing meat's gamey notes, and a good marinade covers most of it.

Source: HǎoWèi substitution engine

Why do you cook the aromatics (garlic/ginger) first on low heat?

Aromatics contain oils and sugars that turn bitter if scorched. Gentle heat (low-medium) lets garlic and ginger release their fragrance without browning too fast. If the pan is too hot, garlic goes bitter within seconds — that's why we always add aromatics first, before the main ingredients.

Source: Chinese Cooking Demystified technique library

Is there a vegan substitute for oyster sauce?

Yes — 'mushroom oyster sauce' (often labeled vegetarian/vegan) is sold in most Asian grocers and increasingly in mainstream supermarkets. It behaves 1:1 and adds the same glossy umami. Watch labels if you're also gluten-free; most brands are GF, some aren't.

Source: HǎoWèi substitution engine