Chicken Teriyaki

On cold wet days, I crave chicken teriyaki and while it's not as cold as it has been, it is a damp/wet cold so I decided to use a Cooks Illustrated's recipe. It was easy and delicious. I served it with rice and some snow peas sauteed with a little oil and soy sauce - Greg added the Sapporo.



Stovetop Chicken Teriyaki
Mirin, a sweet Japanese rice wine, is a key component of teriyaki; it can be found in the international section of most major supermarkets and in most Asian markets. If you cannot find it, use 2 tablespoons white wine and an extra teaspoon of sugar. If desired, low-sodium soy sauce can be used in place of regular soy sauce.

Ingredients
8bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 5 ounces each), trimmed, boned, and skin slashed (see illustrations below)

Table salt and ground black pepper

1/2cup soy sauce

1/2cup sugar

1/2teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1clove garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 teaspoon)

2tablespoons mirin

1/2teaspoon cornstarch

Instructions

1. Pat chicken dry chicken with paper towels, then season with pepper. Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just beginning to smoke. Place chicken skin side down in skillet; set heavy pot filled with three or four 28-ounce cans on top of chicken. Cook until skin is deep brown and very crisp, 16 to 20 minutes, checking browning after 10 minutes and adjusting heat as needed. Meanwhile, whisk soy sauce, sugar, mirin, ginger, garlic, and cornstarch together in small bowl.

2. Remove cans from skillet; using tongs, flip chicken thighs. Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook, without weight, until second sides are brown and instant-read thermometer inserted into center of thigh (not touching bone) registers about 175 degrees, 3 to 5 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to serving platter.

3. Pour off fat from skillet. Whisk soy mixture to recombine, then add to skillet; bring to simmer over medium heat. Return chicken and any accumulated juices to skillet; turn to coat chicken with sauce. Turn chicken skin side up and simmer until sauce is thick and glossy, about 3 minutes. Return chicken to serving platter; transfer sauce to small bowl and serve, passing sauce separately.