Lemon Honey Teriyaki Chicken Thighs
This lemon honey teriyaki chicken thighs recipe is an oil-free delicious and healthy twist on the classic teriyaki chicken dish. The combination of sour lemon and sweet honey creates a perfectly balanced and refreshing taste. Whether served hot or cold, these lemon honey chicken thighs are delicious and make a great option for a quick weeknight dinner or a packed workday lunch bento.
Equipment
- Nonstick frying pan
- Measuring spoons
Ingredients
- 4 chicken thighs (boneless, skin on)
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper (optional)
- 1 lemon
- 2 tsp cornstarch (can use 2 tsp of flour instead)
Sauce
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp ginger (grated)
- 3 tbsp sake (can use 3 tbsps of mirin instead)
- 3 tbsp soy sauce (light or regular soy sauce)
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce (can use 1 tbsp of regular soy sauce instead)
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce (can use 1 tbsp of regular soy sauce instead)
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp water
Garnishment (optional)
- ¼ tsp sesame seeds
- 1 tsp chopped green onions
Instructions
- Take 4 boneless, skin-on chicken thighs and put them in a shallow container. Evenly sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of the chicken thighs. Allow the chicken thighs to marinate for around 15 minutes. Optionally, you can put the meat side up and place two thin slices of lemon on each chicken thigh.
- In a small cup/bowl, whisk together all the sauce ingredients (lemon juice, grated ginger, sake, light/regular soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, honey, and water) to make the lemon honey teriyaki sauce.
- Remove the lemon slices from the chicken thighs. Add ½ teaspoon of cornstarch to each chicken thigh only on the meat side (for a total of 2 teaspoons of cornstarch for 4 chicken thighs). Evenly spread the cornstarch by patting it with your hands. Make sure you don't spread the cornstarch to the skin side of the chicken thighs.
- Heat up a nonstick frying pan over medium high heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Once the pan is hot, place the chicken thighs in the pan, skin-side down. Do not add any oil to the pan.
- Cook the chicken thighs over medium high heat for about 8 minutes, or until the skin is golden brown and crispy.
- Flip the chicken thighs over and continue to cook them for about 5 minutes, or until the meat side is golden brown.
- Pour the teriyaki sauce to the pan, continue cooking over medium high heat for about 5 minutes or until the sauce sauce thickens. While the sauce is thickening, keep the chicken thighs with the meat side facing down and use a spoon to pour the sauce over the skin side.
- When the sauce has thickened to a texture similar to honey, remove the pan from the heat. To serve, slice each chicken thigh into 5 strips, arrange them over a bowl of rice and vegetables, pour the sauce over the chicken, and optionally garnish with roasted sesame seeds and chopped green onions.