Filipino-Style Chicken Teriyaki
This Filipino-style take on teriyaki is all about big flavour with minimal effort. The base is Toyomansi — a bright, salty, tangy mix of calamansi and soy used widely in Filipino cooking. It brings the perfect balance of citrus and depth, giving the glaze a lift that regular teriyaki doesn’t have – although I love my traditional Teriyaki, YUM.
The chicken thighs are cooked low and slow from a cold pan, letting the skin render into golden crispness while staying incredibly juicy. The sauce thickens into a glossy, sticky coating that clings beautifully to the chicken. Paired with lemon-kissed pak choy and steamed rice, this dish is comforting, vibrant, and deceptively simple — the kind of weeknight dinner that feels special without requiring much effort at all.
Ingredients:
Chicken & Sauce
- 6 chicken thighs, skin on salt and pepper
- ¼ cup Toyomansi (or substitute with ⅛ cup soy + ⅛ cup lemon juice)
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 knob ginger, grated
- 1 cup water
- 1 tsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp water
Greens
- 3 bunches pak choy
- 3 scallion ends, chopped
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- Salt and pepper
Method :
- Prepare the sauce.
Combine the Toyomansi, brown sugar, garlic and ginger in a bowl. Set aside. - Cook the chicken.
Season the chicken thighs well. Place them skin-side down in a cold pan, then turn the heat to medium. Allow the fat to slowly render and the skin to crisp — about 10 minutes. Flip and cook for another 10 minutes or until fully cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside. - Make the glaze.
In the same pan, pour in the prepared sauce along with the 1 cup of water. Stir in the cornstarch slurry and cook until the mixture becomes glossy and slightly thickened. - Return the chicken.
Add the thighs back into the pan, coat them in the sauce and let everything simmer together for a couple of minutes so the flavours meld and the glaze clings to the chicken. - Cook the greens.
In a separate pan, sauté the pak choy and scallions with a pinch of salt and the lemon juice. Cook just until wilted. - Serve.
Serve the chicken over steamed rice with the lemony greens on the side. Spoon over extra glaze for maximum flavour.
