Our Favorite Teriyaki Recipes, From Chicken to Salmon and Tofu

You might know teriyaki as a sauce or a dish, but the term also refers to a cooking method that dates back centuries. Teri means “gloss” or “luster” in Japanese, while yaki roughly translates to cooking over direct heat. In Japan, grilled fish was traditionally given that glossy finish with a simple, umami-forward glaze of soy sauce, mirin (a sweet rice wine), and sake.

Later, Japanese immigrants and Japanese Americans began putting their own mark on teriyaki in places like Hawaii and Seattle, and a distinctly American version of teriyaki evolved by the 1970s. The fish was often swapped out for proteins like chicken and beef, and the sauce took on a slightly new flavor with the addition of ingredients like garlic, ginger, and sesame seeds, plus pineapple juice and sugar for extra sweetness.

These recipes showcase the simpler Japanese style and the more-is-more American style of teriyaki. While a few offer the shortcut of using store-bought teriyaki sauce, making your own sauce is a quick process that will win raves at dinnertime.

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Teriyaki Salmon

Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

For this weeknight-friendly Teriyaki Salmon, F&W recipe developer and tester Nicole Hopper took cues from the American style of teriyaki with additions like light brown sugar, fresh ginger, and sesame seeds. The flavorful soy-based sauce serves as a marinade and also gets reduced into a syrupy sauce that is brushed onto the salmon as it cooks to create a glossy glaze.

The key to achieving that shiny, slightly sticky teriyaki exterior? Your broiler. The high temperature caramelizes the teriyaki sauce, and the short cooking time prevents the sugar from burning and keeps the salmon from overcooking. For an even quicker meal, you can use store-bought teriyaki sauce, such as Bachan’s Original, for this recipe.

Shrimp Teriyaki Bowls with Broccoli

Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

For a one-pan meal, Nicole Hopper broils teriyaki-marinated shrimp on a wire rack set above broccoli and bell peppers, a move that serves two purposes: The rack brings the shrimp even closer to the heating element, and the marinade that drips down onto the veggies seasons them. If you’d like, you can swap in a store-bought brand like Bachan’s Original for the homemade teriyaki sauce.

Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken Bites

Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless

For this quick stir-fry, F&W recipe developer Melissa Gray-Streett adds flavorful upgrades to store-bought teriyaki sauce like fish sauce, chiles, and a tangy pineapple cordial. She tosses the spicy-sweet glaze with boneless, skinless chicken thigh pieces, tender onions, and caramelized chunks of pineapple.

Chicken Teriyaki

This classic dish and easy weeknight meal comes from renowned Japanese chef and restaurateur Nobu Matsuhisa. He reduces a combination of stock, soy sauce, sugar, mirin, and sake into a mouthwatering syrupy glaze for boneless chicken breasts.

Fish Teriyaki with Sweet-and-Sour Cucumbers

A simple teriyaki glaze — made with soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, and a little cornstarch — gets deliciously sticky under the broiler for this cod dinner from former F&W food editor Grace Parisi. It is served with a quick cucumber and daikon pickle.

Teriyaki Tofu

This 20-minute vegan dish from Todd Porter and Diane Cu comes together in one skillet. Crisp, golden-brown tofu is quickly stirred with a flavorful combination of soy sauce, sake, brown sugar, and rice vinegar.

Pineapple-Teriyaki Chicken Wings

Pineapple juice adds a sweet tang to the homemade teriyaki sauce that coats these crispy deep-fried wings from Todd Porter and Diane Cu. Serve any extra sauce on the side.