What is Teriyaki Donburi?
“Teriyaki” refers to a Japanese cooking technique where ingredients are glazed and grilled or broiled in a mix of soy sauce, sake, mirin, and sugar. This combination creates a lustrous sheen on the food, hence the name “teriyaki,” which translates to “glossy grilled.” So technically, “teriyaki sauce” and “teriyaki” are slightly different.
If you’d like to delve deeper into the world of teriyaki, please check out my teriyaki chicken recipe for more details.
Meanwhile, “donburi” or “don” for short is the Japanese term for “rice bowl.” It denotes a meal with various ingredients over a bowl of white rice. So, when we talk about teriyaki chicken donburi, we’re referring to a bowl of rice topped with succulent, glossy teriyaki chicken. This combination creates a harmonious blend of flavors and textures, making it a beloved dish in Japanese cuisine.
In this recipe, we’re adding an extra kick with garlic-infused sauce. This robust twist complements the mellow rice perfectly, creating a beautifully balanced bite. Let’s start cooking!
How I Developed This Recipe
When I put this Teriyaki Donburi recipe together, I made sure it was simple and quick to make without losing any of the flavor.
I added grated garlic to give the usual teriyaki glaze a boost, which makes the dish really aromatic and full of flavor.
I hope you’ll find this dish as enjoyable and easy to make as I do!
Visual Walkthrough & Tips
Here are my step-by-step instructions for how to make Garlic-infused Teriyaki Chicken Donburi at home. For ingredient quantities and simplified instructions, scroll down for the Printable Recipe Card below.
Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Try and keep them uniform in size to promote even cooking.
Place the chicken in a bowl and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and potato starch.
Heat a frying pan on medium and add a drizzle of oil. Place the chicken in the pan with the skin-side facing down and fry for 4 minutes or until crispy and brown.
Turn the chicken over and fry on the other side for 2 minutes. It doesn’t need to be fully cooked at this point as we will continue to cook it in the teriyaki sauce.
Mix soy sauce, mirin, sake, sugar, grated garlic and dashi stock in a small bowl.
Pour the teriyaki sauce around the chicken.
Continue to cook until the sauce has thickened to a syrup-like consistency.
Mix the chicken around to ensure it’s evenly covered, and remove the pan from the heat.
Arrange the rice into serving bowls. Make sure to leave enough space in the bowl for the toppings.
Make a layer of shredded cabbage.
Place the teriyaki chicken on top.
Garnish with toppings of your choice. I added Japanese mayonnaise, chopped green onion, shredded nori, chili threads, Japanese chili powder (shichimi togarashi) and soft boiled eggs.
Enjoy!
Jump to Full Recipe MeasurementsHow to Store
If you find yourself with leftovers, it’s best not to store the chicken on top of the rice. If you need to, you can refrigerate it for a day or so and reheat it in the microwave. But be warned! The texture and flavor of the rice may take a bit of a hit.
If you have leftover chicken only, you’re in luck! You can store it in the refrigerator for up to two days, or freeze it for an extended life of two weeks.
Storage summary
Room temperature – Not recommended.
Refrigerated – Up to 1 day as donburi, 2 days with chicken only.
Frozen – Up to two weeks with chicken only.
I hope you enjoy this Garlic Teriyaki Chicken Bowl recipe! If you try it out, I’d really appreciate it if you could spare a moment to let me know what you thought by giving a review and star rating in the comments below. It’s also helpful to share any adjustments you made to the recipe with our other readers. Thank you!
More Donburi Recipes
- “Karaage Don” Japanese Fried Chicken Donburi
- Sukiyaki Don (Sweet and Savory Simmered Beef Rice Bowl)
- Garlic Teriyaki Chicken bowl (Teriyaki chicken Donburi)
- Yakitori Donburi (Japanese Chicken Rice Bowl)
Want more inspiration? Explore my Donburi Recipe Roundup Post for a carefully selected collection of tasty recipe ideas to spark your next meal!
Garlic Teriyaki Chicken Donburi (Rice Bowl)
Ingredients
Teriyaki Don
- 500 g boneless chicken thigh preferably skin-on
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- 2 pinches salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp potato starch (katakuriko) or cornstarch/tapioca starch
- 2 portions cooked Japanese short-grain rice
Garlic Teriyaki Sauce
- 2 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu)
- 2 tbsp sake
- 2 tbsp mirin
- 2 tsp sugar
- ½ tbsp grated garlic or garlic paste
- 2 tbsp dashi stock (liquid, not powder) or water
Optional Toppings
- 100 g green cabbage shredded
- finely chopped green onions
- Japanese mayonnaise
- kizami nori (shredded nori)
- chili threads
- 2 soft-boiled egg boiled for 6 ½-8 minutes depending on preferred doneness.
My recommended brands of ingredients and seasonings can be found in my Japanese pantry guide.
Can’t find certain Japanese ingredients? See my substitution guide here.
Instructions
- Cut 500 g boneless chicken thigh into bitesize pieces.
- Place them in a bowl and sprinkle with 2 pinches salt and pepper and 1 tbsp potato starch (katakuriko). Mix thoroughly until evenly coated.
- Heat a frying pan on medium and once hot, add 1 tbsp cooking oil. Once hot, place the chicken thigh in the pan with the skin facing down. Fry for about 4 minutes or until crispy and golden.
- Once the skin is browned and crispy, flip the chicken over and fry on the other side for 2 minutes. (Since it will continue to cook in the sauce, the chicken doesn't need to be completely cooked through at this point.)
- Mix 2 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu), 2 tbsp sake, 2 tbsp mirin, 2 tsp sugar, ½ tbsp grated garlic, and 2 tbsp dashi stock in a small bowl and then pour it into the pan.
- Continue to cook until the sauce is thickened to a syrup-like consistency. Mix the chicken to ensure it's fully coated.
- Prepare 2 portions cooked Japanese short-grain rice in serving bowls, make sure to leave enough space for chicken.
- Top with shredded cabbage.
- Place the chicken on top of the cabbage.
- Garnish with your choice of toppings. I used finely chopped green onions, Japanese mayonnaise, kizami nori (shredded nori), chili threads and 2 soft-boiled eggs!
- Enjoy!
I tried this for the first time yesterday and it exceeded my expectations by far.
Absolutely delicious, I will include this recipe into my favorite list.
Your site is a treasure trove for me, I am glad it exists and hope it will be for a long time.
Best regards,
Robert
Hi Robert,
Thank you so much for your kind words! It really means a lot! I’m happy that you’ve enjoyed this recipe and my website! 🙂
Yuto