The Best Vegan Teriyaki Chicken (照り焼きチキン)

Learn how to make the best Vegan Teriyaki 'Chicken' with this authentic recipe prepared using the traditional Japanese cooking method. Made with yuba (bean curd sheets) and homemade teriyaki sauce, this popular Japanese dish is the perfect easy weeknight meal!

Teriyaki Chicken (照り焼きチキン) known as Chicken Teriyaki (チキン照り焼き) in Japanese is probably one of the most well known and well loved Japanese dishes. I've seen it on the menu at almost every Japanese restaurant I've been to in North America served in a bento boxes, chicken teriyaki rice bowls and as a main entree.

In the past when I've tried takeout teriyaki chicken in North America, I always found the sauce to be very westernized in that it sometimes looked dull, overly thick and I could taste other ingredients added aside from the four ingredients used in authentic teriyaki sauce. Since going vegan, I've tried a fair amount of teriyaki tofu 'chicken' with similar experiences so today, I wanted to share an authentic vegan teriyaki chicken recipe using the traditional Japanese cooking method.

What is teriyaki?

Most people associate teriyaki as the sauce, but teriyaki is actually a cooking method. Teri (照り) means shiny or glossy and yaki (焼き) means cooked over direct heat, so what you get it a 'shiny grilled'. So the protein is cooked over direct heat and then the sauce is cooked and brushed over it to get that beautiful glossy glaze.

How to Make Authentic Vegan Teriyaki 'Chicken'

When coming up with a vegan teriyaki recipe, I wanted to keep the result and cooking method very true to the traditional way. Three key elements to delicious teriyaki sauce are:

• the crispy skin with a slightly charred flavour
• true homemade teriyaki sauce
• the beautiful glossy glaze for appearance

The Ingredients

Yuba (bean curd sheets)

Most vegan teriyaki chicken recipes call for a block of tofu so I wanted to take a different approach using yuba sheets. Using yuba as mock meats is common in both Japanese and Chinese vegetarian cuisine because it creates a layers and shreds like meats. The method of folding I used for this recipe was borrowed from my grandma for when she used to make Chinese vegetarian duck. I highly recommend purchasing the large yuba sheets which can be found at Asian grocery stores in the freezer section because it is much easier to work with than the dried version. The dried version tends to break quite easily and is much more fragile. However, if you cannot find the frozen yuba sheets you can also make this with dried yuba sheets. You may just need to add a few more layers and be much more careful when wrapping it.

Teriyaki Sauce

The sauce, we can't make teriyaki without talking about the sauce!! I really want to highlight that authentic teriyaki sauce only contains 4 ingredients: soy sauce, sake, mirin and sugar. For this recipe I'm using my homemade teriyaki sauce. If you do not have homemade teriyaki sauce on hand then simply combine 9 tablespoon of soy sauce, 7 tablespoon of mirin, 7 tablespoon of sake and 4 tablespoon of sugar. The only difference is that the sauce will take slightly longer to thicken because the sugar is not yet dissolved.

What about other seasonings?!

Many recipes call for additional ingredients in their teriyaki recipes, however I do not recommend adding them if you want to make it authentic. Here are some examples and why:

• Sesame oil: is very aromatic and takes away from the true teriyaki flavour.
• Sesame seeds/scallions: disrupts the beautiful glaze and disrupts the flavour of teriyaki, however you of course can garnish with them if you wish.
• Vinegar: DO NOT substitute sake or mirin with vinegar. I have seen some recipes call for vinegar to keep it alcohol free but I would highly suggest substituting it with water and a touch more sugar because vinegar is a completely different flavour.
• Starches and slurry: this is one that really does not belong in teriyaki because it is the sugar that thickens the sauce. Adding starch to the sauce will yield a very dull looking sauce.
• Garlic, ginger and black pepper: Depending on the household and flavour preference, some will add these ingredients. I've noted it in the photo above, but it is completely optional and not necessary. If you do decide to add garlic or ginger, please use the juices so that it does not take away from the glaze.

The Directions

Preparing the yuba chicken

1. Remove the yuba from the package and cut them into half (you should be left with 8 semicircles). Then cut each one into half again (left with 16 triangular pieces).
2. Mix the vegan chicken bouillon with 3 cups of warm water. One at a time, dip the pieces of yuba into the broth mix until is softens. Layer 4 pieces of yuba together.
3. Take the left side of the triangle and fold toward the middle. Take the right side of the triangle and fold toward the middle. Then take the bottom side and fold upward twice. Poke holes with a fork and continue to fold upward until you reach the very end (like an envelope). Poke more holes on the outside (this helps when steaming/cooking so it does not puff up).
4. Steam the yuba chicken for 5 minutes. This will help soften up the yuba so it's more tender inside.
5. Sprinkle a very small pinch of salt (and optional pepper) on both sides. Dust one side with potato starch (this will be the crispy skin side). 

Cooking the yuba chicken

1. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a pan and turn on the stove to medium heat. Cook the yuba with the potato starch side down until you get nice and crispy.
2. Flip it and then cook for a few minutes until you get some nice browning. Add 4 tablespoon of teriyaki sauce per 'chicken'. Cook until sauce thickens, spooning the sauce over the chicken frequently.
3. Once sauce has thickened, turn off the heat. Cut them into bite size pieces. You can brush more teriyaki sauce if desired.

Key tips for perfect authentic teriyaki 'chicken'

1. Making the 'crispy skin': Dusting the potato starch over the 'chicken' will help mimic that similar charred, crispy chicken texture. Additionally, the potato starch will help the sauce cling on easier.
2. Remove excess oil: If the yuba chicken or pan is too oily, the sauce will slide right off. After the yuba is cooked on both sides, blot the oil off the yuba and the frying pan.
3. Spoon & reduce the sauce: Once you add the teriyaki sauce, shake the pan a bit. Then tilt the pan with the heat close to the burner and spoon the sauce several times. The sauce will begin to thicken (it will start to bubble) and it'll start glazing the entire piece of 'chicken'. Once you get a nice glaze over the yuba chicken, remove from the heat and transfer it to a cutting board.

More delicious teriyaki recipes to try:

• Vegan Teriyaki 'Salmon' Fillets
• Teriyaki 'Chicken' Donburi (Rice bowls) - coming soon!
• Yakiyuba (Yuba skewers in teriyaki sauce) - coming soon!

SAVE IT FOR LATER! ↓

If you recreate this Vegan Teriyaki 'Chicken' recipe let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment and rating below or by tagging me on Instagram @Okonomikitchen, I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!
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