I’m a Private Chef and I Use This Japanese BBQ Sauce on Everything — Including That Famous TikTok Salmon Bowl

As a private chef and line cook, I try to avoid using store-bought sauces as much as possible when I’m cooking at home. Everything that I prepare for clients and restaurant guests is made from scratch, and I think I deserve a special, homemade touch in my own meals, too. But there’s a snag: When I come home from a shift, I’m too hungry and tired to start mincing and whisking up dressings, dips, and marinades (and my go-to pantry pasta gets boring after a while). That’s where Bachan’s comes in.

This Japanese BBQ Sauce initially caught my eye because it comes in a squeeze bottle, which is how we store house-made dressings in restaurants. After taking a peek at its minimal — and pronounceable — ingredient list (a rarity in shelf-stable sauces), I gave it a shot in hopes of adding variety to my hurried, post-shift meals. And I have to say, it’s getting the job done and then some.

I first put Bachan’s Japanese BBQ Sauce to the test on white rice. The sweet and salty sauce is an umami-lover’s delight, with notes of ginger, green onion, sesame oil, mirin (a sweet cooking wine), rice vinegar, and soy sauce. Unlike most store-bought BBQ sauces, this one doesn’t use any thickening agents, so the sauce is thin and drizzle-able. (Fun fact: My parents owned a BBQ restaurant and bottled their Hickory Smoked varieties for the local grocery store shelves, so I am definitely a sauce snob.) Next, I added Bachan’s to the famous TikTok salmon bowl that I make for lunch, and it brought the dish to the next level. It’s also upgrading my morning (and post-evening-shift) scrambled eggs; I top them with Bachan’s and a little togarashi seasoning for spice. Yup, the versatile sauce is working its way into so many of my at-home meals, and I’m not mad about it.

In addition to topping off so many dishes with Bachan’s Japanese BBQ Sauce, I also use this wonder ingredient as a marinade and a quick stir-fry sauce. Its texture doesn’t clump, so it distributes evenly throughout the dish. I’ve tossed this teriyaki-ish sauce (as the family-owned brand calls it) into fried rice in a skillet, slathered it on chicken thighs in the oven, and added it to the tastiest of easy dinners.

If you think you’ll love this unique condiment as much as I do, take my advice and buy the two-pack. (I am working my way through my first bottle very quickly.) Bachan’s even makes a gluten-free version, as well as a handful of other small-batch, preservative-free sauces. The new Yuzu BBQ Sauce is next on my to-try list… stay tuned!

Buy: Bachan’s Original Japanese BBQ Sauce, $13.99