Teriyaki Chicken

I have searched for a very long time for a teriyaki sauce recipe that comes close to a Japanese restaurant. I finally found one, and it is really good! I do have to put a disclaimer in here, though. I double the sauce when I make it for chicken, and add just a little less soy sauce than it calls for. It is a little too salty if you use the full two cups. Also, I put some of the sauce aside before I thicken it when I want to marinade and meat. Then I thicken the remaining sauce. Yum!

Teriyaki Sauce
2/3 cup mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
1 cup soy sauce
4 1/2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/3 cup white sugar
7 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 dash red pepper flakes
Black pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. cornstarch mixed with a small amount of water
Bring mirin to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10 minutes. Pour in soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and sugar. Season with garlic, ginger, pepper flakes, and black pepper; simmer an additional 5 minutes. Add cornstarch and water to thicken. Store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.