Teriyaki Chicken

A quick and easy teriyaki chicken recipe that is both sweet and savory in a beautiful caramelly sauce! Cook the way you want it - stove top, instant pot, slow cooker, or bake in the oven! See the options below.

The sweet and tangy teriyaki sauce has gained fans worldwide, and its finest rendition is definitely the Teriyaki Chicken. Today we’re making tender and flavorful chicken, and we’re tossing it with our very own homemade teriyaki sauce. Yum, right?

Say goodbye to take-out food because this recipe is so easy and speedy it'll be on your table 30 minutes tops! I can say that I can't live without this recipe because it is one of my favorites! You can never go wrong with teriyaki. Who does not love a good, tender and flavorful chicken anyway? Especially served with steamed rice or your favorite side dishes?

This easy chicken recipe is perfect for meal prep. I have made this several times and it always turned out perfect every time! More meal prep ideas are here.

A little bit of FYI

Teriyaki is a Japanese term for a cooking technique in which any type of food, usually some kind of meat, is glazed and then grilled or broiled. ‘Teri’ means glazed, shiny, or glossy, and the term ‘yaki’ means grilled.

You can basically teriyaki anything, fish, beef, pork, lamb, and of course, chicken. The sticky glaze, which is now known as teriyaki sauce, brings caramelly, charred, sweet, and savory flavors to the food, making it nothing less than irresistible.

Interestingly, some experts say the teriyaki chicken was invented in Hawaii by Japanese immigrants, by a large wave of workers that migrated to the sunny islands during the 1920s. In Japan, teriyaki is not a sauce, but a way of cooking; that’s pretty awesome because it means you can make teriyaki on your own.

Don’t get me wrong, store-bought teriyaki sauce is quite tasty, and today there are dozens of distinct brands, but nothing beats a homemade version.

Ingredients

• Oil
• Chicken
• Soy Sauce
• Rice Vinegar
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Brown Sugar
• Honey
• Sesame Oil
• Water
• Cornstarch
• Sesame seeds
• Green Onions

How to Make

Here are different cooking methods you can use to cook teriyaki.

Stove Top or Grill

To make our Japanese-inspired sticky teriyaki chicken sauce, we’ll use soy sauce, rice vinegar, roasted sesame oil, honey, raw sugar, minced garlic, and ginger. Everything comes together thanks to a few spoonfuls of cornstarch to add consistency.

The best part? You can combine this sauce in a mixing bowl over your counter. You don’t even need to cook it.

The only thing we’re cooking is the chicken. First sans-sauce, in a hot skillet with a little olive oil, and once beautifully golden, with our teriyaki sauce. You can also cook your chicken on a grill.

As a garnish, go for a few toasted sesame seeds and coarsely chopped green onions. That’s one pretty dish.

Crock Pot or Slow Cooker

To make teriyaki chicken in a slow cooker:

1. Place unsliced chicken in a 6-quart slow cooker.
2. Mix all the sauce's ingredients and pour over the chicken.
3. Cook on low for 4 hours or high for 2 hours.
4. Remove the chicken and either slice or shred the chicken on a plate.
5. Strain the sauce over a pan and cook on the stove until the sauce thickens and bubbles.
6. Pour over the chicken and toss. Garnish and serve hot with rice or desired vegetables.

Instant Pot

1. Place unsliced chicken in a 6-quart instant pot.
2. Whisk together all teriyaki sauce ingredients and pour over the chicken.
3. Seal the instant pot and cook on high for 10 minutes.
4. Follow your instant pot's manual for the release procedure.
5. Remove the chicken from the instant pot leaving the sauce and transfer to a plate. Either slice or shred your chicken at this point.
6. Set to saute mode until the sauce thickens and add back the chicken when it starts to bubble.
7. Pour the sauce over the chicken, and garnish with sesame seeds and green onions. Pair with steamed rice and vegetables.

Baked in the Oven

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Arrange chicken on a single layer in a baking dish.
2. Meanwhile, combine all ingredients for the teriyaki sauce in a pan. Heat the mixture until the sauce thickens and bubbles.
3. Brush both sides of the chicken with the sauce. Bake for 15 minutes. Flip the chicken, brush with sauce and bake for another 15 minutes.
4. Remove from oven and pour remaining sauce. Garnish and serve.

Helpful Tips for a Perfect Teriyaki Chicken

• Make sure to cook the chicken through.
• Do not burn the sauce because it will become bitter.
• The sauce gives the recipe a nice texture so it is given that it should be thick.

Side Dishes/Pairings

Since you don’t want to waste a drop of your new favorite Japanese sauce, present your teriyaki chicken along with a nice portion of steamed white rice. You can also serve your chicken over a bed of glossy stir-fried noodles.

Of course, we can’t forget about eating our veggies, so consider serving a few grilled vegetables with your chicken, like zucchini and carrots, Brussels sprouts, or steamed ones like broccoli and beans. If you want to go all the way, coat them with tempura and pan-fry them. There’s nothing better than crunchy veggies!

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