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Our easy teriyaki chicken whips up in minutes for the perfect take-out-inspired dinner any night of the week!
Easy + Delicious!
It’s no secret we LOVE Asian food! We especially love making take-out quality food right at home – like our kids’ favorite Teriyaki chicken!
The key ingredient for this recipe is our made from scratch Teriyaki sauce. We tested this recipe dozens of times and finally got it just right!! It’s perfectly balanced with soy sauce and ginger complementing the brown sugar and pineapple juice. Add that sauce to cubed chicken thighs, and you have a very tasty kid-approved dinner!
Plus, this easy teriyaki chicken recipe is simple to whip up, and tastes just as good as your favorite local spot… maybe even better! Serve it with some rice, Chow Mein or with our fried Egg Rolls for a delicious dinner everyone will enjoy.
WHY WE LOVE IT:
- Take-out made at home. Teriyaki chicken is better than takeout and a family favorite!
- The sauce! Our Teriyaki sauce is made from scratch with simple ingredients and a delicious balance of flavors – sweet and savory perfection.
- An easy weeknight dinner. This simple dish preps in minutes and is on the table in under an hour!
Ingredients
PREP TIME: 10 minutes COOK TIME: 15 minutes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil – or vegetable oil
- 4 –5 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cubed – or boneless skinless chicken breasts. Partially freeze the chicken, then cut it into even cubes.
Teriyaki Sauce
- 1 cup water
- ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce – or tamari sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon pineapple juice optional
- ⅓ cup packed light brown sugar – or dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic – see How to Mince Garlic
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger – or about 1 teaspoon of fresh ginger
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ⅓ cup cold water
- optional garnish – Garnish with sesame seeds or sliced green onions.
- add veggies – Add your favorite veggies to the mix along with the chicken in step 2. Broccoli florets, snap peas, bell peppers, and asparagus are all great additions that add flavor and nutrition.
How to Make Teriyaki Chicken
- PREP. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a large skillet and heat on medium heat.
- CHICKEN. Add 4-5 cubed chicken thighs and cook until heated through, browned, and a little crisp.
- SAUCE. Make teriyaki sauce while the chicken is cooking. In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup of water with ¼ cup soy sauce, 2 tablespoons honey, ⅓ cup brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon ginger, 1 teaspoon garlic, and 1 tablespoon of pineapple juice in a medium bowl and whisk until combined. Cook over medium heat.
- In a small bowl, add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to ⅓ cup water and whisk until combined. Add the cornstarch mixture to the sauce. Heat the sauce until it thickens to your desired texture.
- COMBINE. Pour the sauce mixture into the skillet with the chicken and simmer until the sauce is thickened.
- SERVE. Serve this easy teriyaki chicken bowl with rice, noodles, and/or steamed vegetables.
Alternative Cooking Methods
Marinate chicken thighs in the teriyaki sauce and then grill, or make Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken, or oven Baked Teriyaki Chicken.
Complete The Meal
Sides
Teriyaki Chicken Recipes
Teriyaki Chicken Burgers
1 d 20 mins
Teriyaki Chicken Wings
35 mins
Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken
4 hrs 5 mins
Baked Teriyaki Chicken
35 mins
Collections
Teriyaki Chicken
Video
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4-5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cubed
Teriyaki Sauce
- 1 cup water
- ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce, or tamari sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon pineapple juice, optional
- ⅓ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with ½ cup cold water
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add cubed chicken and cook, stirring, for 7-8 minutes, until no longer pink, browned, and a little crisped.
- Meanwhile, make teriyaki sauce: Combine water, soy sauce, honey, pineapple juice, brown sugar, garlic, and ginger in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
- Whisk cornstarch-water mixture until dissolved and add to the sauce.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until sauce thickens. If the sauce becomes too thick, add more water to thin it out.
- Add sauce to the skillet with the chicken and cook for about 5 minutes to thoroughly coat chicken.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
Mix the main sauce ingredients (soy sauce, honey, brown sugar, rice vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, and garlic) and cube the chicken the day before. Keep them in separate containers in the fridge or freezer until you’re ready to make the meal. (Do not add the cornstarch & water until cooking)
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days or freeze in an airtight freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Reheat in the microwave or a skillet on the stove.
I’m fixing this for dinner tonight and am looking forward to a delicious meal. I wanted to make the sauce yesterday (which I did) and wanted to follow your “prep ahead” hints. I made the sauce as directed and put it in a mason jar in the fridge overnight, to use today. But in carefully reading your recipe, I noticed you included ingredients to put together for “prep ahead” that are not in the recipe (rice vinegar, sesame oil). I assumed this was merely a typo, and followed the recipe. The teriyaki smelled delicious all last evening while preparing and through the night. I’ll be adding snow peas to the sauce/chicken. I’m looking forward to it being delicious tonight!!
I hope it turned out great! Thank you for your comment and for pointing out the typo, I was able to fix it.
We loved this recipe. Thank you SO much
That’s great to hear! Thank you for taking time to comment.