Sweet and sticky Teriyaki Chicken in homemade Teriyaki sauce is the perfect easy dinner recipe served with rice and a simple cucumber salad.
I love this easy Teriyaki chicken recipe for those nights when I don’t have much time to get something on the table for dinner. The chicken takes minutes to make because I cut out the marinating and simply cook the chicken with the sauce. Of course a good marinade has its place but when you need dinner on the table fast, this recipe has got your back.
The sweet and sticky chicken is perfect served with steamed rice and a vegetable side dish of your choice. Here, I served it with a simple cucumber salad but steamed broccoli or sugar snap peas will be just as delicious.
Ingredients
Full recipe with amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- Chicken breasts. Boneless skinless chicken breasts. You can use boneless chicken thighs too.
- Sesame oil.
- Soy sauce. Coconut aminos or Tamari can be substituted. Low sodium soy sauce is also a good option.
- Rice vinegar.
- Sake/Mirin. (optional)
- Fresh Garlic.
- Fresh Ginger.
- Honey.
- Brown sugar.
How to make easy Teriyaki chicken
- Cook the chicken: Because I cut out the marinating of the chicken, it’s important to cook the chicken in a hot pan quickly to avoid it overcooking. Chop boneless, skinless chicken breasts into bite-sized chunks then pat dry with paper towels. This will allow the chicken to brown quicker. Preheat a large skillet or frying pan over high heat then cook the chicken in a teaspoon of sesame oil until golden brown all over. Remove from the pan while you make the sauce.
- Make the sauce: Combine the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sake/mirin (if using), garlic, ginger, honey and brown sugar in a bowl and whisk well then pour into the hot pan. Allow to come to a boil and cook for a minute or two until the sauce starts to reduce. Stir regularly to prevent the sauce from burning.
- Combine with the chicken: Add the chicken and all their resting juices back into the pan. Stir the chicken with the sauce and cook for another 4-5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened. Reducing the sauce will allow it to thicken but if you want to thicken it even more, add a slurry of cornstarch and water to the pan and cook until thickened. Taste and adjust seasoning by adding more soy sauce if necessary. Serve the Teriyaki chicken with rice and garnish with sesame seeds and sliced spring or green onions.
Can I make this ahead?
Teriyaki chicken can be made and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Leftovers can be stored exactly the same way. Reheat in a hot pan with a splash of water to loosen the sauce.
What to serve with Teriyaki chicken
- Cucumber salad
- Steamed rice
- Steamed broccoli or sugar snap peas. Any vegetables will be delicious alongside though.
Easy chicken breast recipes
- Crispy Chicken Schnitzel
- Creamy spinach garlic chicken
- Easy lemon-herb chicken skewers
- Caprese stuffed chicken breasts
Easy Teriyaki chicken
Ingredients
- 500 g (1lb) boneless skinless chicken breasts cubed
- 1-2 tsp sesame oil
- ½ cup soy sauce (I prefer using low-sodium soy sauce)
- ¼ cup Sake/Mirin (optional, replace with water)
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 tsp crushed fresh ginger
- sesame seeds to serve
Instructions
- Heat a large frying pan over high heat.
- Pat the chicken breast pieces dry with paper towels.
- Add the sesame oil to the pan followed by the chicken. Brown the chicken well on all sides then remove from the pan and set aside.
- Combine the remaining ingredients except for the sesame seeds. Pour into the pan.
- Allow the sauce to come to a boil and cook for 1-2 minutes until it starts to thicken then add the chicken and its resting juices back into the pan.
- Allow to cook for 4-5 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is sticky and coating the chicken.
- Sprinkle over the sesame seeds and serve.
Nutrition
Just amazing. The taste is to die for!! I do wonder why my sauce is more of a golden brown (like a korma colour) and not dark.
So glad to hear that. It could be that your soy wasn’t as dark as mine? As long as the taste was good, that’s all that matters.
I love this recipe! I would recommend this to others. I purchased all my items online with a website called Food For Foodies as I don’t have a Chinese supermarket near me. I would recommend them.
I would also recommend using a lower salt soy sauce if you want to be healthy!
Great post! It is easy and detailed to follow. Thanks!
I love this recipe! I would recommend this to others. I purchased all my items online with a website called Food For Foodies as I don’t have a Chinese supermarket near me. I would recommend them.
I would also recommend using a lower salt soy sauce if you want to be healthy!
Just made this recipe and loved it!!! My partner loved it even more than I did. I think next time I would put a bit less soy sauce because the dish did taste a little too salty to me, but all of the flavors work so well together & overall tasted amazing. Will be using this recipe in the future, thanks!!! 🙂 -Eloise
So glad you liked it.
So glad you liked it Eloise!
Nelria, I assume you mean fish sauce? It does add a lovely depth of flavour to Asian food but it’s not a train smash if you don’t have it. Also, don’t let the smell put you off, it tastes just divine in food.
ally i see fish oil in quite a few of the recipe’s? does it add specific taste? or can it be substituted with olive oil? checking due to not buying it before? thanks
This recipe looks absolutely yummy. However, after following your recipe to a T, it ended being very salty and had such a strong spice to it. (I don’t know if it was the soy sauce or maybe even the teriyaki sauce?). Also, my chicken ended up coming out very rubbery (the inside was juicy and tender) but, the outside was really firm and hard to chew. I wish I knew what I did wrong 🙁
Nat, different brands of Teriyaki sauce can have different levels of saltiness, it’s best to keep tasting the sauce and try to adjust as you go. Not sure about the rubbery outside. I try always use free-range/organic chicken as I find it’s flavour and texture to be the best.
Same happen to me, so strong couldn’t eat anymore after a few spoonfuls ? Don’t know what I did wrong ?
It could be that the brand’s of sauces you used were stronger than mine but I’m not sure if that’s the case. I’ll re-test the recipe just to make sure.
I made this for my family last night, and it was delicious!
So glad you liked it Natalie! It’s a really great meal for the whole family.
This looks so tasty…I love easy dinners like this…I bet it’s really delicious! 🙂
Looks absolutely declicious! Do you perhaps have a recipe for Teriyaki sauce?
Megan, this recipe is the recipe I use whenever I want to make anything Teriyaki.
lekker