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This easy Teriyaki Chicken recipe is a favorite for busy nights and includes sautéed chicken coated in a fantastic homemade teriyaki sauce. You can't beat this 30-minute meal.
Want more 30 minute meals? Try Pastalaya, Chicken Quesadillas, or Mongolian Beef!
Why I love this recipe:
- Family Favorite – My whole family gets excited when Teriyaki Chicken is for dinner, and I love that it's a well rounded meal that's healthy and filling.
- Quick – On the table in less than 30 minutes! Quick, homemade dinners are my favorite for busy weeknights.
- Adaptable – Serve it with white or brown rice, and alongside your favorite sautéed veggies, like broccoli, carrots, snow peas, green onion, bell peppers, mushrooms, cabbage, or baby corn. I also enjoy the teriyaki chicken served in a lettuce cup.
How to make Teriyaki Chicken:
Cook Chicken: Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and brown on both sides, flipping once (doesn’t need to be cooked all the way through). Remove to a plate and cover.
Make Teriyaki Sauce: Add remaining ingredients to the skillet then stir well to combine. Cook over medium heat until it comes to a low boil. Boil for 1 minute. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. Stir in chicken and cook for a few more minutes, just until chicken is cooked through.
Serve: Garnish this quick teriyaki chicken with chopped green onion then serve over cooked rice, with steamed vegetables or roasted vegetables.
Variations:
- Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken: use a slow cooker liner and place chicken in the bottom of the pot. Stir together the teriyaki sauce ingredients except for the cornstarch slurry. Pour sauce over chicken and cook on LOW for 2-4 hours or until chicken is cooked and shreds easily. Ladle the sauce from the slow cooker into a saucepan. Shred the chicken and leave in the pot. Whisk the cornstarch slurry into the sauce and cook sauce until thickened, then pour over chicken.
- Low Carb: Serve chicken teriyaki in lettuce wraps.
- Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Bowls
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:
To Make Ahead: Make teriyaki sauce up to a week in advance and store in the fridge. Pour over chicken in skillet, to rewarm.
To Freeze: Make the teriyaki sauce, allow to cool then add to a freezer safe container with the raw chicken. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then pour into a pan and cook until chicken is cooked through.
More One Pan Recipes:
- Chow Mein
- Pad Thai
- Spanish Paella
- Slow Cooker Lasagna
- Slow Cooker Ribs
- Cottage Pie
- Meatballs Arrabbiata
Teriyaki Chicken
Ingredients
- 1-2 Tablespoons oil
- 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, , chopped
- 1 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons sesame oil
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, , minced
- 3 teaspoons cornstarch + 3 teaspoons water, , mixed together to make a cornstarch slurry
- ¼ – ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
For serving:
- 1 green onion, , chopped, for garnish
- 3 cups hot cooked rice
- Steamed veggies, , optional
Instructions
- Brown Chicken: Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until browned on both sides (doesn’t need to be cooked all the way through). Remove to a plate and cover.
- Cook sauce: Add the remaining ingredients to the skillet then stir well to combine. Cook over medium heat until it comes to a low boil. Boil for 1 minute. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of the spoon.
- Combine: Stir in chicken and cook for a few more minutes, just until chicken is cooked through.
- Serve: Garnish with chopped green onion. Serve over cooked rice, with steamed vegetables on the side.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I originally shared this recipe . Updated September 2020 and February 2024.
This is WAY to salty. Even for my husband who LOVES salty food. Yuck for both of us. The first disappointment we’ve had of the recipes we’ve tried so far from this website but I would highly go with a store bought teriyaki over this version again. This tastes like pure soy sauce unfortunately. Will be good with a better sauce.
Loved the homemade sauce
I really wish I had looked at the reviews before I made this recipe. It was WAY too salty and I even used low sodium soy sauce. It was also a little bit on the thick side for consistency. I really haven’t been too disappointed by a TBFS recipe this far, so I was surprised.
Wonderful, tasty and easy dinner. I make it so many times for our family and everyone absolutely loves it!
Thanks for making these recipes easy to follow with ingredients we have on hand!!
Almost inedible. Wait too much soy sauce making it way too salty.
I just made the sauce. After reading the comments I used 1/2 cup soy sauce. It turned out ok. The thickness of the sauce was good. It’s not the flavor I’m looking for. I truly think there’s a typo in the recipe and would like to hear from the author.
Looks like there was a bit of a mix-up with the recipe. There’s no mistake in it; it actually does ask for 1 cup of low sodium soy sauce, not half a cup. Cutting down on the soy sauce might be why the flavor wasn’t quite right for you. The recipe uses a full cup to get the taste just so.
I agree with Cynthia way too much soy sauce even with the low sodium variety. I ended up using a serving in a homemade creamed soup.
There has to be a type somewhere, this is WAAAAAAY too much soy sauce! I cut it in half and it still drowned out the flavor of the other ingredients. 1/8 of a cup would be plenty.
probably 4x the amount of soy sauce needed I recommend add water to make that amount of sauce. Soy drowns out the other flavors
I love most ALL the recipes Lauren supplies on Tastes better from Scratch. My main recipe source. And love the meal plans and grocery lists
I just made this tonight and it’s amazing! I steamed broccoli then added to the pan right before serving – so yummy! Next time I’ll add water chestnuts and peppers and onions. Served it over rice – perfect quick meal