Chicken Teriyaki
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Marinated chicken glazed in a sweet and savory sauce—chicken teriyaki is a quick and easy dish the whole family will love. Perfect any time of year or any night of the week!
Finding a meal that gets unanimous thumbs-up from everyone at the table can feel like a small victory. At my house, chicken teriyaki—a Japanese dish with marinated chicken and a sweet, savory glaze—is always a win. It’s super flexible, too. Throw it on the grill in the summer or pop it under the broiler when it’s cold outside.
Pair this chicken teriyaki recipe with steamed broccoli and jasmine rice for an easy, tasty meal. And if you love teriyaki, don’t miss my teriyaki salmon—it’s another quick favorite around here!
“My boyfriend and I made this last night and we loved it…Easy, quick, and delish!”
What You’ll Need To Make Chicken Teriyaki
- Soy Sauce: Acts as the base of the teriyaki marinade and sauce, providing a rich, umami flavor that is both salty and savory.
- Sugar: Balances the saltiness of the soy sauce with sweetness, giving the teriyaki sauce its signature flavor. (I use granulated sugar but brown sugar will work too.)
- Mirin: A sweet Japanese rice wine that adds depth and a slight acidity to the sauce.
- Asian Sesame Oil: Adds a nutty, aromatic flavor to the dish.
- Ginger and Garlic: These aromatics contribute a spicy, pungent flavor, adding depth to the sauce.
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs: Used for their juiciness and flavor, which stand up well to the bold teriyaki sauce. You can use boneless skinless chicken breasts if you’re in a pinch or prefer white meat, but thighs are definitely the best choice for teriyaki.
- Cornstarch: Used to thicken the sauce, giving it a glossy, appealing texture that clings to the chicken.
- Scallions: These mild green onions add a fresh, oniony crunch and a pop of color to the finished dish.
- Sesame Seeds: Adds a subtle nutty flavor and a pretty final touch.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Start by making the teriyaki marinade. In a blender, combine the soy sauce, sugar, mirin, oil, ginger, garlic, and ½ cup of water. Blend until smooth, about 1 minute. It’ll be foamy—that’s fine! Set aside 1 cup of the marinade and refrigerate it until you’re ready to cook the chicken (you’ll use it to make the sauce later).
Place the chicken in a bowl or large zipper-lock bag and add the remaining blended teriyaki marinade. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours (no longer or the dish will be too salty!).
You have two options for cooking the chicken. To grill, place the chicken on a medium-high grill and cook, covered, for 6 to 8 minutes per side, until lightly charred and cooked through. To broil, position an oven rack about 6 inches from the broiler and preheat it to high. Arrange the chicken on a foil-lined baking sheet and broil for about 8 minutes on each side, or until well-browned and fully cooked. Keep an eye on it, as the sugar in the marinade can cause some charring on the foil.
While the chicken cooks, make the sauce by whisking the reserved marinade with the remaining water and cornstarch until completely smooth. Bring the sauce to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer until nicely thickened, 1 to 2 minutes.
You can keep it simple and serve the chicken whole or slice it crosswise about ½-inch thick. Top with the teriyaki sauce, scallions, and sesame seeds over white rice or brown rice. A little sauce goes a long way, so be sparing! Chicken teriyaki can be made up to 3 days ahead and reheated, or frozen for later.
Video Tutorial
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Chicken Teriyaki
Ingredients
- 1 cup soy sauce
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons mirin
- 2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh ginger from a 2-inch knob
- 4 cloves garlic coarsely chopped
- ¾ cup water divided
- 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 3 scallions dark green parts only, for serving
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds for serving
Instructions
- Make the teriyaki sauce: Combine the soy sauce, sugar, mirin, oil, ginger, garlic, and ½ cup (120 ml) of the water in a blender and process until smooth, about 1 minute. It will be foamy; that's okay. Set aside 1 cup (240 ml) of sauce and refrigerate until ready to cook (you'll use it for serving).
- Place the chicken in a 1-gallon (1L) zipper-lock bag and add remaining blended teriyaki sauce. Press out the air, seal the bag, and turn to coat the chicken with marinade. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours (no longer or the dish will be too salty).
- To Grill: Place the chicken on a medium-high grill and cook, covered, until chicken is lightly charred and cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes per side, rearranging as needed to ensure even browning.
- To Broil: Position an oven rack about 6 inches (15 cm) from the broiler and preheat the broiler to high. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with heavy-duty aluminum foil for easy cleanup. Before placing the chicken on the baking sheet, let any excess marinade drip off to reduce charring and smoke during broiling. Arrange the chicken on the prepared baking sheet. Broil for about 8 minutes on each side, or until it's well-browned and fully cooked. Keep an eye on the broiler while cooking, as the sugar in the marinade can cause some charring on the foil.
- Thicken the sauce: In a small saucepan, whisk the reserved sauce (be sure it’s cold or room temperature), the remaining ¼ cup (60 ml) water, and cornstarch until completely smooth. Bring the sauce to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Slice the chicken crosswise about ½-inch (12-mm) thick, if desired, and serve with the teriyaki sauce, scallions, and sesame seeds. Be judicious with the sauce — a little goes a long way.
Notes
Pair with
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Comments
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Hey, I really want to make this dish and was wondering if the ginger had to be fresh or if I could use ginger paste or ginger powder without sacrificing too much of the original flavor?
Hi Kat, I like this best with fresh ginger, but you can get away with ground ginger powder. You’ll need much less — I’d recommend a scant 1/4 teaspoon. Hope you enjoy!
Delicious and easy-used bottled garlic and ginger and the taste was wonderful with only 1 hour of marinating.
I made this chicken for my book club and everyone raved about it. I marinated the thighs for 1 hour and it was plenty of time. I grilled the chicken about 6 mins per side as the pieces were on the smaller side. Will definitely make again.
Made this last night and it was wonderful. Loved the ginger! We added pineapple for those who like a little something extra.
This is a fantastic recipe! It’s also amazingly easy, which I appreciate when I don’t have a lot of time to get dinner on the table. Because the marinade time is flexible and can be as short as one hour, you can decide to make it last minute and still get excellent results. I used boneless thighs and they came out beautifully, but also used chicken tenderloins, which worked out in a pinch. The flavor of the marinade and sauce is restaurant quality. My family devours it!
This recipe was a big hit at my house. My teenager said “Mom, you really stepped up your game!” Ha ha. It did taste like restaurant food. I followed the recipe – except I skipped the mirin and only marinated for 30 min (and it still tasted great). I used the broiler and served it with steamed broccoli and steamed rice, as recommended. I also appreciate the 3 lbs of chicken, because even with 4 people we now have leftovers. Thank you!
I’ve made this recipe once with chicken and once with salmon. It was a big hit served both ways. It was the best teriyaki sauce I’ve ever had and far superior to anything you can buy. The dish was not only delicious but looked picture perfect. But the real proof is in the fact that there was nothing left over which was also the saddest part because I would have loved to have some leftovers for lunch!
This was excellent! I am always on the search for great Asian-inspired meals and they don’t always have the rich flavor that you’d hope. This one does! We subbed chix breasts because that’s what we prefer. And we had some extra sauce leftover to use on rice bowls the next day. Thanks for another great recipe!
So good!
We loved it. My husband can’t stop raving. I did have to make a substitution. We substitute coconut aminos for soy in all recipes calling for soy. Knowing it is sweeter than soy I cut the sugar to 1/2 cup but it was still too sweet for us. Remedied by upping all the other ingredients to balance it. So just a note that unless you like really sweet sauce be careful how much sugar you add if using coconut aminos instead of soy. I think this marinade and sauce might work really well for pork tenderloins.