This easy teriyaki chicken is everyone’s favorite stir-fry dinner. It’s made special with my homemade teriyaki sauce and comes together in just 20 minutes!
Why You’ll Love This Teriyaki Chicken
When I’m craving a dinner with Asian flavors, stir-fry meals become my go-to, such as chicken stir-fry, shrimp fried rice, Mongolian beef, and especially this teriyaki chicken. Paired with steamed broccoli and white rice, it’s the ultimate cozy Japanese-inspired meal at home. Here’s what else makes my recipe so special:
- The teriyaki sauce is top-notch. Skip the store-bought stuff and overly thick restaurant versions. This sauce stays true to authentic Japanese flavors with just a few simple ingredients.
- It’s ready in under 30 minutes. Once everything’s prepped, it cooks up in just 10 minutes on the stovetop.
- It’s always a hit. Whether I’m making dinner for two or feeding the whole family, it gets rave reviews every time.
Teriyaki Chicken Ingredients
- Chicken Thighs: Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are ideal for this recipe. They’re more tender, juicy, and flavorful than chicken breasts. But you can use chicken breasts if that’s what you have on hand.
- Soy Sauce: I use tamari soy sauce to keep the recipe gluten-free, but regular soy sauce works too. For a soy-free version, feel free to substitute with coconut aminos.
- Sake & Mirin: These traditional Japanese ingredients create that signature teriyaki flavor that’s slightly sweet, slightly tangy, and deeply umami. If you don’t have them, check the recipe notes for easy substitutions.
- Honey: Classic teriyaki sauce is sweetened with granulated sugar, but I use honey for a more natural option. It blends beautifully into the sauce and adds just the right amount of sweetness.
Find the printable recipe with measurements below.
How To Make Teriyaki Chicken
Step one: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, sake, mirin, and honey until everything is well combined. Set this aside.
Step two: Dice the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces. Then, heat the oil in a large sauté pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add in the chicken and stir fry for 3 to 4 minutes, until it becomes golden brown.
Step three: Give the sauce a quick whisk, then stir it in with the chicken. Continue cooking and let it simmer for about 4 to 5 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.
What To Serve With Teriyaki Chicken
Since teriyaki chicken is already rich and flavorful, simple sides like rice and freshly steamed veggies are the perfect pairing. Here are a few easy ideas you can whip up while the chicken is sizzling in the pan:
- Steamed Broccoli
- Garlic Sautéed Spinach
- Sautéed Cabbage
- Asian Cucumber Salad
- Green Beans with Shallots and Lemon
- Garlic Ginger Bok Choy
- Cauliflower Rice (for a low-carb option)
Storage Tips
If you’ve got leftovers, store the teriyaki chicken and rice in individual containers in the fridge for up to 4 days. Separate containers will make sure your rice doesn’t get soggy from the sauce. This will also last for up to 3 months in the freezer.
More Chicken Recipes
- Coconut Curry Chicken: Another wonderful, comforting meal.
- Chicken Lettuce Wraps: Far better than P.F. Chang’s!
- Chicken Fajitas: A staple, easy, flavorful dinner.
- Chicken Marsala: The best mushroom sauce ever.
- Lemon Pepper Chicken: Great for a bright chicken recipe.
- Or browse through my list of chicken thigh recipes or chicken breast recipes!
If you make this teriyaki chicken recipe, I’d love to hear how it turned out in the comment box below! Your review will help other readers in the community. And if you’re hungry for more healthy food inspiration and exclusive content, join my free newsletter here.
Description
Video
Equipment
- All-Clad Fry Pan My favorite stainless steel pan!
Ingredients
Chicken Stir Fry
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, diced into 1-inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- salt and pepper, to taste
Teriyaki Sauce
- ¼ cup tamari soy sauce, or coconut aminos
- ¼ cup sake
- ¼ cup mirin
- 2 tablespoons honey
Garnish
- sesame seeds
- sliced green onion
Instructions
- Make the teriyaki sauce. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, sake, mirin, and honey until everything is well combined. Set this aside.
- Stir fry the chicken. Heat the oil in a large saute pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add in the chicken and let it cook for 1 to 2 minutes on one side, until nice and golden. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Then, flip it over and cook the other side for another 1 to 2 minutes.
- Toss together. Give the sauce a quick whisk and add it to the pan along with the minced ginger and garlic. Stir the sauce with the chicken and let it simmer for 4 to 5 minutes until the sauce has reduced and thickened.
- Serve on top of a fresh bed of rice and a side of steamed broccoli. Garnish with diced green onions and sesame seeds.
Lisa’s Tips
- Storage tip: If you’ve got leftovers, store the teriyaki chicken and rice in individual containers in the fridge for up to 4 days. Separate containers will make sure your rice doesn’t get soggy from the sauce. This will also last for up to 3 months in the freezer.
- If you don’t have sake: you could use more mirin and reduce the honey. You could also substitute dry sherry or white wine.
- If you don’t have mirin: you could use more sake and add more honey. You could also substitute a 3:1 ratio of water to honey.
Nutrition
©Downshiftology. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
Recipe originally published March 2020, but updated to include new information and photos for your benefit!
What can I use as a substitute for the sake and mirin? I saw that you had it posted somewhere, but I couldn’t find it.
Hi Katy – that’s listed on the teriyaki sauce recipe.
This has been fabulously welcomed @hime~~~thanks again Lisa!
Thank you for the lovely recipe! Followed the recipe except for reducing the ginger as my husband doesn’t like a strong ginger flavor. I reduced it to 1 tsp and it was perfect! It also took about 10 min to reduce for me (not the 4-5). It was so easy to make and flavorful!
Wonderful! Glad both of you enjoyed this teriyaki chicken.
When I try to thicken the sauce my chicken tends to over cook. Any suggestions? By the way this happens with almost every recipe that involves chicken so I feel like I’m doing something wrong. I can always add cornstarch or cook it on the side but I would really like to be able to skip that extra step. Thanks in advance.
Hi Brian – there’s always so many variables in the kitchen, so it might just be your pans or even your heating element. You can always make a double batch of the teriyaki sauce on it’s own and thicken it up (it will store for quite a while in the fridge!). And then just add it at the end of the chicken cook time (plus add it to other recipes in the future). I know you said you’d like to skip that extra step, but it might be best. Also keep in mind that Japanese teriyaki sauce is not nearly as thick as Americanized teriyaki sauce. Hope that helps!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. My family loved this dish. One question, can I use drinking sake instead of cooking sake. Thank you
Yep, that’s fine Pedro!
This is bussin
Hello! Does the nutritional breakdown include the broccoli and rice as well? Or is it just the chicken?
Hi Anna! No, it doesn’t include the broccoli or rice.
This was good and we would make it again, but it didn’t taste like teriyaki. I think that’s because the 1 TBSP of ginger was just way too much. We like ginger, but it basically took over the whole dish. Next time we’ll try with 1 TSP and we’re hopeful that will make this recipe perfect! Oh, I did have to add a TBSP of cornstarch too as our sauce never thickened.
Hi Kaily – This teriyaki sauce is more like a traditional Japanese teriyaki chicken where it’s not extremely sticky and overly sweet. But, you can always make adjustments as needed :)
I’ve made this recipe so many times now! It’s such an easy thing to whip up and it’s very flexible. It’s so delicious and satisfying to eat this with a steaming bowl of rice and veggies!
Wonderful! Happy to hear you’ve enjoyed this dish so much Sydney :)
We love your chicken teriyaki it’s so easy to cook, that we usually make it in our lunch break. Thanks for always posting a video and not just the recipes, I enjoy watching the videos while I cook just to make sure that I’m following each step exactly the way you meant it :)
So glad you loved the chicken teriyaki Carolina! And happy to hear the videos are helping you in the kitchen :)
Ok so I’m a serious rice lover, especially when paired with teriyaki sauce. But I’m also sensitive to garlic which is in almost every bottled teriyaki you’ll find at the store. So when I found this recipe and noticed the sauce was garlic-free, I had to give it a shot. I’m SO glad I did… my husband and I are obsessed with this recipe. It’s so simple and easy to make, and perfect for when I’m craving a teriyaki bowl. It’s amazing as is, but I also like to add some finely chopped fresh ginger for an extra kick.
Love the idea of adding fresh ginger to this! Glad you and your husband enjoy this recipe so much.
I have to eat a strict paleo diet. Can you please tell me what I can use in place of Sake & Miren in this recipe?
Hi Linda! You can reference my Teriyaki Sauce post for substitutions :)
Made this meal tonight, so easy and so very tasty, winner winner teriyaki dinner!!!!!
Happy to hear you loved this recipe Toni!
Made this last night and EVERYONE loved it. Thanks for providing so many great recipes with healthy ingredients.
Hi Cindy – So glad everyone enjoyed this recipe!
Simple but delicious dinner my hubs loved
Love your recipes and how approachable they are, but always turn out. Thanks for this one, too! One small note – the recipe calls for chicken thighs, but breasts are listed in the instructions.
So glad you and your husband enjoyed this teriyaki chicken :)
I somehow stumbled onto your youtube channel! I love everything about it. The recipes, the way you organize and how practicle you are with organizing and how fluid you are with what you eat. I also have an autoimmune diseases and this is just perfect. This was the first recipe I tried and it’s amazing! Thank you so much for all the effort you put into everything you post!
Donna
Atlanta GA
Welcome to the Downshiftology community Donna! So glad you’re enjoying all my content so far and that I can help you in so many ways :)
I noticed in the recipe you all for chicken thighs but in the instructions you say to cut the chicken breast. It looks yummy!
Thanks for pointing that out Denise! Just changed :)
Hi there, I do love the recipe very tasty BUT I’ve tried it twice now and the sauce does not thicken. I have even added cornstarch. I’m following it to the exact measurements. Let me know.
Hi Brigid – A true Japanese teriyaki sauce doesn’t get as thick as an American-style teriyaki sauce (if that’s what you’re comparing it to). It should thicken a bit though, so if it doesn’t it might be because your stove temperature was too low. The pan should be quite hot when you add it. Alternatively, you can always simmer the sauce separately, to really reduce it down to a thicker consistency, then add it to fully cooked chicken. Hope that helps!
I love simple, easy, quick, but tasty recipes, and this one ticks all the boxes! I didn’t have sake so I substituted it with rice cooking wine and it still turned out so delicious. Had mine served on a bed of rice with some steamed broccoli! So good!
Wonderful! This really is an easy and simple dinner that can be whipped up with minimal prepping :)
Thank you for the recipe! Finally, I got a home made healthier substitution to my most frequent delivery guilty pleasure thanks to you. Making batches of it now and freezing so it’s there when the craving hits…
I’m not friends with chopped or greater ginger, so I’d use a splash of a store bought ginger juice instead.
Hi Ruta- So glad you enjoyed this teriyaki chicken recipe :) This is definitely a great dish to keep in the freezer as well!
My family loved this dish . Perfect meal . At first, I was concerned when my teriyaki sauce did not thicken so I added a little more honey . Turned out perfect . Taste and smell was delicious . Will DEFINITELY make it again .
– CMF
Hi Cora- Glad this recipe turned out great!
Made this. It’s really good.
Hi Beth- Wonderful! Glad you enjoyed this recipe :)
The only problem with this recipe… is how much of it of it I can eat lol! Thank you so much for sharing this and all your recipes. You absolutely deserve one million subscribers – congrats! – I love your recipes and your calming, inspiring, and organized videos. I appreciate you!! <3
Hi Carly- So glad you enjoyed this recipe and thanks so much for your kind words :)
This recipe is absolutely delicious and so easy to whip up! I doubled it and fed it to a family of 7! I absolutely love how the sauce infused the chicken with the sweet and savory flavor.
I think I overcrowded my pan, and so when the chicken was cooked, I removed it to allow the sauce time to thicken a bit more, in case that helps anyone!
Hi Molly- Happy to hear everyone in the family enjoyed this recipe! And thanks for the quick tip.
Hi Lisa, I made this tonight and it was delicious! Just a quick note, in your recipe you forgot to include adding the garlic and ginger at the same time as the teriyaki sauce. Love your site and am having fun cooking all your recipes!
Nope just kidding I see you added it. I had saved the recipe when it was posted. Sorry about that!
Oh, just saw this comment. Phew, I’m happy you can see it! :)
Hi Amanda – so happy you loved the recipe! I add that in step three in the directions. Do you not see that on your end?
Hi Lisa! Thank you so much for the amazing recipe – my family loves it. We have recently started getting serious about meal-prepping in advance for the week; does this recipe freeze well? Have you tried to freeze it? Thanks!
Hi there- Freezing this recipe shouldn’t be a problem :) Just make sure to freeze the rice separately!
HI All! I tried this tonight but used Coconut Aminos and Sherry Cooking wine. Mine turned out very thin instead of thick like the video. Any tips on how I could have made this a bit more sticky to the chicken?
Hi Kimberly – the sauce will thicken as it reduces on the stove, so you probably just needed to cook a little longer. If you’re afraid of overcooking the chicken, you could always reduce the sauce in a pot separately, then add to the chicken once it’s already started to thicken up. Hope that helps!
Hey, my sauce took a lot more to reduce and the chicken overcooked :/ any suggestions to why did that happen, i followed the recipe to the dot
It may have just been due to the temperature of your pan/stove. In the future, if you’re worried about over cooking the chicken you can always begin to reduce the sauce in a pot, then once it’s slightly thickened add it to the chicken. :)
thank you for the opportunity to try n make your delicious recipes!
Hi David – I’m glad you’re loving everything so far!
Can you update the recipe to include how much ginger and how much garlic?
Hi Yvonne – thanks for the catch! I’ve fixed it. :)
The best teriyaki I’ve ever had! It tasted fresh and delicious.
Oh yay! I’m so happy you loved the recipe. :)
Love all of the recipes I’ve tried from your site, and was excited to try this one. I followed the recipe exactly, but I substituted an additional 1/4 cup of sake and 2 tbs of honey for the 1/4 cup of mirin. It turned out looking and smelling great, but I was disappointed to find that the sauce had very little flavor at all. I understand it is the non-sweetened American teriyaki recipe, but it was so flavorless that I must have made a mistake somewhere. Hoping you may have an idea of what I did wrong!
The most delicious teriyaki chicken I have ever had. I love that this only has 10 ingredients, but lacks nothing in flavor. It was worth ordering the sake for delivery to make this! I plan on making a bigger batch and freezing this week.
Hi Courtney – So glad you found this recipe easy to make and super flavorful! And yes, the sake is definitely worth it for an authentic teriyaki sauce :)
This recipe is SO GOOD. The teriyaki sauce is to die for, and you can taste all the amazing flavor the instant it hits your mouth! I was surprised how easy it was to make, and it was a hit in my house. I followed the recipe exactly and didn’t substitute any ingredients, although I might see if I can get away with less honey next time (just because I’m running low :)).
Hi Susan – A lot of people think teriyaki sauce is difficult to make, but it’s actually so simple! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe overall :)
I made this the other day and it is possibly one of my most favorites of your recipes. I was confused, however, that the ginger and garlic are listed in the ingredients, but are not a part of the directions. Am I missed something?
Hi Virginia- Ah thanks for pointing that out! You actually don’t need the ginger and garlic. I just removed it as I was testing different variations out and ended up not using it for the teriyaki sauce :)
I made this with white wine vinegar and rice vinegar instead of the wines. But it was still incredible. After we are free to roam I’m going to make it officially with the Asian acids. I added a bit of roasted sesame seed oil at the end.
Hi Jacqueline – Happy to hear this recipe still turned out delicious using the white wine and rice vinegar! Toasted sesame oil at the end would also be a beautiful addition.
I made this two days ago and am making it again tonight! It is such an approachable, quick and delicious recipe. What a big difference from store bought teriyaki sauce. Thank you for such quality content! ;)
Hi Lisette- Homemade teriyaki sauce is definitely much better than store-bought :) I’m glad you’ve already enjoyed this recipe so much!
Thank you so much Lisa for this amazing recipe. My daughter thinks this is the most yummy recipe ever. Since my other daughter has recently started on a low FODMAP diet due to IBS issues I had to make some changes. I swapped the honey for maple syrup and I took the garlic out. It all worked out perfectly so this one is going to be on repeat. Next time I do however should make more ;-).
Hi Babette – So excited to hear that both of your daughters are able to enjoy this recipe with a few modifications!
I made this recipe and even though I used only soya sauce and honey ( I don’t have sake and mirrin in my pantry as a rule) it was amazing. Had it with steamed rice and it was finger-licking good!!
Hi Heena – Wonderful! I’m glad you were able to use a few substitutions to get the teriyaki sauce right :)
Made this last night for dinner and it was so delicious and easy to make. It tasted better than most take out I’ve had! My sauce took a little longer than 5 minutes to thicken, but i’m pretty sure I didn’t have the heat high enough. Looking forward to making this one again!
Wonderful! I think homemade versions are much better, especially when you know exactly what ingredients you are using. As for the sauce, the timing can vary. Just keep heating it until you find it thick enough :)
How can you make your teriyaki recipe without using sugar (honey) and Sake? (no alcohol)
Thank you,
Susie
Hi Susie – You can find further instructions on how to adjust your teriyaki sauce in my Teriyaki Sauce post :)
Hi Lisa I really enjoy all the ideas you have so much better then what I was doing before 😊
I’m so glad I can provide some inspiration in the kitchen Patricia :)
Thanks for the recipe & video. Can’t wait to try it!
You’re going to love this one! It’s got tons of rich flavor :)
This is what I will do with the chicken I have in the fridge! Thank you Lisa!
Perfect way to switch up your typical chicken routine with this delicious teriyaki sauce :)
Thank you so much, I feel like you saw that I was searching for this recipe on your site a while ago. I didn’t see one at the time, but I’m so glad to see it now. I will definitely try it as soon as possible.
Hi Christine- Looks like great minds think alike! I’m glad I created this recipe just in time :)
Love this delicious chicken recipe. So easy and yet so flavorful.
Glad you loved this one Veena :)
I have a pack of chicken I need to use, so this is what we’re having for dinner tonight- thanks for sharing!
This will be perfect to whip up for tonight :) Enjoy the recipe!
My husband and I love this recipe! Most teriyaki sauces are made with a ton of unnecessary sugar. I love that we can use honey as we are trying to eat more local honey to help with allergies!
Great! Authentic teriyaki sauce definitely doesn’t use too much sugar and in my opinion, tastes much better than American versions :)
This looks so good!! Can you share where you found those pretty serving bowls, by the way? I’ve been looking for something similar for our wedding registry!
Hi Kate! – Thanks so much! I actually got these from a more local vendor so they’re not available for sale :(
So thankful to have come across this recipe right now while my family practicing some social distancing. We had everything we needed in the refrigerator and it was delicious!
Hi Kacey- Amazing! It’s definitely a pantry friendly meal that requires a few staple ingredients.
OMG! This Teriyaki Chicken looks phenomenal! This is the perfect easy meal for the entire family! I so need to make this!
It’s definitely a family favorite recipe :) Hope you all enjoy this one!