This Japanese teriyaki chicken recipe is quick, easy and homemade. Once you get a taste of this teriyaki sauce glaze, you’ll want to use it on everything, including seafood and vegetables. We’ve brushed it on top of grilled salmon and it’s always a hit with readers and friends. Make a big batch of it and store it in an air tight jar for a few weeks to all to all your favorite meals. This sauce is great just drizzled on top of hot rice or even pasta.

Teriyaki Chicken Recipe on a plate

Teriyaki Chicken Recipe

Our slow cooker chicken teriyaki recipe is a popular dish on the site, but sometimes you don’t have hours to spare and wait for the crock pot to finish cooking. So this Japanese teriyaki chicken recipe is quick, easy and homemade. It takes about 2o minutes to make and the sauce alone takes just about 5 minutes to cook. You can use boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs for extra flavor.

Pound down the chicken with the smooth side of a meat tenderizer. For the more adventurous, the flat side of a chef’s knife or cleaver combined with solid whacks from the palm of your hand. Pounding down will help give a even thickness and allow you to cook a little quicker on the outside and still have the center cooked through, giving a juicier chicken.

Once you’ve pan seared the chicken, just brush or drizzle as much of the teriyaki sauce that you want serve it with hot rice, steamed vegetables or with a side salad. It’s a quick, easy and wonderful chicken dinner that your whole family will love.

Teriyaki Chicken Recipe on a plate

Best Sake Substitutions

Sometimes you don’t always have a bottle of sake at the ready. The taste won’t be quite the same but these substitutions will work in a pinch. One other note on the sake, for drinking sake it is often recommended to use up the bottle shortly after opening. However for sake used in cooking, an open bottle lasts a long time in the refrigerator and the taste difference is very small compared to when it was first opened up. Get an inexpensive sake and keep it in the fridge for cooking. It is a great ingredient to always have on hand.

  • Chinese Rice Wine – Use in an approximate 1:1 substitution
  • Dry Vermouth or Dry Sherry – (don’t use sweet or semi-sweet vermouth or Sherry) Use in an approximate 1:1 substitution
  • Dry White Wine – the drier the better. Something like a Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio. Use in an approximate 1:1 substitution
  • (non-alcohol option) Rice Vinegar (also sold as Rice Wine Vinegar, same thing just different labeling practice) + Water or White Grape Juice (1:3 ratio – for example for a 1/4 cup of sake (60ml) ,  use 1 Tablespoon (15ml) Rice Wine Vinegar + 3 Tablespoons (45ml) Water or White Grape Juice) Note: Seasoned Rice Vinegar is a different ingredient. It has been sweetened and flavored to use in sushi rice.

Japanese Teriyaki Glazed Chicken Recipe

See post for additional recipes details and sake substition options. Glaze adapted from White On Rice Couple's Asian Glazed Salmon.
5 from 6 votes

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Ingredients

Chicken ingredients

  • 2 lbs. (910 g) Chicken Breasts
  • Kosher Salt
  • fresh cracked Black Pepper
  • 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) Cooking Oil (Grape Seed, Canola, etc...)

Teriyaki Sauce ingredients

  • 1/4 cup (60 ml) Sake
  • 1/4 cup (60 ml) Soy Sauce
  • 1/4 cup (55 g) Brown Sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) Rice Vinegar (also sold as Rice Wine Vinegar) *see Note below recipe
  • 1/2 Tablespoon (7.5 ml) fresh grated Ginger

Instructions 

  • Pat dry the chicken breasts. Wrap each breast between two layers of plastic wrap and pound down to an even 1/2" thickness. Season with salt and pepper.
  • Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Add oil, then place chicken breasts in pan. Cook each side until golden, about 5 minutes on each side.
  • While the chicken cooks, combine the glaze ingredients in a saucepan (sake, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, and ginger). On medium-high heat, bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes. Set aside.
  • Allow the chicken to cool for 5-10 minutes. Slice into 1/2" pieces, pour glaze over sliced chicken and serve.

Notes

Note for Rice Vinegar: Don't use Seasoned Rice Vinegar - that has been sweetened and flavored for sushi

Nutrition Information per Serving

Calories: 372kcal, Carbohydrates: 15g, Protein: 50g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 145mg, Sodium: 1077mg, Potassium: 888mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 14g, Vitamin A: 68IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 26mg, Iron: 1mg

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