I’m all about quick weeknight dinner recipes and this Easy Teriyaki Chicken is one that I think you’ll come back to over and over again. It’s almost too easy, and who doesn’t love teriyaki chicken?? The simple marinade turns into a gorgeous light glaze that adds just the right amount of salty, sweet, and savory flavor to juicy chicken thighs for a simple yet satisfying dinner. The leftovers are pretty good for lunch the next day, too. ;)
What’s in Teriyaki Sauce?
Traditional teriyaki from Japan is grilled meat with a simple glaze made of soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar. My teriyaki sauce, while still fairly simple, is a bit close to what you’ll find in bottled teriyaki sauce in the U.S. It has the basic salty-sweet flavor of soy and sugar, but you’ll also find a little garlic and ginger for extra complexity. If you prefer the flavor of an authentic teriyaki sauce, make sure to check out this recipe from Just One Cookbook.
Which is Best, Chicken Thighs or Breasts?
You can make this teriyaki chicken with boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, or even chicken tenders. I find chicken thighs to be the best for this recipe because they cook quickly and stay super tender and juicy. If using chicken breasts, make sure to fillet them into two thinner pieces or pound the chicken to a ½-inch thickness before marinating. This will help them cook quickly and evenly in the skillet before the glaze burns.
How Long Should I Marinade the Teriyaki Chicken?
You can marinate your chicken for as little as 30 minutes, or up to a full day for maximum flavor. This gives you the flexibility to start marinating the chicken just before you begin preparing dinner, in the morning before you leave for work, or even the night before. The longer it marinates, the more delicious it will be!
What to Serve with Teriyaki Chicken
When I’m in a hurry I just keep things simple with some long-grain white rice and steamed broccoli, but you could always make your meal a little more interesting by pairing your teriyaki chicken with something like a Crunchy Cabbage Salad, Sesame Roasted Green Beans, or a Sesame Cucumber Salad.
Easy Teriyaki Chicken
Servings 5 thighsIngredients
- 1/4 cup soy sauce ($0.24)
- 3 Tbsp brown sugar ($0.12)
- 1 Tbsp water ($0.00)
- 1 clove garlic, minced ($0.08)
- 1 tsp grated fresh ginger ($0.10)
- 2 Tbsp cooking oil, divided ($0.08)
- 1.75 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs ($5.72)
Instructions
- Prepare the marinade first. Stir together the soy sauce, brown sugar, water, garlic, ginger, and 1 Tbsp of the cooking oil in a bowl.
- Place the chicken in a shallow bowl or dish, then pour the marinade over top. Turn the chicken a couple of times to make sure it's well coated. Let the chicken marinate for 30 minutes to one day (refrigerated), turning the chicken occasionally as it marinates.
- When ready to cook the chicken, heat the remaining 1 Tbsp cooking oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the chicken, discarding the remaining used marinade.
- Cook the chicken for about 5-7 minutes on each side or until cooked through and the liquid in the skillet has reduced to a light coating of glaze on the chicken.
- Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let it rest for about 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
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Nutrition
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How to Make Teriyaki Chicken – Step by Step Photos
Make the marinade first. In a bowl, stir together ¼ cup soy sauce, 3 Tbsp brown sugar, 1 clove of minced garlic, 1 tsp grated fresh ginger, 1 Tbsp water, and 1 Tbsp cooking oil.
Place about 1.75 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs in a wide bowl or dish (or a zip top bag), then pour the marinade over top. Flip the chicken thighs a few times to make sure they’re fully coated in the marinade. Marinate the chicken for 30 minutes or up to a full day (refrigerated). Turn the chicken occasionally as they marinate.
When you’re ready to cook the chicken, heat one tablespoon of cooking oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the marinated chicken. Discard the remaining used marinade.
Cook the chicken thighs in the skillet for 5-7 minutes on each side, or until the chicken is cooked through and the excess liquid in the skillet has reduced into a light coating of glaze on the chicken.
Transfer the cooked teriyaki chicken to a cutting board to rest for about five minutes before slicing and serving.
This teriyaki chicken is so extremely juicy and delicious. You’re going to love it!
I followed the recipe and the chicken was too sweet. Suggest reducing the amount of brown sugar by half.
3
Awesome…very easy…I just learned how to boil water last week !!!
Super Simple…. cut into chunks before cooking..easier
Great taste..
over a bed of fresh rice
Lol
How much longer should I marinate and cook, if I only have bone in chicken thighs? Or would I need a new recipe for the marinade so it wouldn’t burn?
You can marinade the same amount of time in the same recipe for the marinade. However, cook the thighs about ten minutes longer, until their internal temperature reaches 160 to 165 degrees.
Can you use olive oil?
You sure can! XOXO
OF COURSE!
This recipe is fantastic! Very easy and fast from start to finish. I have made it 3 times in the past two weeks. I like to cut the chicken in small bite-size pieces before marinating. It cooks fast and serves up like a restaurant quality meal over rice. My family loves it. Plus, the kitchen smells awesome.
Your recipe for chicken adobo please
Hi Mary, you can find the Chicken Adobo recipe here: https://www.budgetbytes.com/chicken-adobo/
This was really good! I recommend making a little extra sauce and saving it (before you marinade the chicken) to top the chicken and rice with later. Otherwise, the chicken is great but the rice is a bit dry. Another great recipe. Thank you for all the times you have made dinner happy for my family.
Tried this recipe tonight. It was delicious and very easy. I suspect that the thighs finish cooking while they’re resting, using residual heat. Otherwise, you risk burning the glaze, as another commentator warned. This recipe will be put in rotation for when we’re tired of the same old same old.
This is a winning recipe. Took 2 minutes to throw the marinade together and let the chicken marinate for about 8 hours. Chicken tastes just as good as more complicated chicken teriyaki recipes. Thank you for the great recipes!
Fantastic flavor, easy to put together. I did find that only using 1-tablespoon of oil for the skillet, was not enough. The marinade does have brown sugar, which can burn in the skillet, so just keep an eye on it & add more oil as needed.
This was my first Budget Bytes recipe attempt, and I am very pleased!! Served with coconut rice and wow it was sooo good.
This recipe is actually quite similar to a Filipino recipe called adobo!
Adobo uses whole peppercorns, vinegar, and bay leaves, but this sounds like an amazing recipe too.
this is what i need, a blog that shares how to save money and also have yum meals
Wish i knew all these before when i was a broke student with loans