Better-Than-Takeout Teriyaki Chicken — 🥢🍚 Learn how to make the BEST teriyaki chicken at home in one skillet in just 20 minutes! Tender juicy chicken that’s full of rich Asian-inspired teriyaki flavor is a guaranteed family FAVORITE! Faster, healthier, and more budget-friendly than calling for takeout which is a triple WIN!
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Easy Better-Than-Takeout Teriyaki Chicken Recipe
I have a ton of better-than-takeout recipes on my website and they’re always a favorite with readers. Most of them are easy, ready in less than 30 minutes, made in one skillet, and use common and easy-to-find ingredients.
I realized I didn’t have a better-than-takeout teriyaki chicken recipe and needed to change that so I created this recipe!
Like most of my Asian-inspired chicken skillet recipes, this one is ready in just 20 minutes, and it’s full of rich teriyaki flavor from the soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and more. The chicken turns out so tender, juicy, and flavorful!
No one can argue that cooking at home is healthier than eating out and being that this chicken isn’t breaded or fried, it gets points in the watching-your-waistline category. Plus, cooking at home is cheaper and of course, and this chicken is every bit as good as calling for takeout – and faster to make!
Ingredients in Teriyaki Chicken
To make this 20 minute chicken recipe, you’ll need the following common ingredients:
- Olive oil
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Garlic
- Ginger – Fresh or dried (ground) ginger are fine, read the FAQs below for more info
- Low-sodium soy sauce
- Chicken broth – I use reduced sodium
- Toasted sesame oil
- Honey
- Light brown sugar
- Rice vinegar – sometimes called ‘rice wine vinegar’ but they’re the same thing. Apple cider vinegar can be substituted in a pinch
- Cornstarch
- Green onions and/or sesames seeds for garnishing, optional
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Teriyaki Chicken at Home
- To a large skillet, add the olive oil, chicken, and cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes. When the chicken is done, remove it from the skillet and set it on a plate.
- Add the garlic and ginger to the skillet and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the soy sauce, broth, sesame oil, honey, brown sugar, corn starch (which are your teriyaki sauce ingredients), whisk to combine, and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the teriyaki sauce begins to thicken.
- Add the chicken back into the pan, toss with the sauce mixture, optionally garish as desired, and serve immediately!
what to serve with chicken teriyaki
Serving this easy chicken over a bed of white rice such as basmati rice or jasmine rice is great to soak up all that glorious teriyaki sauce. But you can take it a step further and make your own homemade fried rice in less than 20 minutes using one of the recipes above. Quinoa or cauliflower rice also work well.
As a time saver, you can also omit the protein (chicken or shrimp) from the rice options listed above since you’ve already got the protein covered with teriyaki chicken.
Any type of steamed vegetable, particularly broccoli, snow peas, or peapods are particularly great.
Chicken Teriyaki FAQs
If you prefer boneless skinless chicken thighs to boneless skinless chicken breasts, by all means use them. One of the reasons why I love my recipe for terikyaki is because I use white meat (my preference) rather than dark meat like many restaurants do (i.e. Panda Express) or Trader Joe’s frozen teriyaki chicken which uses mostly dark meat. But it’s personal preference. Thighs may take a minute or two longer to cook, but it’s negligible.
Yes you can easily double (or halve) this recipe based on your needs.
While some people would say that freshly grated ginger is always best, I am not a diehard. If all you have is ground ginger, which is what I have on hand in my pantry, then use it. I use 1 to 2 teaspoons ground ginger, or about 2 to 3 teaspoons of fresh. Dried or ground ginger is more potent than fresh so you should use more. i.e. 1 teaspoon ground ginger is about 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated but use your judgement.
Yes you do because it’s necessary to thicken the teriyaki sauce, otherwise it’ll seem thin and won’t cling to the chicken. If you’re wondering what else to make with your little box or jar of cornstarch, many of my chicken recipes use cornstarch.
While you could buy a bottle of traditional teriyaki sauce from the grocery store and use it with diced pieces of raw chicken and saute it all according to the directions on the bottle, that’s not the point of this recipe – which is instead to make your own whisk-together sauce, thicken it for a couple minutes, and then toss the chicken in your homemade teriyaki sauce.
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Better-Than-Takeout Teriyaki Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced into bite-sized pieces
- 3 to 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 ½ to 2 teaspoons ground ginger, or to taste (or about 2 heaping teaspoons freshly grated ginger)
- ¼ cup reduced sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup reduced sodium chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, sometimes called ‘rice wine vinegar’ but they’re the same thing
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- Green onions, optional for garnishing to taste
- Sesame seeds, optional for garnishing to taste
- Salt and pepper, if desired and to taste
Instructions
- To a large skillet, add the olive oil, chicken, and saute over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and done. Stir and flip frequently to ensure even cooking. Tip – Want to use boneless skinless chicken thighs? That's fine, they'll likely need an extra 1-2 minutes to cook through.
- When the chicken is done, remove it using a slotted spoon and set it on plate momentarily.
- To the same skillet (don't wipe it out), add the garlic, ginger, and if necessary add a bit more oil if your skillet is dry, and saute for about 1 minute; stir constantly so garlic doesn't burn.
- Add the soy sauce, broth, sesame oil, brown sugar, rice vinegar, cornstarch, whisk to combine, and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes, whisking nearly constantly, until sauce thickens slightly. Tips – Sesame oil adds quintessential Asian flavor and so don't skip it. Toasted (vs. non-toasted) sesame oil is the most common way it's sold and what you want. Cornstarch is also essential because it helps the sauce thicken and can't be skipped or your teriyaki sauce will be thinner and won't cling to the chicken.
- Add the chicken into the teriyaki sauce, stir to combine and coat evenly, and optionally garnish with green onions and/or sesame seeds, as desired. If you think it needs salt (or pepper), add it, to taste. Depending on the brand of soy sauce and broth you use, and your personal preference for salt, you may or may not need to add salt. Serve immediately.
- Storage – Extra chicken will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat leftover in the microwave for about 30-60 seconds, or as needed.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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