Why You’ll Love This this Sweet & Savory Japanese Teriyaki Chicken
This sweet and savory teriyaki chicken hits all the right notes with its perfect balance of soy sauce saltiness and brown sugar sweetness that’ll make your taste buds do a little happy dance.
You get tender, juicy chicken pieces glazed in that glossy, restaurant-quality teriyaki sauce that honestly makes me wonder why I ever bothered with those expensive takeout orders.
The best part is how the marinade works double duty, flavoring the chicken while you whip up that thick, glossy sauce that’s basically liquid gold drizzled over rice.
Ingredients List
You’ll need just eight simple ingredients to create this restaurant-worthy teriyaki chicken that honestly makes me question why I ever thought cooking was complicated.
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in thin pieces
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 3/4-1 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Health-wise, this recipe does pack quite a bit of sodium from the soy sauce and sugar from the brown sugar, so it’s definitely more of a treat-yourself meal than an everyday health food:
- The chicken provides lean protein, which is always a win
- You can easily cut the brown sugar back to 3/4 cup or even less if you’re watching your sugar intake
- Consider using low-sodium soy sauce to dial back the salt content
- The small amount of oil keeps things relatively light compared to deep-fried alternatives
Step by Step Directions
Making teriyaki chicken at home is surprisingly straightforward when you break it down into these manageable steps.
- Prepare the teriyaki sauce base – Combine water, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic powder, and ground ginger in a bowl, whisking until well mixed.
- Marinate the chicken – Place chicken pieces in half of the sauce mixture and let marinate for 2-3 hours, turning once halfway through.
- Make the glaze sauce – Stir cornstarch into the remaining sauce and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens slightly, then cool to room temperature.
- Prepare chicken for cooking – Drain marinade from chicken, reserving 2 tablespoons of the used marinade and discarding the rest.
- Cook the chicken – Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok and stir-fry chicken until almost done.
- Add final glaze – Stir in the reserved 2 tablespoons of marinade and continue stir-frying until chicken is fully cooked and nicely glazed.
- Serve – Plate over hot rice and drizzle with the cooled teriyaki sauce you prepared earlier.
For larger batches or when preparing multiple dishes simultaneously, a professional kitchen mixer can help streamline sauce preparation and ensure consistent mixing of ingredients.
Substitutions and Variations
- Garlic boost – Fresh minced garlic cloves instead of powder will give you more punch, use about 2-3 cloves for that 1/4 teaspoon of powder.
- Cornstarch substitutes – Arrowroot powder or even all-purpose flour can thicken your sauce, though flour might make it slightly less glossy.
- Pineapple addition – Toss in some pineapple chunks during the last few minutes of cooking for that classic Hawaiian teriyaki atmosphere that somehow makes everything taste like vacation.
Additional Things to Serve With This Dish
This teriyaki chicken plays well with others, and honestly, rice is just the beginning of what makes a perfect plate.
- Steamed jasmine or basmati rice – The classic choice that soaks up all that glossy sauce like a sponge, though brown rice works if you’re feeling virtuous.
- Roasted vegetables – Broccoli, snap peas, or carrots get caramelized edges that complement the sweet-salty glaze beautifully.
- Asian cucumber salad – Something cool and crisp cuts through all that rich sauce, plus it takes about two minutes to slice cucumbers and toss them with rice vinegar.
- Steamed edamame – Sprinkle them with coarse salt and suddenly you have that authentic Japanese restaurant atmosphere happening.
- Sesame noodles or lo mein – Because sometimes you want carbs on carbs, and frankly, who’s going to stop you?
- Simple mixed greens – A handful of lettuce dressed with sesame oil and a splash of soy sauce keeps things light while the chicken does all the heavy lifting.
Cooking Tips & Tricks (Chef’s Notes)
A few small tweaks can turn your teriyaki chicken from decent to absolutely stellar, and trust me, these little secrets make all the difference.
- Don’t skip the marinating time – Two hours minimum, because rushed chicken tastes like regret with sauce on top.
- Cut your chicken against the grain – Those thin slices aren’t just for looks, they’re the difference between tender bites and jaw workouts.
- Keep your pan screaming hot – Medium-high heat gives you those beautiful caramelized edges that make restaurant-quality chicken at home.
- Reserve some fresh sauce – That cooled teriyaki sauce you made separately becomes liquid gold when drizzled over the finished dish.
- Don’t crowd the pan – Overcrowded chicken steams instead of searing, and steamed chicken is nobody’s friend.
- Watch the sugar like a hawk – Brown sugar can go from glossy perfection to burnt disaster in about thirty seconds, so stay close.
- Let the chicken rest – Five minutes off the heat lets those juices redistribute, because patience is a virtue that tastes better.
- Taste as you go – Some soy sauces are saltier than others, some brown sugars sweeter, so adjust that balance until it makes your taste buds happy.
Nutritional Facts
This teriyaki chicken delivers a solid balance of protein and flavor, though the brown sugar does bump up those carb numbers.
- Calories per serving: Approximately 285-320 calories (based on 4 servings)
- Protein powerhouse: 35-40 grams of lean protein per serving from the chicken breast
- Carbohydrates: 18-24 grams, primarily from brown sugar in the sauce
- Fat content: 6-8 grams, mostly from the vegetable oil used for stir-frying
- Sodium levels: 1,200-1,400mg per serving due to soy sauce (about 60% daily value)
- Sugar content: 15-20 grams, depending on brown sugar amount used
- Fiber: Less than 1 gram (essentially zero)
- Cholesterol: 85-95mg from chicken breast
- Key vitamins: Good source of niacin, vitamin B6, and phosphorus
- Iron content: Moderate levels from both chicken and soy sauce
- Gluten consideration: Contains gluten from soy sauce unless tamari is substituted
Fun “Did You Know?”
Beyond those nutritional numbers lies a fascinating culinary history that’ll change how you think about this beloved dish.
I’ll bet you didn’t know teriyaki isn’t traditionally Japanese! It’s actually an American-Japanese fusion creation from the 1960s.
The word “teriyaki” combines “teri” (glossy) and “yaki” (grilled), but traditional Japanese teriyaki uses only soy sauce, mirin, and sugar—no brown sugar like our recipe.
Japanese immigrants in Hawaii adapted their cooking techniques using local ingredients, creating what we now call teriyaki chicken.
This sweet, sticky version became so popular that it eventually traveled back to Japan as “American-style teriyaki.”
