Teriyaki Chicken is a super easy chicken recipe cooked in 10-minutes with no marinating!

Crispy skinless chicken thighs stir-fried and swimming in a beautiful flavoured homemade teriyaki sauce. A hint of garlic adds a twist on a traditional Japanese Teriyaki Chicken recipe and makes it absolutely addictive. This is better than ANY store-bought teriyaki sauce, guaranteed.

Why get Japanese take out when you can make a deliciously close to authentic Teriyaki Chicken right at home!

Better than Panda Express

This Teriyaki Chicken recipe is fast, simple AND delicious. The best part is there’s no need to de-bone chicken thighs or worry about rendering fat from skin.

It’s no secret that this is one of our favourite flavours and sauces to cook chicken in. Through the years you can find The Best Teriyaki Beef Meatballs, Teriyaki SALMON, and my favourite Simple Chicken Teriyaki Stir Fry.

One thing I found is that I haven’t actually given you a simple and easy Teriyaki Chicken Recipe for those hectic days in the week where dinner is no where in sight, but CAN be in no time at all. No wonder Teriyaki chicken is one of the most popular chicken recipes in the world! Just look at that glossy glaze.

How to make Teriyaki Chicken

This recipe will be loved by your entire family, using minimal ingredients you already have in your pantry or refrigerator!

Soy sauce (use a light soy to reduce the sodium content)
Sugar (white is the preferred sugar used in a traditional Teriyaki sauce, however I prefer using brown sugar)
Sake (or a rice wine vinegar if you have it, but any white vinegar will work)
Mirin (This is an optional ingredient because I understand not many readers have it or can find it. If you want to get yourself a bottle, any Asian or Japanese store will stock it. Otherwise, you can always order it online. Or just skip it all together!
Garlic (because…well, garlic) — you can substitute garlic for ginger if you prefer!

Please use chicken thighs for this. Breasts do work well, BUT chicken thighs stay extra juicy.

When searing your chicken, make sure the oil in your pan is hot before adding the meat to get a really nice golden sear. Use a large pan to avoid over-crowding and simmering your chicken in their own juices. You want them to fry! The pans I tend to use are 12-inches (30 cm) or over.

Sake and Mirin

Both are Japanese alcoholic beverages, although Mirin is generally only used in cooking. Mirin is stronger and sweeter than sake, but if you can’t find Mirin, Sake can be used as a substitute with a pinch of sugar.

If you cannot get a hold of Sake, you can use sherry, any white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, Chinese shiaoxing wine, Vermouth or dry white wine. Both provide good flavours in Teriyaki Chicken.

You could leave them out all together, but they do add a hint of acidity to balance out the sweetness of the sugar while adding a nice subtle tang to the Teriyaki sauce.

What to serve with Teriyaki Chicken

Steamed broccoli and garlic butter rice are the BEST sides (white, jasmine, brown or even wild rice work really well), or r try it with our Fried Rice recipe! Drizzle all of the extra sauce over everything in your bowl for ultimate flavour.

You can also top your chicken with sesame seeds and/or sliced green onion and enjoy a Teriyaki Chicken Bowl in the comfort of your own home!