Juicy Chicken Breasts are marinated in a savory and slightly sweet teriyaki sauce, then grilled to perfection! An easy meal that satisfies everyone.
This Easy Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Recipe is one of those amazing dinner ideas you can make in a pinch!
Whether you’re getting ready to make a quick dinner for your family or need a simple recipe to serve to guests, having a few delicious go-to recipes is essential.
This Chicken Tinga Recipe and These Steak Fajitas are just two of my favorite go-to recipes.
With just a few simple ingredients 5 minutes of your time, the chicken is prepped and soaking in a delicious homemade Teriyaki marinade. And grilling is no more than 20 minutes, that's a huge win in my book!
Why You'll Love this recipe
- Tender & Delicious
- 5-minute prep time
- Staple ingredients
- Short cooking time
Ingredients
The secret is in the sauce! The first 5 ingredients make up the Teriyaki marinade. It's all about the right blend of flavors.
- Soy sauce- the saltiness will help tenderize the chicken, I prefer low sodium.
- water- Some brands of soy sauce have more intense flavor, the water helps to dilute it so it won't be too salty.
- Garlic- because yum! and, it's good for you.
- Fresh ginger- This gives it that familiar Asian flavor and adds some zing. You'll need to grate it, and I'll show you how.
- Honey- adds the touch of sweetness to balance out the saltiness.
- Dried minced onions- adds that cooked onion flavor
- Chicken- boneless, skinless
How to grate fresh ginger
Fresh ginger is the secret to this homemade marinade. It really adds a lovely bright flavor with a little zing.
Eating ginger raw is spicy, it has some bite. When cooked that bite goes away.
I recommend a ceramic ginger grater, but you can use a microplane too. Mine is straight from Japan, which is why it looks different (I haven't been able to find one exactly like it).
- Peel the ginger- I use a vegetable peeler, some people prefer to use the back of a spoon
- Grate it- Simply rub it back and forth on the grater or microplane and it will break down the ginger.
Instructions
STEP ONE- Marinate the chicken
The chicken should be marinated for a minimum of 30 minutes. But if you can plan ahead, letting it marinate longer will give you more flavor.
12 hours is my optimum time, but it can go up to 24 hours.
- In a small bowl, add the soy sauce, water, honey, grated ginger, garlic, and dried minced onions.
- Whisk together until well combined.
- Lightly season the chicken with salt and pepper.
- Place the chicken in a shallow bowl/dish, or a gallon size zip lock bag.
- Pour the marinade over the chicken, cover and refrigerate.
AFMT pro-tip~
Make a double batch and freeze one for later use. Place all the ingredients in a ziplock bag and freeze flat. When ready to use, thaw in the refrigerator, grill as directed.
STEP TWO- GRILL
- Preheat the grill to between 400 and 500 hundred degrees.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard any remaining sauce.
- Place the chicken on the grill, close the lid.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade and place on the grill. Put the lid down, and cook for 5 minutes. Turn the chicken over to the other side, cover again and cook another 5 minutes or until cooked through. The internal temperature should be 165°.
- Let the chicken rest 5 minutes before serving.
The best way to know the temperature is to use a meat thermometer.
Other Cooking Methods
- Oven- remove chicken from marinade, place it in a 9x13 dish, bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes
- Slow cooker- place chicken in Crockpot, toss in the sauce, Cook on low for 3 hours or high for 2 hours.
- Instant Pot- Place chicken and sauce ingredients in the IP, cook on manual mode for 10 minutes, quick release.
***cooking times vary by oven and size of chicken breasts***
Optional Glaze
You can reserve half the marinade, before adding the chicken, and cook it for a teriyaki glaze.
- Place the reserved marinade in a small saucepan over medium meat and bring to a boil.
- Make a cornstarch slurry by mixing 2 teaspoons of cornstarch with equal parts water and stir with a fork until blended. Add the mixture to the simmering marinade. It will thicken after a couple of minutes.
- Remove from heat, and brush on the chicken after cooking. (For a smoother sauce, strain it through a fine-mesh sieve)
Notes and Tips
- Chicken thighs, legs, leg quarters, or bone-in breasts can be substituted, but you will need to adjust the cooking time.
- Use Bragg’s Liquid Amino Acids in place of soy sauce. If you can’t eat soy.
- Use natural sweetener instead of honey- (THM and Low Carb Lovers) Swerve measures equal parts. For Truvia, use half the amount. For any other sweetener, check a conversion chart.
- dried ginger can be used instead of fresh ginger, although if you can use fresh it makes a huge difference. Dried ginger is more intense, use 1 teaspoon.
- The secret to your meat not sticking to the grill is a high temperature. You'll also get great grill marks!
- Add a couple of teaspoons of sesame oil to your marinade for extra flavor and healthy fat.
- Let it rest! After you remove the meat from the grill, tent it with foil and give it 5-10 minutes for the juices to redistribute back into the meat. This makes for the juiciest piece of chicken.
- Arrowroot powder can be substituted for cornstarch if you are making the teriyaki glaze. Use the same way.
- This recipe freezes GREAT! Place all the ingredients in a ziplock bag and freeze flat. When ready to use, thaw in the refrigerator, grill as directed. I typically make a double batch and freeze one for later use.
- If you use a zip lock bag, make sure to turn it over halfway through the marinating time. This ensures even coating.
Variations
- Pineapple- Add a slice of grilled pineapple to the top of your chicken.
- Stir Fry- This teriyaki sauce makes a great addition to stir fry!
- Teriyaki Chicken Bowl- Build a bowl with rice as the base, slice the chicken, lay it on top, then add veggies like broccoli, edamame, peas, carrots, onions, etc.
FAQ'S
At least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.
Giving the meat time to marinate before putting it on the grill helps. Also, cover with the grill lid to keep some moisture in the air, and don't overcook! A meat thermometer is extremely useful to make sure you're not leaving it on too long.
While the flavors of teriyaki sauce and teriyaki marinade are the same, the way they are used on the meat is the key to telling the difference between the two.
While marinade flavors the chicken before you cook it by allowing it to slowly absorb into the meat, sauce is used to top the chicken and provides a flavor enhancement to the meat.
More tasty grilling recipes
Perfect side dishes for pairing
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Grilled Teriyaki Chicken
Equipment
- mixing bowl
- shallow dish or zip lock bags for marinating
- a ginger grater is helpful if you're using fresh ginger
- garlic press
- tongs
Ingredients
- 2-2/12 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- ⅓ cup water
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
- 1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
- 1 tsp dried minced onions (onion flakes)
Instructions
- Whisk together soy sauce, water, honey, ginger, garlic, and onions.
- Place chicken in a ziplock bag or shallow dish, pour marinade over top. Marinate for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight
- Preheat grill to 400-500 degrees. Remove chicken from marinade and place on the grill until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of your chicken.
- Remove from the grill, and let rest for 5-10 minutes
Optional glaze
- Before adding the chicken, reserve half the marinade.
- Place it in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil.
- Make a cornstarch slurry by mixing two teaspoons of cornstarch with two teaspoons of cold water. Stir with a fork until blended.
- Add the mixture to the simmering marinade, it will thicken after a few minutes.
- Remove from heat and brush on the chicken after cooking.
Notes
- Chicken thighs, legs, leg quarters, or bone-in breasts can be substituted, but you will need to adjust the cooking time.
- Use Bragg’s Liquid Amino Acids in place of soy sauce. If you can’t eat soy.
- Use natural sweetener instead of honey- (THM and Low Carb Lovers) Swerve measures equal parts. For Truvia, use half the amount. For any other sweetener, check a conversion chart.
- dried ginger can be used instead of fresh ginger, although if you can use fresh it makes a huge difference. Dried ginger is more intense, use 1 teaspoon.
- The secret to your meat not sticking to the grill is a high temperature. You'll also get great grill marks!
- Add a couple of teaspoons of sesame oil to your marinade for extra flavor and healthy fat.
- Let it rest! After you remove the meat from the grill, tent it with foil and give it 5-10 minutes for the juices to redistribute back into the meat. This makes for the juiciest piece of chicken.
- Arrowroot powder can be substituted for cornstarch if you are making the teriyaki glaze. Use the same way.
- Freezes well, make a double batch and freeze one (in the marinade)
Nutrition
Update Notes: This post was originally published on July 4, 2017, but was updated with some more information, step-by-step instructions, and updated notes, tips, and images in Februrary of 2021.
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