Tips For Making The Best Teriyaki Marinade Sauce
For extra flavor, there are various other ingredients you may want to add to your marinade. You can whisk in ½ teaspoon of toasted sesame seed oil and 2 teaspoons of sesame seeds to your teriyaki marinade. Or add a little mirin or fish sauce.
Like spice? Mix in ½ teaspoon of chili flakes or ½ teaspoon of chili oil to your marinade or teriyaki sauce.
Homemade Chicken Teriyaki Sauce
If you have never made your own Teriyaki Sauce before, it is very simple to make with just a few pantry ingredients and I love how you can customize it to just your taste more sweet, more savory, or more of a kick.
Traditional Teriyaki Sauce is equal parts, soy and mirin and sugar to taste. Another version of simple teriyaki is equal parts soy sauce to granulated sugar. Instead, Ive gone all sort of non-traditional for what tastes like teriyaki but with an added drool worthy something, something by using Asian Sweet Chili Sauce.
By substituting some of the sugar with Asian Sweet Chili Sauce, we not only get sweet but we get sweet heat infused with red chilies, garlic and ginger a depth of flavor that cant be beat. I added some cider vinegar to add back some tang and balance the sweetness along with additional garlic and ginger to create a dynamic Chicken Teriyaki Sauce/Marinade that takes just minutes to whip up!
How To Make Chicken Teriyaki
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Why Youll Love This Chicken Teriyaki Marinade Recipe:
- Quick: The chicken cooks fast. It is the perfect meal to make when you want a quick, homemade dinner.
- Versatile: You can serve this chicken with lots of different side dishes, such as fried rice, white rice, and even roasted potatoes.
- Healthy alternative: It is the perfect alternative for Japanese cuisine that you can make at home instead of ordering from a takeout restaurant.
How To Marinate And Cook Teriyaki Chicken

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Pro Tips For Recipe Success
- If youre tempted to use chicken breasts, may we suggest sticking with fresh boneless, skinless thighs here. They turn out so much more tender and flavorful, as thigh meat is significantly more forgiving than breast meat.
- Always towel-dry chicken pieces to remove excess moisture prior to marinading.
- Do marinade chicken overnight for tenderness and flavor. We recommend having extra marinade to keep in the fridge, as it keeps well and is fabulous over steak and shrimp on a whim.
- Baste while cooking throw out any sauce that has come into contact with raw chicken. Heat up clean, reserved marinade for serving as a sauce.
Homemade Teriyaki Sauce Directions
In a medium sauce pan whisk together 1 cup of water, brown sugar, soy sauce, honey, garlic, and ginger.
Place the pan over medium-high heat and bring it to a boil.
While bringing the the sauce to a boil in a small bowl whisk together 1/3 cup water and cornstarch to create a slurry.
Once the sauce mixture on the stove is boiling slowly add the cornstarch and water mixture and mix well.
Bring the sauce back to a boil, continue cooking the sauce until you have reached the thickness that you desire.
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Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Breast
If you often order teriyaki chicken when getting takeout, save yourself some money while preparing this Teriyaki Chicken with Marinade from scratch.
You can use a handful of ingredients to prepare a sweet and savory chicken that you can have for lunch or dinner. The chicken goes great with many different sides.
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.
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Baked Teriyaki Chicken In 3 Steps
Heres how easy it is to make baked chicken using the teriyaki marinade.
Its that simple to make these baked chicken quarters, there is absolutely no mess or cleaning involved.
My kids actually use the remaining marinade to drizzle over their rice so the rice also turns into a sweet and spicy flavoured rice dish which they love.
Side dishes to serve with teriyaki baked chicken.
- Any type of salad from coleslaw, fresh pineapple salsa, to any type of fresh salads on the side.
- Steamed vegetables or a mix of vegetables stir-fried.
Teriyaki sauce Vs teriyaki marinade.
The flavours are further elevated to include ginger, garlic, heat.
This taste does not change whether its the sauce or marinade.
The difference between the teriyaki sauce and marinade is the thickness as well as how we use them in ingredients.
The teriyaki marinade can be used to marinate chicken, beef or fish for a few hours so that they absorb all the flavours.
While the marinade is lighter the teriyaki sauce is much thicker due to the use of cornstarch.
The teriyaki saucecan be used as an instant sauce baste for grilling meat or as a stir fry sauce to mix with chicken beef and delicate seafood.
What Happens If You Marinate Chicken For Too Long
The taste will not penetrate the meat if you dont marinate it long enough. However, marinate chicken for too long will cause the meat to be soft and soggy. Practice and experiment with the marinate timing until you achieve an excellent marinade that gives you flavor and perfectly cooked moist chicken.
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Easy Teriyaki Chicken Recipe With Only 5 Minute Prep Infused With The Best Marinade
This Teriyaki chicken is the best teriyaki chicken I have ever had restaurant or homemade! The homemade teriyaki sauce doubles as the teriyaki marinade for an easy family favorite that tastes better than takeout! The tender, juicy chicken breasts or thighs can be cooked on the stove, in the oven, crockpot or grill all methods included! You can serve this easy Teriyaki Chicken recipe with rice and veggies, or in salads, tacos or wraps!
Easy Chicken Teriyaki With Marinade

Published: Nov 1, 2021 by Jamie · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links ·
This easy chicken teriyaki is marinated then grilled, baked, or stir fried until perfectly cooked and juicy! Glaze with teriyaki sauce for the best chicken teriyaki that’s better than takeout! Works great with chicken breast or chicken thighs!
Chicken teriyaki is one of the most simple, flavorful Japanese meals you can make at home!
It’s a versatile dish that can be made with skin-on or skinless chicken thigh or chicken breast. The chicken teriyaki marinade is an authentic, simple three ingredient marinade that’s the perfect balance of sweet, savory, and umami.
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Tips For Perfect Teriyaki Chicken Marinade:
Authentic Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
The basic teriyaki sauce is made of only 4 simple ingredients:
Optional ingredients: Sometimes aromatics like grated ginger can be added for extra flavors. Each time I make teriyaki recipes, I would change things up slightly based on the ingredients. In this recipe, I added grated onion and ginger to the sauce for additional depth and zing.
FAQ Do I Add These Ingredients in Teriyaki Sauce?
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Tips To Make Chicken Teriyaki The Japanese Method
1. Prick the chicken: Its important to prick the chickens skin with a fork so that it releases the oil and absorbs the flavors quickly when cooking. It is an extra step, but it makes a difference in the end.
2. Pan-fry the chicken: Japanese home cooks prepare this dish by pan-frying the chicken. Its quick, easy, and all you need is a reliable frying pan or large skillet. Make sure the pan is hot before you add the chicken. When you cook the chicken, remember to start with the skin-side down, let it sear undisturbed until the skin crisps up and nicely browned.
3. Patiently spoon over the teriyaki sauce: Once the teriyaki sauce is poured over the chicken, tilt the frying pan to spoon the sauce and pour over the chicken. Repeat this process until the chicken absorbs the delicious glaze and starts to shine.
The Best Teriyaki Chicken Marinade
This recipe is my go-to teriyaki chicken marinade. It always gets a lot of compliments yet its a breeze to throw together!
No one can resist that unique umami flavor! And yes this version is definitely better than the infamous Panda Express.
Youll love that most of the ingredients use here are those you can always keep stocked on hand in the pantry. Which makes it one of those recipes youll likely find yourself turning to often, when the frequent what is there possibly here to make for dinner question arises.
Plus it has such a memorable, well seasoned and balanced flavor your tastebuds will be craving on repeat. Served with a generous pile of hearty rice and plenty of sriracha to polish it off, of course.
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What Sides Do I Serve With Teriyaki Chicken
My favorite side to serve with homemade teriyaki chicken is steamed rice. The chicken is so flavorful, that the rice offers a neutral, textural counterpart that sops up the delicious teriyaki sauce. Here are some more delicious options to serve with your easy teriyaki chicken:
- Rice: White rice, brown rice, quinoa, cauliflower rice, broccoli rice or Pineapple Rice.
- Stir Fry Veggies. You can stir fry any veggies your heart desires from broccoli, to bell peppers, to mushrooms, to carrots, etc. or you can serve with roasted veggies such as Roasted Broccoli,Roasted Broccolini, Roasted Cauliflower, Roasted Carrots, Sauteed Brussels Spouts, or Roasted Squash.
- Shortcut Veggies. You an can purchase pre-chopped veggies perfect for stir fries or use a frozen stir-fry blend or steam-in-the-bag microwavable frozen veggies.
- Appetizers. For an Asian feast, Teriyaki Chicken is delicious with Wontons, Asian Salad, Potstickers, Wonton Soup and Chinese Chicken Egg Rolls.
Teriyaki Grilled Chicken Marinade
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One taste of this Teriyaki Grilled Chicken Marinade and youll never need another recipe again! The thick, sweet-and-savory glaze yields a beautifully charred piece of meat thats tender and juicy on the inside. Its summer cookout perfection!
Can you tell that Im ready for summer?! Between my turkey burgers and this grilled chicken marinade, Ive basically got you set for the seasonand its still just May!
Grilled chicken always has been one of my favorite summertime meals.
Its a warm-weather dinner that I grew up on, and its one that I continue to serve to my own family now. You just cant beat the ease, nutrition, or versatility of a grilled chicken breast!
That said, the humble piece of meat can get pretty darn boring if you dont make an effort to add some serious fla-vah!
With the season of cookouts, picnics, and potlucks almost upon us, theres no time for boring, ho-hum chicken around here.
Instead, Im presenting you with platters of the most juicy, sweet, sticky, and savory grilled chicken that youll ever tastethanks to this Teriyaki Grilled Chicken Marinade!
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Do You Have To Marinate Teriyaki Chicken
The marinade is an important step in making teriyaki chicken because this is what makes your chicken juicy and tender. It is recommended to marinate the chicken before cooking, however, it is totally up to you. You can use teriyaki sauce later if you dont want to marinade chicken.
For the best results, marinate the chicken with teriyaki marinade for at least 1 hour in order for the flavor to be absorbed into the flesh. Do not marinate the chicken longer than 8 hours as the acidity in the teriyaki marinade will start to change the texture of the chicken.
Is Teriyaki Sauce The Same As Teriyaki Marinade

Teriyaki sauce and marinade are not the same things. The main difference between teriyaki sauce and teriyaki marinade is the way in which each is used to flavor the meat. Marinating chicken, beef, and fish in a Teriyaki marinade is a slow, thorough process, allowing the teriyaki sauce to infuse itself into the flesh. Teriyaki sauce is normally used to flavor meat instantly. Teriyaki sauce is usually used while cooking the meat on a grill or wok. The teriyaki sauce is also commonly used as a side condiment for any cooked meat, especially with delicious BBQ dishes.
Even though Teriyaki sauce and marinade are two different things, they are similar in many respects. Two different ingredients enhance the taste of a wide variety of meats and noodle dishes. Sometimes, both Teriyaki sauce and marinate are used together in a single recipe. You can marinate meat and later cover it with a finishing Teriyaki sauce, or you can inject the meat with Teriyaki sauce and slowly marinate the meat before cooking. Both techniques guarantee a rich taste of Teriyaki in every bite.
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How To Make Baked Teriyaki Chicken
The ingredients mentioned below use standard measuring cups and spoons.
Ingredients to make teriyaki marinade
1 tablespoon of minced ginger1 tablespoon of minced garlic2 tablespoons of oil4 tablespoons of sugar1/2 cup of soy sauce1 teaspoon of paprika3 tablespoons of tomato sauce3 tablespoons of white vinegar3-4 chicken leg quarters skinless
Method