Grilled teriyaki chicken is sweet, savory and cooked to perfection. The entire recipe is super easy but the results equal an amazing dinner!
Grilled teriyaki chicken
Grilling season is upon us but if I’m being honest, I grill year round! The flavor is amazing and it keeps my kitchen clean. This grilled teriyaki chicken is simply the best. Really!
I love the combination of sweet and savory on chicken. It is so yummy. The grill gives it beautiful marks for the grill grates. It is all around a fabulous meal.
Plus, this recipe is super fast and requires little effort. You have to try it! You only need a few minutes to grill and you can enjoy flavor packed chicken.
Ingredients for Teriyaki Chicken marinade:
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs – You can also use chicken breasts, chicken legs or tenderloins.
- Brown Sugar
- Soy Sauce (see The Best Soy Sauce Substitutes)
- Rice Wine Vinegar
- Honey
- minced Garlic
- Ground Ginger
- Pepper
- Cornstarch
This all comes together for marinade with the best flavor. You are going to love it!
How to make grilled Teriyaki Chicken:
First, mix the ingredients together for the marinade: brown sugar, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, honey, garlic, ginger and pepper. Make sure all of this is well combined.
Second, put aside ½ cup of the marinade. Use the marinade that is leftover to pour over the chicken. I like to use a gallon size bag to dump the chicken and marinade in. This makes cleanup easy and you know I’m all for simple!
Next, let the chicken marinade. The longer the better! If you are in a hurry, you can do as little as 30 minutes but I prefer to let it marinade for 8 hours.
Get the grill fired up and preheated. Use cooking spray to coat the grill grates. You can also brush with oil.
Finally, put the chicken on the grill and cook for 5-7 minutes on each side. This will vary based on the size of your chicken breasts. Just make sure the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
Now, it is time to use that remaining marinade from earlier. Mix the sauce with the cornstarch and heat in a sauce pan over medium high heat. Keep whisking until the mixture has thickened.
It should be nice and thick now. Use this to brush all over the grilled chicken before serving. We also like to sprinkle green onions and sesame seeds on top but that is optional.
Grilled teriyaki chicken marinade is the best!
Different Cooking Methods To Try:
- Crockpot: Cook in the crockpot on low for 6 hours with the marinade. Prior to serving take ½ cup of the liquid out and combine with 1 tablespoon cornstarch over medium high heat on the stove top. We use this for dipping or to spoon over the chicken.
- Oven: Put all of the ingredients in a baking dish and cook at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until the chicken reaches 165 degrees internal temperature. If baking, I normally go ahead and thicken the sauce by adding the cornstarch prior to cooking with the other ingredients.
- Stove– Cut into strips and cook over medium high heat with a few tablespoons of oil. This only takes a few minutes per side. We like to use this for stir fry.
What to Serve With Teriyaki Chicken:
- Rice– This is our favorite side dish with this chicken. The delicious sauce is so good spooned over the rice. I freeze rice and it is such a time saver during busy weeks.
- Mashed potatoes– Equally good with this chicken and the sauce pairs well with potatoes. You can make crockpot mashed potatoes too.
- Green beans , Asparagus or broccoli – I like to always have a green veggie with this dish. Any of these 3 will taste great and they are so easy. If I am super busy, I normally fix broccoli because it steams in the microwave in minutes.
- Grilled Peaches
- See more of the Best Grilled Chicken Sides for more ideas.
Print this grilled teriyaki chicken recipe:
Grilled teriyaki chicken
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs approximately 6 thighs
- 1/4 cup Brown Sugar
- 1/2 cup Soy Sauce
- 1/4 cup Rice Wine Vinegar
- 1/4 cup Honey
- 2 tsp minced Garlic
- 1/2 tsp Ground Ginger
- 1/2 tsp Pepper
- 1 Tbsp Cornstarch
Instructions
- Mix together the brown sugar, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, honey, garlic, ginger and pepper together in a medium size bowl.
- Reserve approximately ½ cup of the this mixture and then use the remaining mixture to marinade the chicken thighs by placing the chicken in a gallon size bag and pour the remaining sauce over the chicken.
- Allow the chicken to marinade for at least 30 minutes but you can marinade it for up to 8 hours.
- Preheat the grill to medium high heat. Spray the grill grates with a non-stick cooking spray or brush with oil.
- Grill the chicken thighs for approximately 5-7 minutes per side until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- While the chicken is cooking, mix the remaining sauce with the cornstarch. Heat this mixture in a sauce pan over medium high heat, whisking constantly until the mixture has thickened.
- Brush this sauce over the grilled chicken when serving and enjoy!
- Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.
Recipe Notes
I love making this recipe with chicken thighs but it would also work great with chicken breasts as well!
Nutrition Facts
More easy grilled chicken recipes:
- Easy Grilled Chicken Kabob Recipe
- Catalina Glazed Grilled Chicken
- Grilled Bacon Wrapped Chicken Recipe
- Grilled Chicken Tenders Recipe
- Grilled Balsamic Glazed Chicken
- Grilled BBQ Chicken Thighs
