Look no further for the BEST Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken recipe! Hands off, fuss free, 10 minutes of prep time, and you’ll come home to a delicious, ready meal!
It’s after making meals like this that I ask myself why I don’t utilize my slow cooker more often. Â I mean, what could be simpler than throwing in a handful of ingredients into the slow cooker in the morning and then coming home to a ready-made meal for dinner? Â Well, I’ve renewed my commitment to making my weekday nights easier by getting more use out of my slow cooker.
Slow cooker meals are also a really easy and fuss-free way to get your kids involved in the kitchen – there’s no boiling pots of hot liquids, splattering oil or open flames. Â It’s just adding ingredients to the slow cooker, closing the lid…and waiting.
Teriyaki chicken is something almost everyone loves. Â That familiar combination of sweet and savory is a flavor practically anyone will enjoy. Â This recipe is super easy to make with only 5 minutes of prep time. Â And it also provides the perfect foundation for building upon – i.e., add some of your favorite veggies like broccoli, bell peppers, carrots or bean sprouts and make a complete meal out of it.
Depending on the veggies you’re adding, you’ll add them in during the last 20-30 minutes until they’re tender. Â Bean sprouts will be added during the last 5-7 minutes so they retain some of their crunch. Â Etc. Â Or simply make a basic chicken teriyaki as shown here and serve it with your favorite steamed or stir-fried veggies and rice.
Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken Recipe
Let’s get started!
Combine the sauce ingredients in a bowl and stir until the brown sugar is mostly dissolved.
Place the chicken in the slow cooker. Â I’m using chicken breasts but you can use any chicken pieces of your choice.
Pour the sauce over the chicken.
Cook the chicken on LOW for 5-6 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours. Â Transfer the chicken to a plate and shred the meat. Â Discard the bones if you’re using bone-in chicken.
Carefully pour the sauce into a saucepan. Â Bring it to a boil and pour in the cornstarch mixture, stirring until slightly thickened, about a minute.
Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker and pour the sauce over it. Â Stir to coat. Â Cook on HIGH for a few minutes until heated through. Â Add salt to taste.
Serve over steamed rice garnished with toasted sesame seeds and chopped green onions.
Enjoy!
For more great crock pot recipes be sure to try our:
- Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff
- Slow Cooker Pot Roast
- Slow Cooker Pineapple Orange BBQ Chicken
- Slow Cooker Greek Chicken
- Slow Cooker Peach Crisp
Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken breast or chicken pieces of choice
- (see "Note" below for adding vegetables)
- For the Sauce:
- 1/2 cup tamari or soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons mirin (can substitute sherry or white wine)
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- low sugar alternative: use brown sugar substitute
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1 teaspoon salt
- For the Thickener:
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup water
- For Serving:
- Toasted sesame seeds
- Chopped green onions
- NOTE: If you prefer more sauce simply double all the sauce ingredients including the thickener.
Instructions
- Place the chicken in the slow cooker. Combine the sauce ingredients in a bowl and stir until the brown sugar is mostly dissolved. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Cook the chicken on LOW for 5-7 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours.
- Transfer the chicken to a plate and shred the meat. Discard the bones if you're using bone-in chicken.
- Carefully pour the sauce into a saucepan. Bring it to a boil and pour in the cornstarch mixture, stirring until slightly thickened, about a minute.
- Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker and pour the sauce over it. Stir to coat. Cook on HIGH for a few minutes until heated through. Add salt to taste.Serve over steamed rice garnished with toasted sesame seeds and chopped green onions.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet on March 28, 2017
Kymberli says
I made a large batch of your teriyaki sauce (which is great!) and have some in the freezer that I would like to use. How many tablespoons/cups would you say could be used to substitute here in place of the sauce from scratch ingredients?
Kimberly Killebrew says
Thank you, Kymberli! The equivalent amount will be just over a cup of teriyaki sauce, about 1 1/4 cups. Happy cooking!
John eccleston says
Under nutritional comments I do not see serving size for calories, fats etc.
Can you post typical serving size pertaining to the nutritional data.
Thank you
John eccleston
Kristi Martin says
Just my opinion, my family and i thought this dish was just too salty! I had to add some pineapple juice just to cut the salt…I doubt I will use this recipe again but I would certainly omit the dose of salt when using that much soy sauce. Just my preference, I would also cut the amount of toasted sesame oil in half. I really overpowered the dish.
Kerry N. says
I recognized the sauce recipe as the one I make that is so far superior to any other I’ve had that I had to check and, sure enough, the recipe I use is also yours. I added shredded carrots that I had on hand and broccoli. I had already cooked chicken so I made the sauce while I put the vegetables in the pot with the shredded chicken and cooked for 20 minutes. Then added the sauce and, voila, simple dinner! Thank you so much for these recipes!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank YOU, Kerry, I really appreciate your feedback!
Sharon says
Teryaki and sweet and sour sauce recipes are the best ever, both are perfect thank you
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you so much, Sharon! :)