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BEST Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken

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It’s after making meals like this that I ask myself why I don’t utilize my slow cooker more often.  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?  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.  It’s just adding ingredients to the slow cooker, closing the lid…and waiting.

Teriyaki chicken is something almost everyone loves.  That familiar combination of sweet and savory is a flavor practically anyone will enjoy.  This recipe is super easy to make with only 5 minutes of prep time.  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.  Bean sprouts will be added during the last 5-7 minutes so they retain some of their crunch.  Etc.  Or simply make a basic chicken teriyaki as shown here and serve it with your favorite steamed or stir-fried veggies and rice.

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.  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.  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.

Enjoy!

Print Recipe
4.88 from 8 votes

Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken

Hands off, fuss-free, 5 minutes prep and come home to a ready meal!
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time4 hrs
Total Time4 hrs 10 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 447kcal
Author: Kimberly Killebrew

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds chicken breast or chicken pieces of choice
  • See "Note" for adding vegetables
  • For the Sauce:
  • 1/2 cup 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.
US Customary - Metric

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 5-6 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

You can also add our favorite veggies in during the last 20 or so minutes of cooking (e.g., broccoli, bell peppers, carrots, etc). To add bean sprouts, add them during the last 5-7 minutes to retain some crispiness. If adding veggies, you'll proceed with removing the chicken once it's cooked and shredding it, and the sauce will be thickened with the vegetables in it.
Calories: 447kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 50g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 145mg | Sodium: 2012mg | Potassium: 920mg | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 1.4% | Vitamin C: 4.1% | Calcium: 3.6% | Iron: 9.3%


41 Responses

  1. This looks delicious! I’ve been getting my kids more involved in making our meals as I see them more excited about eating when they do but have never thought about the slow cooker process being easier for the little ones. Thanks!

    Reply

  10. I made this for dinner last night and it was a huge hit, everyone in my family loved it and not a shred was left :)

    Reply

  14. Awesome, easy, delicious. I made this for my family yesterday and it got two thumbs up all around. This will become a regular.

    Reply

  19. Made last night loved the recipe made a change instead OF soy I used a teriyaki Asian sauce and added some chicken stock came out fabulous.Thanks

    Reply

    • Hi Sharona, yes you can though I can’t tell you the exact procedure as I haven’t done it.

      Reply

  26. I really liked the flavor and simplicity of this recipe. A couple of notes about substitutions. I used Braggs instead of soy sauce and it was too salty. I will try coconut aminos next time. I substitued coconut sugar instead of brown sugar – love coconut sugar! I used arrowroot to thicken. The same amount of arrowroot as listed for the cornstarch. Hopefully this helps somebody else that may not have the exact ingredients but still wants to make the dish!

    Reply

    • Wonderful, May, I’m so glad you enjoyed it and appreciate the substitution tips, thank you!

      Reply

  27. I saw a link to this recipe on Karen Peterson’s blog and had to check it out. It looks like pure deliciousness. Who doesn’t love teriyaki? If i halve the amount of chicken, would you recommend the full amount of sauce?

    Reply

    • Hi Sandy, welcome! I tend to like a lot of sauce so if it were me I would still keep the sauce the same, but again, that’s just me :)

      Reply

  28. Why does your Teriyaki sauce in this recipe differ significantly, mostly in portions (measurements), but also in a couple ingredients, from your Homemade Teriyaki Sauce?

    Thx.

    Reply

    • Hi Paul, no reason, I just developed this chicken recipe separately from the stand-alone sauce. While I was adding the ingredients, tasting, and writing them down, I liked the outcome and went with it.

      Reply

  29. Can you make the sauce the night before? I’d like to throw this together in the morning before work.

    Reply

    • You sure can, Dana. The only thing you’ll still need to wait to do is add in the cornstarch when you get home from work. Happy slow cooking!

      Reply

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Unless otherwise stated, all images, content and recipes are original and are the sole property of Kimberly Killebrew, daringgourmet.com. No photographs or other content may be used without prior written consent.

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