Teriyaki Glazed Chicken
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Teriyaki glazed chicken served with rice is a wildly delicious and simple meal to make for your family. The authentic flavors of this dish come from ginger, honey, and Marin, and of course, a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Serve this along with asparagus and broccolini and it’s a complete dinner ready in 30 minutes!
Table of Contents
What is teriyaki glaze made of?
Teriyaki glaze is made by whisking together soy sauce, water, brown sugar, Mirin, ginger, garlic, honey, and cornstarch. This makes a slightly thickened sauce that’s poured over the chicken during cooking. It’s a flavorful, tangy glaze that coats the chicken and thickens even more as it cooks.
Can I use the teriyaki glaze as a marinade?
Yes! Make the glaze, leaving out the cornstarch. Pour the glaze into a Ziploc bag and add the cut chicken. Close the bag tightly and smoosh it around until the chicken is completely covered. Let it sit for at least an hour or up to 6. Then pour the entire bag into a skillet to cook.
While the chicken is cooking, mix the cornstarch into about 6 Tbsp of water. When the chicken is fully cooked, quickly whisk the cornstarch into the glaze in the pan. It will thicken up over the course of the next few minutes.
What can I serve with teriyaki glazed chicken?
White rice and veggies are always a hit with this dish. The rice soaks up the glaze and makes it sweet and delicious. Here are some other options too:
- Steamed broccoli or broccolini
- Roasted carrots
- Stir-fried veggies like bell peppers, onions, carrots, and snow peas.
- Noodles like udon, soba, or lo mein
- Bok choy is yummy steamed or fried
- Roasted asparagus with garlic and lemon
- Edamame with salt is a lovely complement to this dish
Ingredients
- Soy sauce
- Water
- Light brown sugar
- Mirin or rice vinegar
- Fresh ginger, grated
- Garlic cloves, minced
- Honey
- Cornstarch
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
- Olive oil, divided
- Asparagus, woody ends trimmed and chopped into thirds
- Broccolini, ½ inch trimmed off the bottom of the stems
- Kosher salt to taste
- Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- Cooked rice for serving
- Sesame seeds for serving
How to Make
STEP ONE: Prep the sauce. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, water, brown sugar, Mirin, ginger, garlic, honey, and cornstarch. Set aside until ready to use.
STEP TWO: Cook the chicken. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and brown until cooked through, about 7 minutes. You may need to do this in batches to ensure the chicken browns.
STEP THREE: Add the sauce. Once the chicken is cooked, pour the teriyaki sauce into the skillet and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens about 5 minutes. Set aside.
STEP FOUR: Saute the veggies. Heat two tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat in another large skillet. Once hot, add asparagus and broccolini to the skillet. Season with salt and black pepper and continue to cook for 8-10 minutes, or until fork-tender.
STEP FIVE: Serve. Serve immediately with cooked white rice and garnish with sesame seeds.
Recipe Notes
- If you’re short on time, you can use store-bought teriyaki sauce.
- Any large skillet will do, but a non-stick skillet works especially well for this recipe to keep the glaze from getting too sticky.
- To make sure your chicken is tender, try to cut all the pieces into similar sizes so they cook evenly. You can cut any larger pieces in the pan if you need to.
- Make sure the pan is good and hot before you toss in the chicken so it quickly sears the meat. Give it a good stir a few times to sear each side and you’ll. always have tender meat.
Can I make this gluten-free?
This recipe is already naturally gluten-free, however, some brands of cornstarch, Mirin, and soy sauce may contain gluten. Read your label ingredients to be sure.
This recipe is also dairy-free, and can be made vegan by substituting the honey for agave nectar and the chicken for tofu.
How to Store Teriyaki Glazed Chicken
You can store the recipe leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. See below for freezing instructions.
Can I make this ahead?
This teriyaki chicken with asparagus and broccolini recipe makes a great freezer meal. Place the cubed chicken and teriyaki sauce in 2 different Ziploc bags. Add the teriyaki sauce bag to the chicken bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Once you’re ready to cook, let it thaw overnight in the fridge and proceed with step 2.
This recipe is also great for meal prep. Simply make the recipe as instructed and then divide the chicken teriyaki, sauteed vegetables, and ½ cup of cooked rice into each container. It will store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
How to Reaheat Teriyaki Chicken
Reheat your rice in the microwave. Place your veggies and chicken in frying pans to reheat them. Saute over medium heat until steaming and hot through.
FAQs
Similar to sake, it’s a type of rice wine commonly used in Japanese cooking. It has more sugar than sake and less alcohol. If you don’t have Mirin you can use rice vinegar.
The biggest difference between a glaze and a sauce is simply when it’s added to the dish. A sauce is a condiment that gets added to food after it’s cooked to add flavor and texture. A glaze, on the other hand, is added during cooking.
Looking for more easy recipes? Give these a try:
- Sheet Pan Greek Chicken and Vegetables
- The BEST Eggplant Teriyaki
- Chicken Zoodle Soup
- Pan-Seared Salmon
- Mississippi Chicken (Instant Pot)
- Beef Chimichanga Recipe
Teriyaki Glazed Chicken
Ingredients
- ½ cup soy sauce use tamari for gluten-free
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons Mirin or rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger grated
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts cubed
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 bunch asparagus woody ends trimmed and chopped into thirds
- 1 bunch broccolini ½ inch trimmed off the bottom of the stems
- Kosher salt to taste
- Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- Cooked rice for serving
- Sesame seeds for serving
Instructions
Make the teriyaki sauce:
- Prep the sauce. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, water, brown sugar, Mirin, ginger, garlic, honey, and cornstarch. Set aside until ready to use.
- Cook the chicken. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and brown until cooked through, about 7 minutes. You may need to do this in batches to ensure the chicken browns.
- Add the sauce. Once the chicken is cooked, pour the teriyaki sauce into the skillet and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens about 5 minutes. Set aside.
- Saute the veggies. Heat two tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat in another large skillet. Once hot, add asparagus and broccolini to the skillet. Season with salt and black pepper and continue to cook for 8-10 minutes, or until fork-tender.
- Serve. Serve immediately with cooked white rice and garnish with sesame seeds.
Video
Notes
- If you’re short on time, you can use store-bought teriyaki sauce.
- Any large skillet will do, but a non-stick skillet works especially well for this recipe to keep the glaze from getting too sticky.
- To make sure your chicken is tender, try to cut all the pieces into similar sizes so they cook evenly. You can cut any larger pieces in the pan if you need to.
- Make sure the pan is good and hot before you toss in the chicken so it quickly sears the meat. Give it a good stir a few times to sear each side and you’ll. always have tender meat.
Nutrition
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