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Sweet and tangy teriyaki chicken is an amazing sauce with orange undertones. Used widely with chicken in rice bowls, sandwiches, and of course over white rice, this chicken is the perfect recipe to have on hand.

Continuing on our kick with ethnic food, we’ve prepared this easy teriyaki chicken recipe that is begging to be made. Be sure to check out our Kung Pao chicken recipe, General Tso’s chicken recipe, and our baked Asian chicken wings recipe.

A plate of food with broccoli, with Chicken and Teriyaki

What is teriyaki chicken?

Have you ever wondered what teriyaki chicken is? It is a Japanese dish that is known for its sweet glaze that is made with honey, ginger, soy sauce, and some form of orange such as orange juice or in this case, orange marmalade. We love to make this chicken, but the teriyaki sauce can be used with any cut of meat or seafood!

Is teriyaki chicken spicy?

Unlike Kung Pao chicken or even some General Tso’s chicken, teriyaki chicken is not spicy. Quite the opposite! Teriyaki chicken is known for being on the sweet side.

Is stir fry chicken healthy?

What do you call healthy? Just like any food, you can make your teriyaki chicken healthier by swapping some ingredients for a lower sugar or low sodium content and choosing a leaner cut of protein.

Generally, teriyaki chicken is a sweet dish, so it is not low in sugar. But you can switch the honey out with agave, the orange marmalade out with fresh orange juice, and even swap the soy sauce for low sodium soy sauce or amino acids for a healthy teriyaki chicken.

Is teriyaki chicken gluten free?

Yes, ot is gluten free as long as you use cornstarch and not flour as the thickening agent.

Where is teriyaki chicken from?

Originally created in Japan teriyaki is actually a form of Japanese cooking. “Teri” means “shine” and “yaki” means to grill or broil. This chicken definitely has a lot of shine happening with the sweet glaze and before adding the glaze, you grill your chicken in the wok until the outside is a beautiful golden color.

How To Make Teriyaki Chicken

To make this chicken, you’ll need two bowls. One to coat the chicken thighs, and another to make the marinade. This easy recipe is made in no time with minimal prep.

In the first bowl, you’ll add your bite size chicken thighs with soy sauce, black pepper, and cornstarch. Mix to coat. We like to have our chicken on the healthier side, so we don’t add an excess amount of cornstarch to our chicken, just enough to lightly coat it.
While the chicken is marinating, in a second bowl, you will add all of your sauce ingredients such as the honey, ginger paste or freshly grated ginger, orange marmalade and remaining sauce ingredients.
We’ve decided to add orange marmalade because orange marmalade has such a unique flavor and seriously, try it, you will love it!
Now that both your chicken has marinated and your sauce is made, it’s time to cook your chicken. Add oil to a wok or large heavy bottom pan, warm the oil, add your chicken and cook it for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the outside of the chicken has browned. No worries about the center cooking through, that will happen once you add your sauce and simmer it together.
Once your chicken has browned, add in your sauce mix and bring the sauce to a simmer. Let it cook another 4-5 minutes, or until the chicken has cooked through. Finally, add in your cornstarch slurry to thicken your chicken sauce for a quick and easy chicken dish!

How do you thicken chicken sauce?

To thicken your sauce, you will need to make a cornstarch slurry. To make the cornstarch slurry you will mix an even 1:1 ratio of cornstarch to water in a small bowl. Whisk it together with a fork to make a smooth slurry without any clumps. Add this cornstarch slurry to your sauce once the chicken is cooked through. Stir for a minute and your sauce will thicken.

A plate of food with rice and broccoli, with Chicken and Teriyaki

What do you serve with teriyaki chicken?

The best side dishes for this chicken are white rice with some kind of green vegetable such as green beans or roasted asparagus. But depending on what you’re in the mood for, you can serve your teriyaki chicken over a rice bowl, in a sandwich like Subways, or even over egg noodles.

We hope your family enjoys this easy teriyaki chicken recipe! Be sure to check out some of our other favorite chicken recipes!

Chicken and dumplings for those nights you crave a taste of home.
When half of your family wants a sandwich and the other half wants pasta this Baked Chicken Parmesan is for you!
Escape to the Mediterranean with this Chicken Mediterranean dinner dish.

Need a wok to make stir frys? This is a beautiful hammered wok!