Honey Teriyaki Chicken Recipe

This amazing Honey Teriyaki Chicken {30 minutes} is perfect for a super tasty and fast dinner! It is so easy to make and you cannot beat the taste, especially since it can be on the table in under 30 minutes flat!

If you are craving takeout but can’t find a great place, this recipe is your great place – right at home. Scale-up this recipe easily for any size crowd and throw your rice in a rice cooker for an effortless base for the honey teriyaki chicken. We’ve taken regular teriyaki sauce from a jar and taken it over the top with this recipe.

🐔Why This Recipe Works

Cheap | Look at the ingredients alone, this is not an expensive recipe and it’s super cheap to make in comparison to takeout teriyaki.

Healthier than a restaurant sauce. | I made this easy teriyaki recipe at home because it is healthier and less expensive than the restaurant versions. When you make it at home, you are in control of what you put into it.

Easy | There are no complicated steps here. You are sautéing a little, making some sauce and rice, and you are done. I highly recommend a rice cooker to make this even easier. This recipe is great for new cooks and even teens who are just learning as there isn’t too much difficulty and the reward is pretty high.

Delicious | Take-out can be a hit or miss at best, and now you don’t have to worry. When you are scouring Asian takeout menus, don’t forget that you can make your own in less time and it tastes a million times better. Simply make your own teriyaki at home without even thinking about which restaurant to call your order in.

Family Favorite | This is hands-down one of our most flavorful meals and you won’t be disappointed. You may as well just print it now for your recipe binder because you are going to fall in love with this one.

This honey teriyaki chicken is so simple! Cheap, easy, and delicious – my favorite ingredients in a recipe! 

🥖 Ingredients

My stomach is rumbling just thinking about this honey teriyaki! The flavor is out of this world and something I crave often.

Chicken | I recommend using boneless skinless chicken breast for this recipe. It cooks up into a juicy and fantastic texture. If you don’t want to use chicken breast, go for the boneless skinless chicken thighs. Buy the chicken on sale and stock up in the freezer and then this can be one of those “pull out of the freezer” meals.

Homemade Teriyaki Sauce | Besides teriyaki sauce, you will likely have all of the ingredients in your pantry. This meal is always something you have “on hand” and is not something you have to put a lot of thought toward.

Ingredients for the Homemade Honey Teriyaki Sauce

Honey | You have options here. You can use regular honey from the supermarket or raw local honey if you prefer. You can also explore different gourmet honey options.

Teriyaki Sauce | Any teriyaki sauce you can find at your local grocery store will be perfect. We love the Bachman’s Teriyaki BBQ Sauce you can snag at Costco. It is worth the membership on its own, if you haven’t tried it.

Soy Sauce | Low sodium is a great choice since the store-bought sauce will be loaded with sodium already.

Minced Garlic | Mince your own cloves or use the jarred minced garlic drained of any liquid. I just use a slotted spoon to scoop it out of the jar.

Black Pepper | If desired. I like to add freshly cracked black pepper or coarse black pepper.

Salt | if desired. This recipe already has soy sauce and teriyaki sauce but you might find it needs just a sprinkling of coarse kosher salt or sea salt.

Sesame Seeds | Sesame seeds will be lightly toasted in the skillet and release both a woody fragrance and additional flavor. The crunch is a nice touch as well.

🥘 Equipment and Tools

Saute Pan | It’s up to you if you’d like to use a non stick version or not.

Mixing Bowl | Large enough to combine all of the ingredients to mix together before cooking.

Knife | Used to cut the chicken into cubes.

🥢 Instructions

This is a quick and simple dinner idea that you can literally cook in 20 minutes. It doesn’t get any better than that if you ask me. Here are the easy steps:

Step One: Slice the chicken, so you have varying sizes and shapes. Make sure they aren’t any larger than one inch to allow them to cook evenly. 

Step Two: Place teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, honey, garlic, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Add the chicken and mix well. Rub the sauce into the chicken so that it absorbs all the flavor. 

Step Three: Add some oil to a skillet and heat it up. After it’s hot, add the chicken and teriyaki sauce to the pan and cook for five minutes. 

Step Four: You’ll need to increase the heat so the sauce can reduce, which will take around 10-15 minutes. Once the sauce begins to thicken up, add in the sesame seeds. 

Step Five: After you remove the chicken from heat, allow it to rest for five minutes then serve. 

Instructions for Honey Teriyaki Chicken in the Instant Pot or Ninja Foodie

The Ninja Foodi and Instant Pot Directions are slightly different. To make honey teriyaki chicken in one of these machines follow these steps.

First, add all ingredients plus 1 cup of chicken stock into the Instant Pot or Ninja Foodie. Press the seal in carefully and put the lid on your pressure cooker. Don’t forget to turn the valve to seal it. Depending on the model you have, the valve may be automatic.

Cook on high pressure / manual pressure for 10 minutes followed by 5 minutes natural release. After five minutes, you can turn the valve to release the remaining pressure more quickly. A period of natural pressure release helps prevent the chicken from losing all of its juices.

Open the lid and ensure the chicken is fully cooked. If the sauce is too thin, turn the saute feature on and allow the sauce to thicken. You can add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water and stir it in with a whisk to thicken the sauce.

Note: Have you ever tried liquid aminos?  It is made with coconut or soybeans and looks and tastes very similar to soy sauce, but it is naturally gluten-free. If anything, it is a bit sweeter than soy sauce and is much less salty. Definitely give it a try!

🍴 Variations

I loved the way this recipe turned out, but there are other options you can try as well. Here are a few ideas to get you inspired for your next dinner:

• Stir Fry – Add some veggies and make a stir fry for a complete meal. Add onions, peppers, mushrooms, carrots, zucchini, or any other veggies you enjoy. The flavor is out of this world, and you’ll get lots of new nutrients. If you decide to add veggies you may need to double the sauce recipe.
• Chicken Wings – Thankfully, you can use this sauce to make chicken wings, too, and every bite is succulent and tasty. 
• Cauliflower Rice – Add the homemade teriyaki chicken to a bed of fluffy cauliflower rice. It’s a healthy alternative to traditional rice and positively amazing. 
• Shrimp – Skip the chicken all together and go with some shrimp instead. This sauce is a complement to both proteins!
• Grilled Chicken – You can actually use the teriyaki sauce as a marinade and add the chicken to skewers. Then, place the skewers on a hot grill until it is cooked. It’s beyond amazing. 
• A Different Sauce – The recipe calls for teriyaki sauce but you can substitute orange sauce, kung pau sauce, soy garlic sauce, or an Asian sauce you like. Toss in a bit of mirin or Shaoxing wine substitutes for an extra burst of flavor.

🍛 Alternative Ingredients for Honey Teriyaki Chicken

For a little extra “tang,” I will add a tablespoon or two of Rice Wine Vinegar (white wine vinegar substitute) to the homemade teriyaki sauce.  It doesn’t take much to make a big difference, and the taste of the vinegar complements the honey quite nicely.

Additionally, a teaspoon of Sesame Oil will add a toasted, smoky taste to the sauce. Using it reminds me of the grilled teriyaki cooked over hibachis in Japan.  It is so good!  I top it with toasted sesame seeds as a fun and pretty garnish.

📌 Expert Tips

Because you cut the chicken into one-inch pieces, it’s not going to take much time to cook. It’s best to take the temperature to make sure it is fully cooked. 

First, the temperature needs to be at least 160º F. when you remove it from the stove. It will continue warming up as it rests to 165º F. This allows the chicken to stay super moist and juicy. 

You should be able to pierce the chicken with a fork, and it should go in without any issues. The center of the meat should be white when it’s done. If you see bright pink, then it’s not finished cooking yet. 

🍱 Meal Prep Lunches

Make this recipe and serve it throughout the week. It makes a lovely lunch and is ideal for meal prepping. Just allow the chicken time to cool off, then place it in a sealed container. It will last around 3-4 days in the fridge. 

If you are planning on making it part of meal prep, place it into individual serving containers with some veggies or rice, and you’ll have a complete meal. 

FAQ

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