Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken

This slow cooker chicken teriyaki is a delicious and easy dinner loaded with sweet and salty flavors of the homemade teriyaki sauce coating juicy chicken breasts cooked to perfection.

One of my favorite recipes, this teriyaki chicken is delicious and very easy to make in your crock pot with a few simple ingedients. I love serving it with white rice in a separate bowl.

My best tip to make teriyaki chicken tender and juicy in the slow cooker is to coat it in cornstarch and apple cider vinegar. Along with soy sauce, these ingredients help raw meats in crockpot meals to become tender without browning them first.

And I also always cook this chicken on low, as on high, chicken breasts can become chewy and tough.

There are more slow cooker recipes that make tender meats with rich sauces, like this better-than-takeout Mongolian beef, chicken curry, and yummy pork chops.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• A great recipe for busy weeknight dinners: spend 10 minutes loading all the ingredients, close the lid, and cook on low. That’s it!
• Freezer meal. You can assemble and freeze it in a bag, ready to go in a crock pot, or freeze it once it is cooked.
• It is simply delicious and always a hit, even if you have a picky eater in your family.
• You don’t need to buy a fancy Japanese teriyaki sauce – it is easy to make at home!

Ingredients Notes

• Boneless skinless chicken breasts. Use fresh chicken breasts, I don’t recommend using frozen chicken for this recipe.
• Low-sodium soy sauce. Regular soy sauce is way too salty in my opinion. Even with low-sodium soy sauce, I don’t add any more salt to the dish at all.
• Honey or maple syrup to balance out the salty sauce ingredients and bring some sweetness. A classic ingredient in the homemade teriyaki sauce.
• Apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar. Add light acidity to the sauce.
• Brown sugar. You can use light or dark brown sugar. It adds deep sweetness and tenderizes the meat.
• Cornstarch, dry as it is or cornstarch slurry (cold water + cornstarch). It helps to thicken the sauce and tenderize the meat.
• Toasted sesame oil
• Minced garlic
• Ground ginger
• Black pepper
• Optional toppings: sliced green onions and sesame seeds, for garnish. Regular or toasted sesame seeds, white or black – any work!
• Serving suggestions: over steamed rice, brown rice, or noodles

Kitchen Equipment

• 7-qt crock pot
• Small bowl

How To Make Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken

1. Prepare the cooker insert by spritzing it with cooking oil to prevent sticking.
2. Place the chicken breasts into the prepared slow cooker insert in a single layer.
3. Whisk the soy sauce, honey, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, cornstarch, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and black pepper together in a small bowl before pouring over the chicken.
4. Cover the lid and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until the chicken is cooked through and tender.
5. Remove chicken and shred it with two forks- it should pull apart easily. Return it to the slow cooker and stir it into the teriyaki sauce. (You can also slice it into strips if you prefer.)
6. Garnish with sliced green onions and sesame seeds when serving. 

Storage

Refrigerate teriyaki chicken leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes or on the stove with an extra splash of water until heated through.

To freeze, move cooked chicken breasts into an air-tight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat.

Substitutions & Variations

• Chicken. This recipe can be made with chicken tenderloins or boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Cooking times may vary depending on the cut of chicken you choose. Alternatively, the chicken can be cut into bite-sized pieces prior to cooking.
• Fresh ginger can be used instead of ground ginger.
• Make it spicy: add chili sauce, flakes, or red pepper flakes. You can also add some sliced chili peppers as a topping.
• Soy sauce is not always gluten-free; you can use coconut aminos instead. Tamari or mirin is also great to use, they are very close to how the bottled teriyaki sauce tastes.
• Vinegar. Rice wine vinegar, sake, or regular white wine will help make the chicken breasts tender, too. If you don’t want to use vinegar or alcohol, you can add pineapple chunks.
• Veggies. Add bell peppers, carrots, and snap peas to make this a complete healthy meal.

Popular Questions

What Is Homemade Teriyaki Sauce Made Of?

You can easily mix teriyaki sauce at home with soy sauce, honey, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, and rice vinegar. You can make it one day in advance and store it in a jar in the fridge.

How Long Can You Marinate Chicken In Teriyaki Sauce?

You can marinate chicken in teriyaki sauce for 30 minutes to 24 hours in the fridge — the longer, the more flavor it soaks up. However, for the slow cooker teriyaki chicken recipe, you don’t have to marinate the chicken breasts at all!

Does Teriyaki Sauce Go On Before Or After Cooking?

Teriyaki sauce can go both before and after cooking: marinate the chicken in it for flavor, then add more at the end for extra taste. When cooking chicken in a slow cooker, you can add teriyaki sauce into the cooker.

Should I Brown The Chicken Before Adding To The Slow Cooker?

It is optional, but it is safe to cook raw chicken in a crock pot.

You can still brown the chicken before putting it in the slow cooker because it gives the chicken a nice color and helps seal in the juices for better flavor. Just cook it in a hot pan for a few minutes on each side until it’s golden brown. 

If you love this dinner recipe, you’re going to love these other slow cooker dinner ideas, too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!

More Great Asian-Inspired Dishes

Panda Express Chow Mein – Copycat Recipe

Asian Pork Meatballs

Dry Chicken Chili

Sesame Shrimp Recipe

---

---