Tender chicken in a glossy sauce packed with flavour. This Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken is not only delicious, it is also a really quick dish even in the slow cooker!
What is teriyaki?
Teriyaki is a traditional Japanese marinade or glaze used to flavour meat or fish. ‘Teri’ means to glaze and ‘yaki’ means to grill/cook.
Although teriyaki traditionally refers to the style of cooking, it is more commonly associated with the sauce.
It has a salty sweet taste from the mirin and soy sauce used and is brilliantly glossy.
Slow cooker recipes don’t have to take hours
Slow cooker recipes are so popular, but they don’t all have to cook for hours.
It is commonly thought that slow cooker recipes take hours and hours to cook. However this isn’t always the case!
This Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken can be cooked for 2 hours on high or 4 hours on low. You don’t have to put this in the slow cooker before you go to work.
You can put it all in when you get home; go and walk the dog, go to the gym or whatever else you do and then have this ready to eat when you’re finished.
Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken is easy to make
Teriyaki Chicken is something I have always liked but never actually made myself. Well I have made it using a jar of sauce in the past, but I’m pretty sure we can’t count that!
I assumed that it would be easier to buy a jar rather than make the sauce myself, but I was wrong.
It really is as simple as combining a few ingredients and then your sauce is ready to go! It couldn’t be easier.
What makes up teriyaki sauce?
Teriyaki sauce is made up of a few simple ingredients that are easy to find in most large supermarkets. I would check the world foods aisle as you may be more likely to find them there.
Personally I prefer to buy the ingredients from my local Asian supermarket because they usually have a larger range of products and can be a bit cheaper.
- Mirin – an essential Japanese ingredient. It is a type or rice wine similar to sake but with a lower alcohol content and more sugar. The sugar is formed naturally during the fermenting process and isn’t added. If you can’t find mirin you could use sake.
- Light soy sauce – adds seasoning and flavour to the sauce.
- Dark soy sauce – thicker and sweeter than light soy sauce and used to add colour to dishes.
- Honey – I used the honey along with the sugar in the recipe to add the sweetness associated with teriyaki sauce. The honey also helps make the sauce extra shiny and glossy.
- Cornflour – a great way to thicken the sauce at the end to make the consistency you like.
Adapting an existing recipe
I used a recipe by Woks of Life as a base for my Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken to get the ratios of my sauce right. I tweaked it by adding the honey and adapted it for a slow cooker.
Which cut of chicken is best to use?
I prefer to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs for this Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken. This is the more traditional cut of chicken to use.
I think that chicken thighs have more flavour than chicken breasts and are more moist which means they are less likely to dry out.
You can definitely use chicken breasts instead, whichever you prefer.
The chicken also doesn’t need to be cut up, you can leave the thighs or breasts whole if you would prefer.
Is chicken teriyaki healthy?
What people consider ‘healthy’ varies from person to person. This Slow Cooker Chicken Teriyaki isn’t a recipe that is particularly healthy but as with all food, it should be enjoyed as part of a balance diet.
If you are worried, you could stretch the sauce below to feed four people. We like to have quite a lot of sauce, but it would feed four people too.
It is absolutely delicious so you definitely should give it a try!
How to serve this Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken
My preferred way of serving this Teriyaki Chicken is with sushi rice. After eating this with nearly every meal when we went to Japan I have become a little obsessed with it.
It is now my go-to rice to serve with any Japanese or Chinese dishes.
I also like to serve it with some steamed tenderstem broccoli and my cucumber salad.
Can I freeze this slow cooker teriyaki chicken?
Yes you can, but believe me you will want to eat the lot!
If you are freezing it, make sure you put any leftovers in the freezer within two hours of it finishing cooking. Once frozen, eat within three months.
To defrost, leave it in the fridge for eight hours. I prefer to reheat on the hob where you can add a splash of water if the sauce is too thick. Make sure the chicken teriyaki is piping hot before serving.
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Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken
Tender chicken in a glossy sauce packed with flavour. This Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken is not only delicious, it is also a really quick dish even in the slow cooker!
Ingredients
- 1 kg chicken thighs bones and skin removed
- 3½ tbsp Mirin
- 3½ tbsp light soy sauce
- 1½ tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar
- 1 tsp ginger grated
- 1½ tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- 2 tbsp runny honey
- spray oil
To Finish
- 1 tbsp cornflour mixed with water
- 2 spring onions sliced
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
Instructions
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Remove the skin and bones from the chicken thighs and cut into large chunks.
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Brown the chicken thighs in the slow cooker dish on the hob with some spray oil (if you slow cooker allows). If not, do this is in a frying pan.
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Mix together all of the sauce ingredients in a jug.
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Add the chicken back to the slow cooker and pour the sauce. Stir to coat the chicken in the sauce. Leave to cook for 2 hours on high or 4 hours on low. Stir the chicken once or twice throughout the cooking time.
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Ten minutes before serving, mix the remaining cornflour with water and stir through.
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Serve with boiled rice sprinkled with sliced spring onions and sesame seeds.
Linking to
Lucy Parissi says
I have been neglecting my slow cooker in favour of my pressure cooker but this looks so delicious I must try it!
Curly says
Ooh I don’t have a pressure cooker…yet.
Phil in the Kitchen says
This is a good idea for the slow cooker – different to the usual slow cooked dishes. It’s definitely getting to slow cooker time now that there’s a chill in the air.
Curly says
Thank you 🙂 I used mine all throughout the summer too.
Corina Blum says
I haven’t even got my slow cooker out yet this autumn but this sounds so good and that sauce looks so rich thick and tasty! I’m sure it’s a recipe we’d all love too. Thanks for sharing with #CookOnceEatTwice!
Curly says
Oh no get it out! I still used mine all throughout summer as it was cooler than standing over the hob or oven. Thank you 🙂
Michelle Frank | Flipped-Out Food says
I love the idea of using the crockpot to make teriyaki chicken and that it’s still relatively fast. Your results look like restaurant-quality teriyaki chicken: I can’t wait to try this! Thanks for bringing your slow-cooker teriyaki chicken to #CookBlogShare! 🙂
Curly says
Thanks very much Michelle 🙂
Nickki says
I didn’t know the meaning behind the name – that’s interesting! This looks absolutely delicious and I can imagine how tender the meat must be due to being slow cooked. Delicious! Pinned to try in the very near future
Curly says
Thanks Nickki 🙂
kellie@foodtoglow says
What a delicious use for a slow cooker. I can imagine the intensely appetising aroma when one comes in from work 🙂
Curly says
Oh yes, the smell is rather delish!
Esha says
I never thought of making teriyaki chicken in a slow cooker. What a fab idea. Love using slow cooker, especially this time around. Will give it a try.
Curly says
I’d use my slow cooker for everything if I could! I love leaving things to cook while I get on with other things…like baking haha.
Midge @ Peachicks' Bakery says
Oooh this looks amazing!! Definitely going to have to have a go at this!
Curly says
Thanks 🙂 Hope you like it if you do try it x
Elaine says
Tried this recipe and it is amazing and so delish. Think this could be my new winner winner chicken dinner! Thanks for the recipe x
Curly says
Really pleased you liked it 🙂
Chloe Edges says
Teriyaki on everything! Especially chicken. This is one of my favourite flavour combos.
Helen - Cooking with my kids says
This looks right up my street. We’re stuck in a bit of a slow cooker rut, so this is a great new recipe to try.
Eb Gargano | Easy Peasy Foodie says
LOVE the idea of doing teriyaki chicken in the slow cooker – yum, yum! Eb 🙂
Curly says
It is one of our favourite meals 🙂
Debs Sach says
Loved this, definitely would make this again. I love how easy your recipes are to follow. Thank you
Curly says
Oh fantastic, thanks 🙂
Janice says
This is absolutely my kind of food! I love cooking in my slow cooker and these straightforward instructions make it so easy to make this delicious recipe.
Curly says
Thank you! This is one of my favourites!