Crockpot Teriyaki Chicken Recipe

If you’re looking for a new way to cook chicken that’s easy and super flavorful, give this teriyaki chicken recipe a try. It’s become one of my favorite ways to make chicken.

If we’re being perfectly honest, boneless skinless chicken breasts can be pretty bland and boring. They’re a good source of protein and are low in calories so they have that going for them but yeah, kind of blah and sometimes a little dry.

I buy a family-size pack of them every other week or so when they’re on sale. I have lots of recipes for chicken (see my list of 27 boneless skinless chicken breast recipes). Lately, we’ve been loving this sweet Hawaiian crockpot chicken.

Crockpot Teriyaki chicken

It’s a slow cooker recipe. One of the things I really love about this recipe is that it’s made in my slow cooker. It’s easy to get started. I can get it going in 10 minutes or less. Then I put on the cover and cook it, and I don’t have to pay a bit of attention to it for three or four hours. (Looking for a faster method? Try my Instant Pot teriyaki chicken.)

Lots of delicious sauce! The sauce is salty, sweet, and tangy, full of umami, and won’t leave your tastebuds yawning. It jazzes up the chicken in an unforgettable way. There’s plenty of sauce to flavor everything on your plate. I like to serve teriyaki chicken with broccoli and steamed rice. There’s just something about that combination that really does it for me. Sautéed Brussels sprouts are wonderful with it, too.

What Is Teriyaki?

Teriyaki is a Japanese word and it describes a cooking method. Teri means shine or luster, and yaki means to broil or grill. Traditional teriyaki sauce contains mirin (a sweet cooking wine), soy sauce, sugar, and sake (New World Encyclopedia). It has sweet, salty, and tangy flavors with lots of umami.

If you don’t have mirin or sake in your pantry, you’ll be pleased to know that my recipe for teriyaki sauce is made with honey, soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, and garlic. It’s not authentic, but it still has that teriyaki flavor that you know and love!

Ingredient Notes

• Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts: You’ll need around one and a half pounds of chicken, about three large breast halves. This isn’t super exact. You can definitely add a bit more if you like. If dark meat is more your thing, use boneless skinless chicken thighs.
• Soy Sauce: To keep the sodium content down, choose a low sodium soy sauce. I’ve tried this with tamari, but I like it better with soy sauce.
• Apple Cider Vinegar: Vinegar adds a nice tart balance to the honey and brown sugar and counteracts the saltiness of the soy sauce. Rice wine vinegar is a good substitute but don’t use seasoned rice wine vinegar because that has added salt and sugar.
• Honey: Honey and brown sugar add sweetness to the sauce.
• Brown Sugar: Either light or dark brown sugar is fine. White sugar will do in a pinch, but we like the molasses flavor the brown sugar adds.
• Garlic: A couple cloves of fresh garlic is pretty essential to the sauce. I left it out once and the teriyaki just wasn’t the same. Add more if you like lots of garlic.
• Cornstarch: You’ll make a slurry (a mixture) of cornstarch and water to thicken the sauce a bit.
• Sesame Seeds and Sliced Green Onions: Optional garnishes. We don’t do sesame seeds at my house because of allergies, but the green onions really add a nice fresh onion flavor. I’d say they are pretty essential.

How To Make Crockpot Teriyaki Chicken

Get crockpot ready. Dust off your crockpot and plug it in. I like to spray the inside with a light misting of nonstick spray for easier cleanup.

Add the chicken. Put the chicken in the slow cooker. You can just take it out of the package and set it in there. No cutting or trimming or anything, unless you want to trim it.

Add the sauce. Combine the sauce ingredients in a large measuring cup. Measure out the soy sauce right in the measuring cup, then the vinegar, then the honey. Next, add the brown sugar and minced garlic and give the sauce a good stir. Pour it over the chicken.

Cook. Cover the crockpot, and set it for either High or Low. It will take 3 to 4 hours on High and 6 to 8 hours on Low.

Remove chicken. When the chicken is tender, it’s done. Take it out of the crockpot and let it cool slightly on a plate.

Thicken sauce. You’ll notice that the sauce looks pretty thin and juicy. We’ll fix that! Carefully pour it into a small saucepan. Make a slurry of cornstarch and water, stirring the two ingredients together until the mixture is smooth. Stir it into the sauce and heat it until it comes to a boil. Let it boil for a minute or so. It should thicken up nicely.

Combine. Shred the chicken and pour the sauce over it. It’s ready to serve! If you’re not ready yet, put everything back into the slow cooker and keep it on Warm. It will be fine for an hour or so.

Serving Suggestions

Beyond rice and steamed broccoli, pretty much anything goes with it! We love it with jasmine rice or brown rice or especially fried rice! Coconut rice is another easy option. Cauliflower rice is a great low carb and nutritious alternative to rice. Broccoli is a great choice but any vegetable your family loves is a good choice. Make a vegetable stir fry! Cooked carrots or roasted green beans are always a hit, too.

Can You Put Raw Chicken In a Slow Cooker?

This is a frequently asked question. Raw chicken will be thoroughly cooked in a slow cooker so it is a safe way to cook chicken. Cooking frozen chicken is not recommended; it should be thawed overnight in the refrigerator before cooking.

Chicken is safely cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Cook time in a crockpot depends on a lot of factors: how much chicken, how large the pieces are, whether you’re cooking it on High or Low, what else is in the crockpot with the chicken, etc. For the best results, follow the recipe directions.

Recipe Variations

• Make a double batch. If you’re feeding a big crowd or want some extra to freeze, it’s easy to double the ingredients.
• Substitute chicken thighs. Boneless skinless chicken thighs are just fine if you prefer dark meat, or a combination of white and dark meat works well, too.
• Prefer pork? Substitute pork tenderloins for the chicken. We also love this slow cooker pork loin with balsamic glaze.
• Spice it up! Add grated fresh ginger or ground ginger, if you like. Increase the amount of garlic if you want. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes or a dash of Sriracha.
• Like teriyaki? Try grilled shrimp and pineapple kabobs marinated and glazed with homemade teriyaki sauce or teriyaki salmon.
• Not into teriyaki? Try Instant Pot honey sriracha chicken or bourbon chicken. We love this homemade orange chicken too. If you’re more into grilling, cook up flavorful tender chicken that’s been marinated in Asian chicken marinade.
• Looking for another slow cooker chicken recipe? Try crockpot BBQ chicken or crockpot salsa chicken.

Make-Ahead Ideas

Freeze: This crockpot teriyaki chicken recipe is a good one for meal prepping. Teriyaki chicken is great reheated for an easy meal in the future. Make a double batch, divide it into freezer containers, label and freeze for up to six months. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator before reheating for best results.

Storage & Reheating Tips

Refrigerate: Leftover teriyaki chicken will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. It makes a good lunch or another dinner.

Reheat: Put the teriyaki chicken into a skillet or saucepan and heat it over medium-low heat on the stove until heated through. Individual portions can be heated in the microwave, but our recommended method is the stovetop method to prevent the chicken from becoming dry or tough.

Leftover Love

Make a sandwich or wrap. If you want to do something a little different with leftover teriyaki chicken, serve it warm on a bun or a wrap, or make a lettuce wrap. Add shredded lettuce, bean sprouts, or alfalfa sprouts. Chopped peanuts or crispy rice noodles are great toppers, too.