Teriyaki chicken is a family favorite and cooking it at home is really simple. The combination of sweet and savory flavors of Japanese rice wine and soy sauce make the perfect combination when incorporated into a dish with steamed white or brown rice. You can even cook your favorite vegetables right in the slow cooker, so you'll have a complete meal ready when returning home from a long day.
As if this recipe wasn't simple enough already, you can actually just use a ready-made teriyaki sauce if you like. But once you try this version, you'll probably stick with it because it allows you to control the amount of sugar and seasoning, so you can modify it to suit your individual taste. So ... let's get cooking!
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 4 hours, 10 minutes
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients· 2 pounds bone-in, skinless chicken thighs
Sauce ingredients· 1/3 cup soy sauce, regular or low sodium
· 1/3 cup water
· 1 clove minced garlic
· 1 teaspoon grated ginger (
Tip: Frozen ginger is just as delicious.)
· 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
· 2 tablespoons honey
· 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
· 1 tablespoon
mirin· 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
Cornstarch slurry (for thickening the sauce)· 2 tablespoons cornstarch
· 2 tablespoons water
*Optional: broccoli florets, chopped bell peppers, chopped white or yellow onion
1. Begin by whisking all the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl.
Tip: Don't worry if the sugar and honey clump up while mixing. They will dissolve during the cooking process.
2. Place the chicken thighs in the slow cooker and pour the sauce mixture over the top. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.
3. If you want to add vegetables to round out the meal, add them to the slow cooker during the last 45 minutes, so they will stay crisp/tender.
Tip: If you're really short on time, you can substitute frozen vegetables as well.
4. When the chicken thighs and vegetables are fully cooked, remove from the slow cooker, shred the chicken and set aside while you thicken the sauce on the stove.
5. Remove the sauce from the slow cooker as well and transfer to a skillet. Combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Mix thoroughly to remove any lumps and pour the slurry mixture into the skillet. Stir together over medium heat. The sauce will thicken and take on a glossy appearance. When done, toss the vegetables and chicken with the sauce and serve over rice or quinoa. Enjoy!
