Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken is an easy set it and forget it dinner with tender chicken and rich sauce. Pair with rice and vegetables for a complete, balanced meal.
Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken is one of those recipes that makes the rest of your week easier. With minimal prep, you end up with shredded chicken that is versatile enough for rice bowls, lettuce wraps, or quick dinners. It stores well, reheats beautifully, and keeps its flavor and texture even after a few days in the fridge.
Reasons you'll love crock pot teriyaki chicken
- Low effort: it requires no pre-cooking and uses simple ingredients.
- Cooks itself: hands off cooking with consistent results.
- Meal prep: it's great for meal prep because it reheats well and can be enjoyed many different ways.
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Origins of teriyaki
While most often associated with Japanese cuisine, there is controversy surrounding it's real origins. Some say teriyaki originated in the kitchens of Japanese immigrants in Hawaii, using local ingredients to recreate flavors from home (1), while others point to Korean roots and influence in making teriyaki popular in the US (2).
Whatever the origins, teriyaki usually refers to meat which has been marinated in a sauce containing soy sauce, sugar and mirin, then grilled, broiled or roasted. My goal with this crock pot teriyaki chicken was to combine these delicious flavors with the ease of the slow cooker, making them easy and accessible to busy home cooks.
Key Ingredient notes
- Chicken- as written, this recipe uses boneless skinless chicken breasts, however you could replace them with boneless skinless chicken thighs. Increase the total cook time to 4-5 hours on low.
- Soy sauce- I like to use reduced sodium soy sauce as I find regular quite salty. Swap for tamari, coconut aminos or liquid soy seasoning for a gluten-free option.
- Honey- feel free to use your favorite sweetener in this recipe: I've tested with brown sugar, maple syrup and honey. Use low carb sweeteners at your own risk.
- Mirin- traditional Japanese cooking wine, this ingredient adds a subtle tangy aftertaste that is characteristic of bottled teriyaki sauce. If you can't find it, swap for sake, white wine, sherry, or rice vinegar. Taste and adjust the sweetness as needed.
Serving size + equipment
This recipe is formulated to be cooked in a larger slow cooker- 5 or 6 quarts, and it makes a large portion (serves 8). If you don't want to have ample leftovers, you can cut the recipe in half and cook in a 2.5 or smaller slow cooker.
- my favorite 6 quart slow cooker
- cook a half batch in this 2.5 quart slow cooker
More slow cooker chicken recipes
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Delicious Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken
Video
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless chicken breast 1
- ½ cup reduced sodium soy sauce 2
- â…“ cup honey 3
- â…“ cup water
- ¼ cup mirin 4
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons ginger chopped, or ½ teaspoon powdered
After cooking
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2-3 tablespoons water
Garnish
- sesame seeds
- green onions
Instructions
- Add the soy sauce, honey, water, mirin, garlic and ginger to the insert of a 5-6 quart slow cooker. Stir until completely combined, then add the chicken and turn to coat.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker, then cook on low for 3-4 hours.
- Stir together the cornstarch and water, then add to the slow cooker. Stir it in as best as you can, and replace the lid quickly.
- Turn slow cooker to high and cook for 30 min - 1 hour more, until cooking liquid is thickened.
- Remove the chicken from the slow cooker, cut or shred, then return to the sauce. Serve over rice.
To assemble ahead and freeze
- Combine all ingredients not marked 'after cooking' in a gallon-sized freezer bag.
- Squeeze out extra air.
- Freeze flat for up to 3 months.
- Thaw completely before cooking as directed above.
Tips:
- Do not add the vegetables at the start as they will overcook.
- Add longer cooking vegetables like broccoli or cauliflower during the last 1 hour (fresh) or 2 hours (frozen) of cook time. If you use quick cooking vegetables like peas or green beans, you’ll want to reduce the cook time to 30 minutes (fresh) and 1 hour (frozen).
- Consider adding extra cornstarch (½ tablespoon) to account for extra water that comes out of the vegetables while they cook).
- fridge- store in an air tight container for up to 4 days
- freezer- freeze for up to 3 months in a meal prep container, silicone or plastic freezer bag
Nutrition Information
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Hi, I'm Annie. With a Bachelor of Science degree, a minor in nutrition and nearly 20 year of both classical training, and self-taught experience, I've spent my career proving that home cooking can be practical, delicious and inspiring. What started in 2013 as one food blog has grown into a full-time business. Today, my husband Clayton and I run five food websites that connect with millions of home cooks every month.
When I'm not in the kitchen or behind the camera, I'm using fueling my love of travel, or chasing down new ideas that keep food fun and fresh.
Gregor says
Good flavor, easy to prepare using ingredients that are readily available. The only challenge I had was getting the sauce to thicken. It never came close...it was just pure liquid. If it had thickened the recipe would have been a 10 out of 10!
Any tips on how to do that as I would like to try this one again and add it to the rotations
Elyse says
My crockpot has two low(8 or 10hr) and two high(4 or 6hr). Which setting do you recommend to heat for high and low?
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Elyse, if you are not able have control / set the times precisely, I wonder if you could set it to low for 8 hours, then come back after 4 hours and turn it to high for 30 minutes? I am not sure if I am understanding your question correctly, but I hope that helps!
Veronica Nino says
I made this for the first time in the crockpot. I love the crockpot because it makes the meat so tender. I used white wine instead of mirlin. Also for the honey I used only a little because my husband has diabetes 2 and I used munkfruit sugar for the rest. This came out perfect. He rated it an 8 out of 10 which is very good for him because he is so picky. I cooked it on HIGH for about 3 hours by the way.
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Veronica, we are so glad to hear you and your husband enjoyed (and that it passed the picky eater test)! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave a rating and review.