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This Grilled Teriyaki Chicken is sure to be a summer favorite. Juicy, tender chicken is perfectly seasoned with our easy teriyaki chicken marinade. Just a handful of ingredients and 5 minutes of prep work for some of our favorite grilled chicken!
Nothing says summer to me like grilled chicken. There’s just something about the smell and the flavor of grilled chicken that takes me right back to summer nights as a kid.
My mama used to marinate our chicken in this teriyaki chicken marinade and my dad would grill it up for us on summer nights. Always one of my favorite meals!
Of course, this can be made on a grill pan all year long as well. The teriyaki marinade is so simple to whisk together and it adds such big flavor to the chicken.
You’ll see we’ve served it with our Asian cucumber salad this time around. Literally my favorite salad right now. I’ve been eating it on repeat.
You can also serve this grilled teriyaki chicken with our dill pickle potato salad or our broccoli mac and cheese for the perfect summer meal.
What We Love About This TERIYAKI CHICKEN Recipe:
- Flavor: Chicken is an excellent meat for marinating. It absorbs all that flavor so well. Teriyaki is a classic savory sweet marinade that we love to enjoy with grilled chicken!
- Versatile: You don’t have to grill this marinated chicken! You can cook it just about any way you like – in a skillet, the oven, or even air fried. Plus, you can use the simple teriyaki marinade in other recipes! It’ll go well with pork or beef too.
- Simple: Just whisk together the ingredients for the marinade and pour it over your chicken. This one only takes about 5 minutes of prep work!
Ingredient Notes:
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Chicken – I’m using boneless, skinless chicken breast for this recipe but you could also use chicken thighs, chicken tenders, or bone-in cuts of chicken. The teriyaki marinade will work well with just about any cut of chicken.
Teriyaki Chicken Marinade – This homemade teriyaki marinade is prepared from a mix of soy sauce, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, water, vinegar, garlic, ginger and onion powder. It’s a combination of sweet, salty, and savory. Add a little spice by stirring in red pepper flakes, if you like that!
What Readers are Saying!
“I made this tonight and WOW, it’s sooooo good!! I let the chicken marinade for 4 hours and the flavor is amazing! Yum!” – April
Helpful Tools:
Whisk – For easy mixing of the marinade and a helpful tool for lots of other recipes!
Marinade Container – This sealable container is perfect for marinating chicken, beef, fish, or just about anything in! There is a raised grid bottom to ensure that as much of the marinade as possible gets into the meat.
Indoor Grill!
The Ninja Foodi Indoor Grill is an indoor countertop grill with 6 different functions ranging from grilling to air frying to dehydrating to roasting. It has over 10,000 5 star reviews!
How to Make Teriyaki Chicken:
Marinade: Whisk together the soy sauce, water, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger, and onion powder.
Helpful Tip!
You can also whisk in some red pepper flakes or sriracha, if you want to give this a little kick. My kiddos prefer the teriyaki chicken marinade without the heat though.
Marinate: Pour the marinade over the chicken and pop it in the fridge to marinate for at least 30 minutes. 4-8 hours is even better!
Grill: Drain off the marinade and grill on each side until cooked through. It’ll take about 6 minutes per side depending on the cut and thickness of the chicken. Use a meat thermometer to test for doneness.
Serve: This grilled chicken would go perfectly with some air fryer corn on the cob! This mac and cheese casserole is also pretty incredible and goes well with just about any grilled dish.
No Grill? No Problem!
Maybe it’s just not the right time of the year for grilling, or maybe you just don’t have a grill. That’s okay! You can still enjoy this marinated teriyaki chicken by baking, pan frying, or even air frying it!
- Baked – To make this teriyaki chicken recipe in the oven place the marinated chicken breast into a 9×13 baking dish and bake uncovered at 400 degrees for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until they’ve reached a safe internal temp of 165 degrees.
- Pan Fried – Heat up a large skillet over medium high heat and cook the teriyaki chicken for about 5 to 6 minutes on each side or until they’ve reached a safe temperature.
- Air Fried – Spritz the chicken and your air fryer basket with some oil and then air fry it at 380 degrees for about 10 minutes or until the chicken has reached a safe temperature.
My Favorite Thermometer!
I love using this meat thermometer for making sure the meat is fully cooked! Easy for beginners & absolutely worth the low cost.
Using Leftover Marinade as a Sauce or for Basting:
If you’d like to use the excess marinade as a sauce for serving with your chicken or for basting your chicken during cooking, the USDA recommends that you boil the marinade thoroughly before use to destroy any bacteria.
Boiling this teriyaki marinade will thicken it slightly if you let it reduce down, but if you’d like it even thicker, whisk together 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water and then whisk that into the boiling liquid. It will thicken up a bit as it cooks.
FAQs:
Keep this teriyaki grilled chicken stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days. You can reheat it in the microwave or oven. You can also shred it up and store for other recipes that use chicken!
Yes, you could prepare the teriyaki marinade ahead of time and refrigerate but I would recommend using it within a couple of days to maintain freshness.
Undercooked chicken is never safe to eat so always make sure with a meat thermometer that it has reached a safe internal temp of 165 degrees before serving.
MORE FAVORITE SUMMER RECIPES!
- Watermelon Mint Salad: So refreshing and really easy!
- Balsamic Chicken: So much flavor in this juicy grilled chicken!
- Chicken Salad with Grapes: Perfect for making sandwiches!
- Mojito Pitcher Recipe: A cool refreshing drink made for summer!
- Pineapple Coleslaw: Pineapple adds a great flavor to this slaw.
- Cucumber Salad: One of my favorite summer side dishes!
Teriyaki Grilled Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
- 3 tablespoons white distilled vinegar
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2-3 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
Instructions
- Add the soy sauce, water, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger, and onion powder to a bowl and whisk to combine.
- Place the chicken in a large dish and pour the marinade over the top. Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, preferably 4-8 hours.
- Grill the chicken over medium heat, 6 minutes per side, or until cooked through.
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Sergio says
What a great idea! I’m going to fire up my grill today.
April says
I made this tonight and WOW, it’s sooooo good!! I let the chicken marinade for 4 hours and the flavor is amazing! Yum!
Sarah says
Love how easy this is! Will definitely by on rotation this summer!
Sue Ringsdorf says
I love trying to new marinades, and this one looks like a winner! Can’t wait!
mary ann says
Could you possibly make the marinade and put the chicken in the marinade in a zip lock bag. Freeze it and when you defrost it – it would already be marinated????????
Karly says
I think that would work great!
Jenna says
My husband has been known to grill in the dead of winter. In fact most superbowl weekends, he’ll go grill wings even if there is snow. Doesn’t phase him. Me on the other hand? Nope. I try to not leave the warmth when the weather gets nasty. This grilled teriyaki chicken looks fab btw! Adding it to our weekly meal plan next week.
Kathleen Fergen says
Can this be done in the oven? We don’t grill.
Karly says
I haven’t tried this in the oven. I think they’d be better off on the stove.
Maggie Martin says
I am one of those GRILL IT NOW people, I am out there in my parka and boots grilling away all year long. Love it
I haven’t tried this yet but it sounds great, maybe this coming weekend!
Thanks Karly,
Maggie
Karly says
Love it! I’m basically too wimpy for that, but much respect to the people who brave the snow for grilled goodness.
Chels says
It’s usually raining here in Oregon, so we save our grilling for decent weather – which we’re enjoying right now! I love teriyaki chicken. It’s so quick and easy!