Crockpot Teriyaki Chicken Recipe - Quick & Healthy Weeknight Dinner (2024)

This better than take out Crockpot Teriyaki Chicken Recipe is the perfect easy, healthy, and delicious weeknight dinner. My new favorite throw-and-go slow cooker recipe!

I amaddictedto Asian-inspired recipes…and crockpot recipes…so why not combine the two with an Asian-inspired crockpot recipe? Enter: Crockpot Teriyaki Chicken!

Tender chicken cooked in a delicious, slightly sweet, and tangy sauce. What more could you ask for? 😉

What is teriyaki?

Teriyaki is a marinade or glaze used in Japanese cuisine typically made up of soy sauce, sake, sugar, ginger, and other flavors.

In this case, we’re making a teriyaki sauce with soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, honey, and ground ginger (along with a few other delicious ingredients.)

Ingredients

A homemade teriyaki sauce + chicken breasts + your slow cooker = flavor packed easy weeknight dinner.

Teriyaki Sauce

• Chicken Broth– thins out the sauce while providing flavor and moisture.
• Soy Sauce– adds a salty umami flavor.
• Seasoned Rice Vinegar – adds a delicious tang.
• Honey and Brown Sugar– sweetens the sauce. I love the combination of super sweet honey and rich brown sugar. Honey also adds a nice stickiness to this dish.
• Garlic– gives that recognizable nutty flavor.
• Red Pepper Flakes-provides some heat.
• Ground Ginger and Black Pepper– adds zest and warmth.

Other Ingredients

• Chicken Breasts– I always have boneless, skinless chicken breasts on hand, but feel free to use chicken thighs instead.
• Water and Cornstarch – makes up a cornstarch slurry which helps the sauce to thicken.

Serve over rice, quinoa, or cauliflower rice with cilantro, more red pepper flakes, and sesame seeds!

How to make

This recipe uses my favorite cooking method. I call it throw-and-go. Just throw everything into your crockpot, and go do whatever the heck you want while it cooks. 😉

1. Whisk together broth, soy sauce, vinegar, honey, brown sugar, garlic, red pepper flakes, ginger, and pepper.
2. Pour half into a greased crockpot. Add in chicken then cover with remaining sauce. Cook on HIGH for 4 hours or on LOW for 8 hours. When it’s done cooking, remove the chicken and set aside.
3. Whisk together water and cornstarch in a small bowl then stir that into the crockpot.
4. Place the chicken back in, cover, and cook on HIGH for another 20-30 minutes or until the sauce is perfectly thick. Remove the chicken and shred it with two forks.
5. Place the shredded chicken back into the crockpot to mix with the sauce, then serve and enjoy!

How to shred chicken

The easiest way to shred chicken is to just use two forks. Hold one fork in each hand and use them both to pull the chicken apart!

Variations

• Swap the grain.I served my teriyaki chicken over a bed of white rice, but brown rice, cauliflower rice, or quinoa would all be delicious!
• Add pineapple.Try mixing some diced pineapple into your crockpot for a fruity twist.
• Add veggies.Classic stir fry veggies are a deliciousaddition to this recipe. Try broccoli, snap peas, bell peppers, and more! I recommend serving the vegetables on the side (vs stirring them in) for the best texture.

How to store

Stored separately from the rice, chicken teriyaki can be placed in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or in the freezer for 2-3 months.

If frozen, let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating on the stove or in the microwave.

Winner winner easy, delicious, and pretty darn healthy chicken dinner! 😉

– Jennifer

This post has been updated to provide more detailed content.