Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken

The EASIEST Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken made with the most delicious sticky, sweet homemade sauce and served over rice or quinoa! Better than take-out!

The EASIEST Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken made with the most delicious sticky, sweet homemade sauce and served over rice or quinoa! Better than take-out!

You guys, this recipe is a MUST. Not only is this teriyaki chicken perfect for weekly meal prep, but it just tastes so dang delicious and couldn’t be any easier to make. I mean we’re talking juicy chicken breasts slow cooked in the tastiest homemade teriyaki sauce that is sticky, sweet and much healthier than the bottled stuff! This is just one of those simple, no-fail recipes that is perfect during the week when you’re out of meal ideas and the best part is the leftovers taste even better the next day!

This recipe tastes just as good as your favorite take-out meal, but much healthier and made with simple, fresh ingredients right out of your pantry or fridge. My guess is you probably already have all these ingredients right now at home!

The EASIEST Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken made with the most delicious sticky, sweet homemade sauce and served over rice or quinoa! Better than take-out!

HOW TO MAKE CROCK POT TERIYAKI CHICKEN

This might seriously be the easiest recipe you make all week. If you follow me on Instagram then you may have seen my video on how I make this in my stories, but all you do is place 3 or 4 chicken breasts in the bowl of your crock pot and top it with a cup of this delicious homemade teriyaki sauce, making sure to evenly coat the chicken. Then just cook the chicken on low for about 5 hours or on high for 3 hours, and that’s it! Once the chicken has cooked, I like to remove the chicken and shred it in a separate bowl. I also mix together about 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of cold water to make a slurry and add that to the teriyaki sauce in the crock pot which thickens it right up! Then just add the shredded chicken back to the sauce and mix it together and it’s ready to serve!

This teriyaki sauce is super easy to make too and only takes about 5 minutes on the stove! I like to keep this teriyaki sauce on hand in my fridge for easy weeknight meals and this sauce will last up to two weeks in the fridge. If you don’t feel like making this homemade sauce, you can also just use a cup of your favorite store-bought teriyaki sauce and this will still taste delicious!

INGREDIENTS FOR THE TERIYAKI SAUCE

Soy sauce – I used lower sodium soy sauce as I personally think regular soy sauce is just too salty for my taste, but feel free to use what you have on hand! You can also swap the soy sauce with coconut aminos to make this gluten-free.
Pineapple juice – this adds a little extra sweetness and such a nice flavor.
Garlic – I personally think fresh garlic is best in this recipe, but if all you have is garlic powder you can substitute 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder for 2 cloves of garlic.
Fresh ginger – again fresh is always BEST, but if all you have is ground ginger, you can easily substitute 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger for 1 teaspoon fresh ginger. I highly recommend using fresh though if possible!
Honey – not only does this add some sweetness to the teriyaki sauce without using refined sugars, but it also makes a nice glaze! You could also swap the honey with maple syrup if you want to keep this vegan.
Rice wine vinegar – apple cider vinegar or even white wine vinegar would work too
Sesame oil – this adds even more depth of flavor, but if you don’t have any on hand you can easily leave it out and this will still taste great!
Sesame seeds – these are optional, but add a nice touch!

The EASIEST Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken made with the most delicious sticky, sweet homemade sauce and served over rice or quinoa! Better than take-out!

CAN I MAKE THIS SPICY?

Absolutely! To add some spice and heat to this sauce, you could add a teaspoon or two of sriracha, chili paste, or even some crushed red pepper flakes.

HOW TO SERVE TERIYAKI CHICKEN

Over rice or quinoa with vegetables (spoon the sauce over the veggies too!)
In lettuce wraps or on a bun (sliders anyone??)
All on it’s own (because it’s just that good!)

RECIPE