Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken cooked in a delicious homemade teriyaki sauce, then shredded and served over a bed of rice, a healthy and easy dinner recipe with an Asian touch. The chicken is so tender that it simply melts in your mouth, and the sauce gives such a great flavour.
This teriyaki chicken could be easily cooked on the stove top in probably less than 15-20 minutes, but if you'd rather let the crock pot do its magic and come home to a lovely cooked meal, then the slow cooker is your best bet. The chicken becomes very tender, and super easy to shred using two forks.
The teriyaki sauce is the one that makes all the difference, and brings that lovely Asian flavour that I can't have enough of. Although teriyaki is a Japanese cooking technique, the ingredients used to the teriyaki sauce are widely used throughout Asia: soy sauce, rice vinegar and sugar.
I love to add sesame oil too, it has that lovely nutty flavour that balances well the sharpness of the vinegar. Plus, honey, which adds more sweetness.
Ginger and garlic are a must, without them the sauce has not have that strength to really flavour the chicken, so feel free to use as much or as little as you like. I always go for more garlic, it can't possibly hurt, right? To me, more garlic, means more flavour. You can chop if finely if you like, but minced it's even better. Same goes for the ginger.
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Ingredients needed
- chicken breasts - ideally of the same size so they can cook at the same time
- light soy sauce - it adds saltiness to the dish
- dark soy sauce - it adds colour and a rich touch
- wine rice vinegar
- honey - it balances out the acidity of the sauce
- brown sugar
- garlic- minced
- ginger puree
- cornflour (corn starch)
- green onions to garnish
- sesame oil
Step-by-step photos and instructions
If you use boneless, skinless chicken breasts, you are looking at a cooking time of about 3.5 hours on high, and about 6-6.5 on low. You can also use chicken thighs, drumsticks or chicken legs, but the cooking times may vary, although not by that long.
- place the chicken breasts in the crock pot
- in a bowl, combine the soy sauces, rice vinegar, sesame oil, honey, brown sugar, minced garlic and ginger, then pour it over the chicken breasts
- leave to cook until the chicken is tender
- remove the breasts from the slow cooker, and use 2 forks to shred it
- pass the sauce through a sieve, then add the clear liquid to a pan set over a low to medium heat
- add the cornflour (corn starch) mixed without water, and stir gently until it thickens
- pour the sauce over the shredded chicken
Expert tips
Now, I like the sauce a bit thicker that the clear one. You could add the cornstarch directly to the crock pot and leave it to cook for about 20-30 minutes longer until the sauce thickens, but I prefer to get rid of the bits left after cooking the chicken, the sauce is then clear and smooth.
Plus, it only takes about 2 minutes or less to finish the sauce on the stove top, you you might as well get it done this way. The chicken is already flavourful since it was cooked in the sauce, but adding more sauce over makes it absolutely delicious.
Also, you don't need to shred the chicken, it's up to you, you can leave the chicken breasts in one piece and pour the sauce over them either in the crock pot, or when you serve them on the plate.
What vegetables go well with teriyaki chicken?
For this crock pot teriyaki chicken I did not add any vegetables, but had them separately. However, if you want to up the nutritional value, adding veggies will make it a complete meal. My favourite would be broccoli, peppers and mange tout, but feel free to add any others too.
You can add the veggies from the start with the chicken, and remove them before shredding the chicken, otherwise, follow the same instructions. You can also add peanuts right from the start, for a more intense flavour, but it's entirely optional though.Â
Other teriyaki recipes
If you fancy something different, but still like to use teriyaki sauce, how about my Baked Teriyaki Salmon? Absolutely amazing, and ready in no time.
For a great appetizer, my Grilled Teriyaki Scallop Skewers are such a treat! And super easy to make too!
If you’ve liked my CROCK POT TERIYAKI CHICKEN or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.
Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts
- 3 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon wine rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger puree
- ½ tablespoon corn flour (corn starch)
- green onions to garnish
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
Instructions
- Place the chicken breasts in the slow cooker.
- In a bowl, mix the soy sauces, sesame oil, honey, sugar, garlic, ginger and vinegar, and give it a good stir.
- Pour the sauce over the chicken, and leave to cook on high for 3.5 hours, or on low for 5.5-6 hours.
- Remove the chicken breasts from the crock pot and shred using 2 forks.
- Pass the sauce through a sieve, and add it to a pan set over a low to medium heat on the stove top.
- Mix the corn flour with 2 tablespoons of water, then add it to the sauce.
- Stir gently until the sauce thickens, then pour it over the shredded chicken, and mix well to coat.
- Serve the chicken with rice, and garnish with chopped spring onions.
Notes
- Now, I like the sauce a bit thicker that the clear one. You could add the corn starch directly to the crock pot and leave it to cook for about 20-30 minutes longer until the sauce thickens, but I prefer to get rid of the bits left after cooking the chicken, the sauce is then clear and smooth.
- Plus, it only takes about 2 minutes or less to finish the sauce on the stove top, you you might as well get it done this way. The chicken is already flavourful since it was cooked in the sauce, but adding more sauce over makes it absolutely delicious.
- Also, you don't need to shred the chicken, it's up to you, you can leave the chicken breasts in one piece and pour the sauce over them either in the crock pot, or when you serve them on the plate.
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