Bity
My slow cooker teriyaki chicken came out of a Tuesday when I could not face another jar of shop bought sauce with a sugar list longer than the recipe. Four ingredients, one bowl, and the pot does everything else while I answer emails in the next room.
The thing nobody tells you about slow cooker teriyaki chicken is that the sauce is better here than in a pan. Honey and soy left alone for five hours stop tasting like two separate things and turn into one glossy, savoury glaze that coats every piece.
Quick Breakdown
Why You’ll Love This Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken
- Five minutes of prep, honestly. Dice the chicken, whisk four things in a bowl, pour, walk away.
- No bottled sauce. Because you control the honey and the soy, it is far less sweet than the supermarket version.
- It doubles without any fuss. Two pots of rice and you are feeding a crowd.
- Meal prep gold. In fact, it holds in the fridge better than almost anything else I cook.
- Kids eat it. Meanwhile the adults add chilli flakes and everyone is happy.
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken thighs, diced. Two pounds. Thighs are the right call for a long cook because the extra fat keeps them from drying out, though breast works if you prefer leaner meat and shorter timing.
- Soy sauce or coconut aminos. A quarter cup carries all the salt in the dish. However, if sodium is a concern, coconut aminos are noticeably milder.
- Honey. Two tablespoons only. That is deliberately restrained, since bottled teriyaki is usually far sweeter than it needs to be.
- Garlic. Four cloves, minced. Fresh matters here, because granulated garlic tastes dusty after five hours.
- Fresh ginger. Technically optional, and technically the whole point. A tablespoon grated is what makes it taste like teriyaki rather than sweet soy.
- Cornstarch. One teaspoon, slaked in cold water, purely to thicken the sauce at the end.
Thighs or Breast in a Crockpot
Crockpot teriyaki chicken is usually made with thighs, and there is a good reason for it. Over four or five hours the connective tissue in thigh meat melts and the fat bastes the pieces from the inside, so they stay soft even if you are half an hour late home.
Breast meat has none of that insurance. It cooks faster, it dries out faster, and it goes from tender to stringy in about forty minutes of overcooking. So if you are using breast, cut the pieces slightly larger, check at the three hour mark, and pull them as soon as they are cooked through.
Whichever cut you choose, cook to doneness rather than to the clock. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics lists the safe internal temperatures worth knowing, and a cheap probe thermometer removes all the guesswork.
Can You Cook Rice in the Slow Cooker Too?
People ask this constantly and the honest answer is no, not in the same pot. Rice needs a hard boil and then steam, whereas a slow cooker holds everything at a gentle simmer. You would end up with gluey grains sitting in teriyaki sauce.
Cook the rice separately and time it to land near the end. That said, if you want the whole meal in one appliance, a pressure cooker will do rice in four minutes while the chicken finishes.
Vegetables are a different story. Broccoli, sugar snaps or sliced peppers can go into the pot for the final 30 minutes, where they soften without collapsing.
How To Make Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken
1. Dice and load. First cut the chicken into bite sized pieces and tip them into the slow cooker in an even layer.
2. Whisk the glaze. Next stir the soy sauce, honey, garlic, grated ginger and water together until the honey has dissolved completely.
3. Pour and stir. Then pour it over the chicken and turn everything once so each piece is coated.
4. Cook on LOW. After that cover and cook on LOW for 4 to 5 hours, until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
5. Thicken the sauce. Meanwhile mix the cornstarch with a little cold water, stir it in, and give it 10 to 15 minutes uncovered on HIGH.
6. Finish and serve. Finally spoon the thickened sauce back over the chicken and scatter sesame seeds and sliced spring onions on top.
Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken Mistakes to Avoid
- Adding a cup of stock. This is the classic one. Nothing evaporates under the lid, so extra liquid just gives you soup.
- Using bottled teriyaki as the whole sauce. Because it is already thickened and sugared, it splits and burns at the edges over a long cook.
- Overcooking breast meat. Lean pieces need checking at three hours, not five.
- Throwing vegetables in at the start. Broccoli after five hours is grey and sad. Thirty minutes is enough.
- Tipping dry cornstarch into the pot. Still, it happens to everyone once. Slake it in cold water first.
Tips for the Best Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken
- Cut the chicken into even pieces. As a result nothing is dry while something else is still underdone.
- Grate the ginger frozen. It shreds beautifully and you never have to peel it.
- A teaspoon of toasted sesame oil stirred in at the end adds far more than the same amount at the start.
- Taste the sauce before you thicken it. In addition, a splash of rice vinegar sharpens it if the honey dominates.
- Save a little sauce back to spoon over rice at the table. Everyone wants more than they think.
Storage and Reheating
- Fridge. Keep the slow cooker teriyaki chicken in its sauce for 3 to 4 days. Because it sits in liquid, it reheats far better than plain grilled chicken.
- Freezer. Portion it with the sauce and freeze for up to 2 months, then thaw overnight in the fridge.
- Reheating. A pan over medium heat with a splash of water takes three minutes. Meanwhile the microwave is fine at half power.
Variations and Substitutions
- Sticky and sweeter. For a honey led version with the same method, my slow cooker honey garlic chicken uses a third of a cup of honey instead of two tablespoons.
- Coconut and chilli. Same pot, completely different flavour. Try slow cooker Thai green curry when you want something creamy.
- Gluten free. Coconut aminos or tamari swap in one for one for the soy sauce.
- Higher protein plate. Serve it over brown rice or quinoa, and Harvard Health has a useful rundown of protein sources if you are building meal prep boxes.
- Crisp edges instead. When you want texture rather than glaze, air fryer chicken thighs take 22 minutes.
What to Serve With Teriyaki Chicken
Rice, always. Instant pot white rice is my default because it lands in four minutes and I can start it once the sauce is thickening.
For vegetables, steamed broccoli and sugar snap peas are traditional and they hold up to the glaze. Otherwise a quick cucumber salad with rice vinegar cuts the richness, and shredded cabbage tossed with sesame oil turns the whole thing into a bowl.
Frequently Asked Questions
Method and Sauce
How do I cook chicken teriyaki in a slow cooker?
Dice the chicken into the pot, whisk soy sauce, honey, garlic, ginger and water together, and pour it over. Then cook on LOW for 4 to 5 hours and thicken with cornstarch at the end.
Can I use bottled teriyaki sauce instead?
You can, but thin it with a little water first. Because bottled sauce is already thickened and sweetened, it tends to scorch around the edges of the pot over a long cook.
Do I put the sauce on before or after cooking?
Before, so it cooks into the meat. However, keep a little back to spoon over at the table, since that fresh hit of glaze makes a real difference.
Can I use chicken breast instead of thighs?
Yes, and it works well. Just check it at three hours rather than five, because lean breast meat dries out much faster than thigh.
Serving and Storage
Can I add vegetables to slow cooker teriyaki chicken?
Yes, in the last 30 minutes. Broccoli, sugar snaps, asparagus and sliced peppers all soften nicely without turning to mush.
Can you cook rice in the crock pot at the same time?
Not in the same pot. Rice needs a hard boil and then steam, so cook it separately and time it to finish alongside.
How long does it keep?
Three to four days in the fridge, or two months in the freezer. Store it in its sauce, which is what keeps the meat tender.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken thighs diced, or breast
- 1/4 cup soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger grated, optional
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch optional, for thickening
Instructions
- Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces and add them to the slow cooker in an even layer.
- In a bowl, mix together the soy sauce, honey, garlic, ginger if using, and water.
- Pour the sauce over the chicken and turn everything once so each piece is coated.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 4 to 5 hours, until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
- Remove the chicken and slice or leave in pieces.
- If desired, mix the cornstarch with a little cold water, stir it into the sauce and cook for 10 to 15 minutes until thickened.
- Spoon the sauce over the chicken and top with sesame seeds and sliced spring onions.
