The sauce that got bottled teriyaki off my grocery list
Bottled teriyaki sauce is mostly corn syrup and salt, which is easy to miss until you turn the bottle around and actually read the label.
So I started making my own teriyaki sauce, and the whole thing turned out to be eight things I already had.
Soy sauce. Honey. Brown sugar. Rice vinegar. Garlic. Ginger. Sesame oil. Cornstarch.
No mirin, which is the one ingredient that sends most teriyaki recipes on a special trip. This Teriyaki Chicken Stir-Fry doesn’t need it.
The part that actually makes it work, though, is the timing.
I pull the chicken out early, let the veggies go until they’re just tender-crisp, and then everything goes back in with the sauce for the last three minutes.
That’s the whole trick. Chicken that’s still tender instead of gray and chewy, and broccoli that hasn’t gone to mush waiting on it.
Why you’ll love this teriyaki chicken stir fry
- Everything cooks in one skillet, so cleanup is a pan and a bowl.
- On the table in about 30 minutes, start to finish.
- The sauce is eight pantry things, and no mirin means no special trip.
- Every sauce ingredient has a swap, so it works gluten-free, Paleo, or refined-sugar-free.
Ingredients and Substitutions
For the exact measurements and detailed instructions, please see the recipe card below.
- Chicken breasts. Organic breasts are preferred when it comes to making this recipe. Just make sure you tenderize the meat and cut it into similar-sized cubes. You can also use thighs that have been cut to similar size.
- Oil. While most people have olive oil on hand, avocado oil is ideal since its smoke point is higher than that of olive oils. This ensures the oil does not burn when you are stir-frying your chicken and vegetables.
- Vegetables. So many different fresh vegetables can be used. The ones tested in this recipe include red peppers, broccoli, carrots, and red onion. You can also change up the vegetables: cauliflower instead of broccoli, sweet onion or yellow onion instead of red onion, and edamame, snap peas, and snow peas.
- Rice. Totally optional, but this meal works great with Instant Pot white rice. You can also serve it with brown rice, Instant Pot basmati rice, or jasmine rice. If you want to reduce your carbs, feel free to serve this over cauliflower rice.
- Soy sauce. For the homemade sauce, gluten-free soy sauce or tamari sauce is used in this recipe. You can also use coconut liquid aminos if you are Paleo.
- Rice vinegar. Make sure you do not get seasoned rice vinegar. If Paleo or Whole30, substitute for apple cider vinegar.
- Brown sugar. A little real sugar brings out the authenticity in this recipe. If avoiding refined sugar, use coconut sugar instead.
- Honey. The mixture of granulated sugar and natural sugar give a nice balance to the sweetness.
- Garlic. Use crushed garlic cloves or finely minced fresh garlic.
- Ginger. Ginger paste is much easier to use than fresh ginger.
- Sesame Oil. This oil adds a nice depth of flavor to the teriyaki sauce.
- Cornstarch slurry. A mixture of water and cornstarch come together to thicken up this teriyaki sauce. You can also use arrowroot starch or tapioca starch if Paleo or avoiding grains.
How to Make Teriyaki Chicken Stir-Fry
Please see the recipe card below for the full instructions, ingredient amounts, and a printable recipe.
Make the homemade teriyaki sauce.
While you can opt for store-bought teriyaki sauce, it’s so simple to make your own.
Mix all your sauce ingredients, except the cornstarch slurry, together in a medium-sized bowl. Use a whisk to thoroughly combine everything.
You can either store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or use it immediately.
When ready to use after storing, remember to add the cornstarch slurry at the end of cooking to help it thicken up.
Check out this post for more information on making your own easy teriyaki sauce.
Pro Tip: Use about ⅔ cup bottled teriyaki sauce if you don’t have time for homemade. Since most bottled sauces are already thickened, skip (or halve) the cornstarch slurry. They’re also sweeter and saltier, so add the sauce gradually and taste before adding any extra salt.
It saves SO much time!
Since it’s super important to get the garlic pretty small for this recipe, a garlic press like this one is a lifesaver!
It’s easy to use, finely minces the garlic, and does it in a fraction of the time as chopping it up by hand.
Cook the chicken.
Add the oil to a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Allow the pan to get hot before adding the chicken.
Carefully place the cubed chicken in the pan. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, being sure to turn the pieces over.
Use tongs to remove the chicken just before it is fully cooked.
Place the chicken on a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Set aside.
Cook the veggies.
Add some extra oil to the pan you cooked the chicken in, then add the stir-fry vegetables.
Sauté for 6 to 7 minutes. Again, you want to move on to the next step before the vegetables are completely cooked.
Check for tender-crisp veggies.
Bring it all together.
Place the chicken back in the skillet with the veggies, then pour the delicious sauce over everything. Cook everything together for about 3 minutes.
You should see the sauce begin to thicken.
Mix together the water and cornstarch to make the slurry. Then pour it into your pan and heat until the sauce reaches your desired thickness.
Serve over your choice of rice or cauliflower rice!
Oops! What did I do wrong?
My sauce never thickened.
Cornstarch needs real heat to do its job, so if the skillet cooled off when everything went back in, the slurry has nothing to work with. Bring it back up to a simmer and give it another minute or two.
My sauce got thick and gluey.
That’s too much cornstarch, or it cooked too long after the slurry went in. Add a splash of water and stir until it loosens back up.
The whole thing came out watery.
Crowded pan. The veggies released their water instead of searing, and that liquid thinned everything out.
Next time use a bigger skillet or cook in two batches, and let any extra liquid cook off before the sauce goes in.
FAQs
Teriyaki, though most people assume is the name of a sauce, is actually a cooking technique from Japan. This method typically involves broiling or grilling meat in a thick, sweet glaze. In this case, the result is tender chicken. Usually, vegetables and rice are served alongside the protein.
Yes. Add them straight from the freezer without thawing, and give them a few extra minutes so the water cooks off before the sauce goes in.
It can be. Swap the soy sauce for gluten-free tamari and you’re set, since cornstarch and everything else in the recipe is already gluten free.
Breasts are what I use here, and they stay tender as long as you pull them out early. Thighs are more forgiving since they don’t dry out the same way, so cut them the same size and give them an extra minute or two.
Teriyaki is sweet and glazy, built on soy sauce, sugar, and something aromatic like ginger. Stir fry sauce is usually more savory and less sweet, and it’s built to coat rather than glaze.
Skip the rice and toss cooked lo mein, rice noodles, or even spaghetti straight into the skillet at the end, right when the sauce goes in. You’ll want to bump the sauce up by about half, since noodles soak up a lot more than rice does. My Sesame Noodles are the move if you’d rather have noodles be their own thing on the side.
eep leftover teriyaki chicken in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3-5 days. Teriyaki chicken freezes exceptionally well if placed in an airtight, freezer-safe container. It will keep for up to 3-6 months.
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Teriyaki Chicken Stir-Fry Recipe
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Equipment
- 1 Large Non-Stick Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 – 1 ¼ pounds chicken breasts pounded and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil or olive oil, divided
- 1 cup bell pepper cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 cup broccoli cut into florets
- 1 cup carrots thinly sliced
- 1 cup red onion cut into bite-sized pieces
Teriyaki Sauce:
- ⅓ cup water divided
- ⅓ cup soy sauce or Tamari gluten-free, or Tamari sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
Instructions
- In a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat add 1 tablespoon oil and cubed chicken. Sauté for 5-6 minutes or until chicken is almost cooked through. Remove chicken from skillet and let drain on a plate.1 – 1 ¼ pounds chicken breasts
- Add 1 tablespoon oil with peppers, broccoli, carrots, and onion. Sauté for 6-7 minutes over medium heat or until vegetables are almost tender. Add 1-2 tablespoons water as needed to prevent the vegetables form sticking to the pan.1 cup bell pepper, 1 cup broccoli, 1 cup carrots, 1 cup red onion
- While chicken and vegetables are cooking, start preparing the teriyaki sauce in a medium-sized bowl. Combine ¼ cup water, soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, honey, garlic, ginger, and sesame oil. Whisk to combine.⅓ cup soy sauce or Tamari, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar, 2 tablespoons honey, 2 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon ginger paste, 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- In a separate small bowl whisk together remaining 1 tablespoon water and cornstarch.2 teaspoons cornstarch
- Add teriyaki sauce and chicken to the skillet with the vegetables and cook over medium-high heat for 3 minutes or until sauce begins to thicken. Add cornstarch slurry to skillet and cook for 1-2 more minutes, or until the sauce has reached your desired consistency.
- Serve chicken teriyaki stir-fry over rice with chopped green onions and enjoy!
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Notes
- Prep First: Chop the chicken and vegetables, whisk the sauce, and mix the slurry before turning on the heat. Stir fries cook quickly!
- Uniform Pieces: Cut the chicken and vegetables into similar bite-sized pieces so they cook evenly.
- Don’t Crowd: Use your largest skillet and spread the ingredients into a single layer for the best sear. Cook the chicken in batches if needed.
- Chicken: Remove the chicken just before it’s fully cooked—it will finish cooking in the sauce and stay tender.
- Sauce: Stir the cornstarch slurry again before adding it, since it settles quickly.
- High Heat: Cook over medium-high to high heat so the vegetables stay crisp-tender instead of becoming soggy.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What to serve with teriyaki chicken stir fry
Rice is the obvious move, and it’s mostly a question of which one. Instant Pot white rice is the fastest, Instant Pot basmati rice if you want something a little more fragrant, or cauliflower rice if you’re keeping the carbs down.
If you want a vegetable on the side that isn’t already in the skillet, steamed broccoli or roasted broccoli both work, and a Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad is the cold crunchy thing that makes the plate feel finished.
More Asian Recipes
Making your favorite Asian dishes at home is easier than it looks, and these are the ones readers keep coming back to.
Made this last night and as with all of London’s recipes you cannot go wrong. The flavors are spot on, whenever possible she adapts the recipe to healthier ingredients which I always seem to have on hand (nothing unusual you have to run to the store for) and they are a snap to prepare. She is my go-to for healthy salad dressings also…impossible to find in the stores these days.
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Kathy! These words make me so happy! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and rating!
This entire post absolutely ROCKS! Thank you for all the hard work you put into it.
You are so very welcome! And thank you for your comment and rating!! 🙂
What an easy dinner idea! Cannot wait to try it this week.
Yay!! Excited to hear what you think 🙂