This is tender and extra saucy honey teriyaki chicken, an extremely simple and versatile dish made in the slow cooker. For serving, garnish the sweet, salty, and savory pulled chicken with scallions and crunchy sesame seeds and enjoy with rice, steamed vegetables, or serve sandwich style on a hearty roll.
Life is busy and youโre swamped trying to figure out dinner for tonight. What a familiar feeling! This honey teriyaki chicken recipe requires little effort, yet delivers so much flavor. Weโre taking advantage of the slow cooker for this meal, as well as preparing a homemade honey teriyaki sauce. The whole process is fairly easy and the crockpot does most of the work.
And bonus! Itโs consistently crowd-pleasing, making it one of my favorite fall dinner recipes.
One reader said: “I made this recipe for dinner today! It was so delicious. Canโt wait to have the leftovers tomorrow! The spice level was just right and everything cooked perfectly. โ โ โ โ โ ”
Tell Me About Slow Cooker Honey Teriyaki Chicken
- Time: This recipe requires about 15-20 minutes of prep time which includes chopping an onion, making the quick sauce on the stove, and shredding the chicken which is a step later in the recipe. Plus, set aside a total of 4-6 hours for slow cooking. If easy slow cooker recipes are your jam, you’ll appreciate this sweet potato turkey chili and these slow cooker turkey meatballs, too.
- Preparation & Texture Go Hand-in-Hand: Once the chicken has cooked in the honey teriyaki sauce for a few hours, it locks in all that massive flavor and becomes incredibly tender. Then itโs time to remove and shred the chicken. Since itโs so tender, it shreds very quickly and easily. Place the chicken back into the slow cooker so it can soak up even more of the juicy sauce. (Shredded chicken offers more surface area for the sauce to coat!)
- Flavor: The chicken is infused with so much sweet-salty flavor from the bold and garlicky honey teriyaki sauce. Garnished with sesame seeds and scallions, this dish truly comes to life. I added onion for extra flavor, but you can leave it out if youโre not a fan.
What about leftovers? We canโt say this about many meals, but reheated honey teriyaki chicken is SO GOOD. Itโs even tastier and more flavorful on day 2 or 3 after the sauce has thickened in the refrigeratorโit sticks right to the chicken.
How to Make Honey Teriyaki Sauce
Itโs certainly convenient to purchase a bottle of store-bought sauce, but we prefer making our own because you have total control of the ingredients and flavor. Plus, it tastes fresher and that makes a big difference in the final dish. You need cornstarch, brown sugar, honey, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and vinegar. We usually use rice wine vinegar, but apple cider vinegar works well too.
- Are you looking for a traditional Japanese-style teriyaki sauce? Weโve made and loved Namiโs homemade teriyaki sauce. Itโs incredible over salmon.
Todayโs honey teriyaki sauce recipe is similar to the teriyaki sauce we use for pineapple teriyaki chicken. Though we use mostly honey in this version for a slightly different flavor, we still add a little brown sugar. Why both honey and brown sugar? Depth of flavor. We found the sauce lacking when we skipped the brown sugar completely.
No Slow Cooker? No Problem.
Follow the directions in the recipe note to make this teriyaki chicken recipe on the stove.
More Easy & Dependable Dinner Recipes
- Slow Cooker Chicken Chili
- Honey Garlic Shrimp
- Walnut Crusted Chicken
- Vegetarian Pumpkin Chili
- Sweet Chili Chicken
- Lemon Thyme Chicken
- Turkey Pot Pie
- Baked Chicken Meatballs
- Creamy Garlic Chicken
- Crispy Coconut Chicken
- Vegetarian Shepherdโs Pie
- Baked Lemon Garlic Salmon
Slow Cooker Honey Teriyaki Chicken
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Total Time: 4 hours, 15 minutes
- Yield: serves 4-6
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: American
Description
This is tender and extra saucy honey teriyaki chicken, an extremely simple and versatile dish made in the slow cooker. For serving, garnish the sweet, salty, and savory pulled chicken with scallions and crunchy sesame seeds and enjoy with rice, steamed vegetables, or serve sandwich style on a hearty roll.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon (7g) cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) room temperatureย water
- 3 Tablespoons (50g) brownย sugar
- 1/4 cup (85g) honey
- 1/2 cup (120ml) soy sauce
- 1/4 cup (60ml) vinegar (either rice wine or apple cider is great)
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 – 2ย teaspoons minced freshย ginger (or 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger)
- 1/2 medium onion, chopped
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1.5 – 2 lbs total)
- optional for serving: sesame seeds and chopped scallion
Instructions
- Stir the cornstarch and water together in a small bowl until combined, then pour into a medium saucepan over low-medium heat. Add the brown sugar, honey, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, and ginger.ย Allow to simmer while whisking occasionally. Bring to a boil and allow to boil for 1 minute, then remove from heat.
- Place chopped onion and chicken intoย a 4 quart or largerย slow cooker. (Here’s one I own and love!) Pour teriyaki sauce on top. Cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 5 hours.
- Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and, using 2 forks, shred into smaller pieces. Place back into the slow cooker and stir to combine. Cook for 1 more hour on low, stirring occasionally.
- Garnish with sesame seeds and scallion, if desired, and serve on top of cooked rice or quinoa or alongside steamed vegetables. Or pile onto rolls and enjoy sandwich style.ย Keep leftovers in a large tupperware in the refrigerator for up to a week. Reheat in the microwave.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Place cooled cooked chicken/sauce into a freezer-friendly container or large zipped-top bag and freeze up to 3-4 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or place the container/bag in the sink filled with warm water. Once thawed, cook in a large pot on medium heatย for 10 minutes. Or reheat in the microwave until warmed throughout. You can also freeze this uncooked. Place everything in a freezer-friendly container or large zipped-top bag, freeze up to 3-4 months, thaw in the refrigerator, then add to the slow cooker and proceed with the recipe.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowl | Saucepan | Whisk | Slow Cooker (4-quart or larger)
- Why Brown Sugar and Honey? Depth of flavor. We both preferred the flavor of this teriyaki sauce when both sweeteners were used.
- No Slow Cooker? No problem!ย Follow recipe through step 1. Set sauce aside.ย Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add the onion and chicken and cook, stirring often, until the chicken is browned on both sides. Pour the teriyaki sauce on top. Turn the stove down to low heat and allow the chicken to simmer in the sauce for a few minutes before serving.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I tried the recipe with pork loin chops. Having read other posts I reduced the soy sauce to 1/4 cup. I added all the other ingredients as specified in recipe. The pork came out tender and not too salty. Great teriyaki recipe!
Iโm making this right now and it smells wonderful. Iโm wondering if anyone has tried this recipe with pork rather than chicken. I have friends who do not like poultry.
Thank you.
Hi Lauer, we haven’t tested this recipe with pork – let us know if you do!
I’ve made this several times and think it’s delicious! I am allergic to soy so I use Coconut Aminos which is a great alternative for those that are gluten free. I skip the opinion and use a little bit extra brown sugar and honey.
I have made this many times as it is a much requested family favorite. I usually cut in some green beans or spinach right at the end and serve over rice. However my family’s favorite way to eat it is on top of Sally’s homemade pizza base topped with mozzarella. So good!
Loved this! Can it be made vegetarian with tofu?
Hi Joan, we haven’t tested it, but let us know if you do!
Too salty to eat inspite of using low sodium Kikoman soy sauce. Also, strong vinegar taste. I followed the recipe exactly
My husband and I have always found that the low-sodium Soy sauces tend to actually taste saltier than regular soy sauce. No idea why!
Super easy & delicious served over brown rice & veggies! Low sodium soy sauce used & still loved it! Thank you!!
Some of the reviews are hit and miss so I was slightly nervous but optimistic. I love Sally’s recipes and this another winner. Super easy, quick, and full of flavor. The sauce is everything! Should’ve made a double batch as I like lots of sauce. I made this on the stove instead of the slow cooker because I was afraid I would dry out the chicken so I went with what I was comfortable with. I steamed some broccoli and rice to go with. For those that thought this was too salty, try low sodium soy sauce. That’s what I did. Thanks Sally!
I really liked this recipe, would like to add fresh pineapple to it. When should I add it? I don’t think it needs to cook as long as the chicken.
Hi Ann, you can definitely add pineapple to this or check out our Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken recipe, which can also be made in the crockpot. For more pineapple flavor, you could add at the beginning. Hope you enjoy!
This checked all the boxes for me…. easy, delicious, great for a busy afternoon because of the use of the crockpot…. and best of all, all four kids and husband I loved it. Thanks for another great recipe!
This is the first of Sallyโs recipes that I didnโt love! I used chicken thighs, but other than that followed the recipe to a tee. It was too salty and all
I could taste was soy sauce. I added a small can of pineapple to cut it, and it helped some. Aside from this dish, Sallyโs is ALWAYS my go-to for great recipes!
Great recipe, but donโt use Instapot! The flavor was great and I will definitely make this again, but when I released the steam valve, it โspewedโ the sticky sauce all over. Soโฆ Iโll do crockpot the next time!!
Sadly, this recipe was a (rare) miss for me. I cooked it on high for 3hrs., plus the additional hour after shredding. The flavor was good but even with the sauce it was just much much too dry. I will try it again but will use thighs for the same amount of time.
i made this for supper one day and my family loved it. served it over rice.
This was amazing! And so easy
Terrific!!! I made this last night and my husband and I think it is incredibly tasty. I made mine in the instant pot, because I started later in the afternoon. Served it with rice, zucchini, spinach, and broccoli. Thanks for another great recipe.
Could you prepare this in an instant pot?
We haven’t tested it but would love to hear how it goes if you do, Danielle.
I was wondering if there is a way to make just the sauce to use in other dishes and how long it would be good in the fridge
Hi Heather, you can absolutely make this sauce to use in other dishes, following the directions in step 1. We’re unsure of how long it will last in the fridge, but it should keep well for a few days.
Everyone loved this recipe! I making it again this week. I just wanted to tell you I bought a bunch a spring onions for the recipe and used the white parts in the slow cooker and then topped the dish with the green part, so used the whole bunch. It seemed to work well. Thank you for this recipe and really all of yours that I have tried. All of them are so good. I have many saved and use them often!
I served this recipe to my friends and they raved about it. It was very good and easy to make. I didn’t use the sesame seeds because they couldn’t tolerate them. I added more brown sugar for my sugar taste buds.
This stuff is so incredible, especially for being something so simple! I am in love with us! Thank you for posting this!
Iโm gonna try this recipe tonight. Using an an instant pot to cook my chicken. Iโll let you know how it turns out
This recipe is so good. The texture of the pulled chicken in the sauce at the end is to die for. I’m making it for the 3rd time tomorrow!!
Delicious! I added a generous pinch of red pepper flakes to the sauce but otherwise made it as written. Served with brown rice and roasted broccoli/red bell peppers. My household was a little put off by the pulled meat (“that’s not teriyaki”) as opposed to sliced, but the flavor more than overcame that difference for me.
Made from scratch sauce was amazing! I used a Costco bought chickenโฆ Shredded it and put it in a Ziploc bag with the sauce in the refrigerator. Marinated it for about two hours turning and turning the bag. I served it over Japanese rice. I steamed, broccoli, pea pods, bok choy, sliced mushrooms, and shredded carrots. It was a huge hit. I drizzled the extra sauce over the rice, and then the vegetables on top. Thank you for the recipe. P. S. I make your sour cream, coffee cake, all the time, as well as mini muffins from your recipe. Share your website frequently. Thank you for your generosity.