Skip the takeout and make hibachi chicken at home! My homemade chicken hibachi is just as flavorful as the kind you’d get at your favorite Japanese steakhouse, but it’s made in one skillet and ready in under an hour. With tender chicken breast pieces, crisp vegetables, and an irresistible yum yum dipping sauce, this Hibachi recipe is an easy weeknight dinner that feels like a treat. Plus, it’s surprisingly simple to make. I don’t need a flat-top grill or fancy tools to pull off delicious hibachi-style chicken in my own kitchen!
Homemade Chicken Hibachi
My hibachi-style chicken tastes just like the restaurant version, but it’s made with pantry ingredients and everyday tools. After testing batch after batch, I’ve honed in on the key to great chicken hibachi, and it’s all in the technique. Letting the chicken pieces sit in the hot pan undisturbed for a few minutes helps them develop that luscious golden sear. And a bath of butter and soy sauce at the end gives the whole thing a wonderful glossy finish.
After the chicken is cooked, I sauté the veggies in the same pan. As they cook, the natural juices help deglaze all the flavorful browned bits left behind. You get deep, savory flavor without fussy extra steps. A quick toss in soy sauce and this hibachi chicken and vegetables is ready to pile onto rice or noodles. And of course, don’t forget the homemade yum yum sauce–it’s creamy, tangy, and brings the whole dish together!
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Don’t Overcrowd the Pan!
One of the biggest mistakes I see home cooks make when trying to recreate hibachi-style chicken at home is overcrowding the pan. When there’s not enough space, your ingredients steam instead of sear, and you lose that signature golden crust and caramelized flavor.
If you don’t have a large wok, I recommend using a wide skillet and cooking in batches. This gives the chicken and vegetables room to brown properly, just like at a hibachi grill. It’s a small step, but it makes a big difference in taste and texture.
Hibachi Chicken Recipe
Equipment
- Wok or Wide-Bottomed Skillet
Ingredients
For the Yum Yum Sauce:
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar (*)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste (**)
- 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
For the Chicken and Vegetables:
- 2 tablespoons canola oil (divided)
- 1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into bite-sized pieces***)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce (divided)
- 1 medium yellow onion (cut into large chunks)
- 1 medium zucchini (quartered lengthwise and sliced ½-inch thick)
- 1 medium carrots (sliced into thin coins)
- 8 ounces small brown mushrooms (quartered)
To Serve (Optional):
- cooked rice or noodles
- scallions (sliced)
- red pepper flakes
- toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, rice vinegar, tomato paste, and 1 tablespoon soy sauce until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve.½ cup mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
- Heat a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil, then the chicken. Let it cook undisturbed for 2–3 minutes to develop some browning, then stir and continue cooking until the chicken is cooked through, about 6–8 minutes total.2 tablespoons canola oil, 1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Reduce the heat to low. Add the butter and 1 tablespoon soy sauce to the pan and stir to coat the chicken until glossy. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.1 tablespoon unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- Return the heat to medium-high and add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add the onion, zucchini, carrot, and mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender-crisp and slightly charred in spots, 5–7 minutes. Add the remaining tablespoon of soy sauce and stir to coat.1 medium yellow onion, 1 medium zucchini, 1 medium carrots, 8 ounces small brown mushrooms
- Serve the hibachi chicken and vegetables over rice or noodles with the yum yum sauce on the side. Top with scallions, red pepper flakes, and sesame seeds, if desired.cooked rice or noodles, scallions, red pepper flakes, toasted sesame seeds
Notes
- If you love extra sauce, go ahead and double the yum yum. It’s great as a dip for roasted veggies or a sandwich spread later in the week.
- Aim for uniform sizes when chopping the veggies and chicken so everything finishes cooking at the same time.
- This recipe works great with steak or shrimp as well.
- Let the chicken brown undisturbed. Searing the chicken without stirring builds flavor and gives that classic hibachi-style crust.
- As the vegetables cook, they release liquid that naturally deglazes the pan, lifting up the browned bits left from the chicken and adding extra flavor to the mix.
- Carrots tend to sink and get stuck under the other vegetables, so be sure to stir well and lift them from the bottom of the pan to prevent burning.
- When serving over rice or noodles, I like to toss the cooked rice/noodles with some soy sauce and butter for extra flavor.
- Nutritional information does not include optional ingredients.
Note: Water, salt, pepper, oil, and broth are not counted as ingredients on this site.
How to Make Hibachi Chicken and Vegetables Step by Step
Prep: Gather your ingredients. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces, cut the onion into chunks, quarter the zucchini and slice it into ½-inch thick pieces, coin the carrot, and quarter the mushrooms. Doing this prep work ahead of time will help this recipe move quickly and smoothly. If you’re planning to serve this dish with rice or noodles, I recommend cooking them now so they’re ready to go.
Make the Yum Yum Sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together ½ cup of mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon of tomato paste, and 1 tablespoon of low-sodium soy sauce until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Cook the Chicken: Heat a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of canola oil, then 1½ pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces. Let the chicken pieces cook undisturbed for 2-3 minutes to develop some browning, then stir and continue cooking until the chicken is cooked through, about 6-8 minutes total. Reduce the heat to low. Add 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter and 1 tablespoon of low-sodium soy sauce to the pan and stir to coat the chicken until glossy. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
Sauté the Veggies: Return the heat to medium-high and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of canola oil. Add 1 chunked medium yellow onion, 1 medium zucchini (quartered lengthwise and sliced ½-inch thick), 1 medium coined carrot, and 8 ounces of quartered small brown mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender-crisp and slightly charred in spots, 5-7 minutes. Add the remaining tablespoon of low-sodium soy sauce and stir to coat.
Garnish and Serve: Serve your hibachi chicken and vegetables over rice or noodles with the yum yum sauce on the side. Top with scallions, red pepper flakes, and sesame seeds, if desired.
How to Store, Freeze, and Reheat
To store, I recommend dividing the hibachi chicken, vegetables, and rice or noodles into containers with a side of sauce. They hold up well in the fridge for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months–great for meal prep! Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before microwaving in short bursts, or reheat in a skillet over medium heat with a splash of water to keep everything moist and flavorful.
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