When I’m in the mood for a Japanese-inspired meal, I always make a batch of this teriyaki chicken marinade! Made with pantry staples like soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, and a few other key ingredients, this easy teriyaki marinade recipe has a wonderfully sweet and savory flavor that complements chicken perfectly. It’s simple to throw together and leads to the most delicious dish!
Top Reader Review
This recipe is the best teriyaki chicken I have ever eaten!!
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Simple Teriyaki Marinade and Sauce
It’s hard to resist ordering takeout chicken teriyaki on busy nights, but this easy teriyaki chicken marinade has changed the game for me. I slathered a bit of this on some juicy chicken breasts and chucked them on the grill, and oh my goodness, was it good! I cooked down the leftover marinade to make a teriyaki sauce that I’ll be slathering on everything for the foreseeable future.
It just takes 8 ingredients to make this chicken marinade from scratch. Soy sauce, brown sugar, sweet chili sauce, sesame oil, honey, apple cider vinegar, garlic powder, and ginger combine to create that classic takeout flavor I crave. It’s sweet, savory, and perfectly balanced. Just grab some cornstarch if you want to thicken this teriyaki marinade into a sauce!
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Marinating Time
I find that 1 hour is plenty of time to marinate teriyaki chicken before cooking. I just pop it in the fridge, and it’s full of flavor by the time my grill is ready. However, you can marinate up to 8 hours (or overnight) if you prefer. Because of the ingredients in this marinade, marinating more than 12 hours may leave you with mushy chicken.
Chicken Teriyaki Marinade Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (*)
For the Marinade:
- ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup sweet chili sauce
- ¼ cup toasted sesame oil
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar (**)
- 2 tablespoons honey (***)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
For the Sauce:
- ¼ cup water
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
Instructions
Marinate:
- Place the chicken breasts in a resealable bag, or container.4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, brown sugar, sweet chili sauce, toasted sesame oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, garlic powder, and ground ginger to create the marinade.½ cup low-sodium soy sauce, ⅓ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup sweet chili sauce, ¼ cup toasted sesame oil, ¼ cup apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons honey, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- Reserve ½ cup of the marinade mixture and set aside.
- Pour the remaining marinade over the prepared chicken breasts. Seal the bag or cover the container, and refrigerate for 1 hour to marinate.
Grill:
- Preheat the grill to 375℉, then brush the grill grates with oil to prevent sticking.
- Grill marinated chicken breasts 6-7 minutes on one side.
- Flip and continue grilling another 7 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 165℉.
Make the Sauce:
- While the chicken is grilling, combine the water and cornstarch in a saucepan set over medium-low heat.¼ cup water, 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- Add the reserved marinade and simmer until it begins to thicken.
- Brush the thickened teriyaki sauce over the chicken as it finishes grilling, and/or before serving.
Notes
- Let your chicken marinate for more than 1 hour if you have the extra time. You can even let it marinate overnight to really soak in that flavor.
- If you’re a spice lover like me, try adding 1 tablespoon of sriracha to the marinade. It adds the perfect amount of heat!
- I recommend discarding any leftover teriyaki chicken marinade immediately if you’re not planning to turn it into a serving sauce, since it will have been contaminated with raw chicken juices.
- Any leftover cooked sauce will keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
Note: Water, salt, pepper, oil, and broth are not counted as ingredients on this site.
How to Make Marinated Teriyaki Chicken Step by Step
Prep: Gather the list of teriyaki marinade ingredients. Then place 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a resealable bag or container. I often marinate my chicken in a casserole dish and it works well, as long as the chicken is fully submerged.
Make the Marinade: In a medium bowl, whisk together ½ cup of soy sauce, ⅓ cup of brown sugar, ¼ cup of sweet chili sauce, ¼ cup of toasted sesame oil, ¼ cup of apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons of honey, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, and ½ teaspoon of ground ginger. Reserve ½ cup of the marinade mixture and set it aside–we’ll use this as a teriyaki sauce later.
Marinate the Chicken: Pour the teriyaki marinade over the prepared chicken breasts, then seal the bag or cover the container, and refrigerate for 1 hour to marinate.
Grill the Chicken: Preheat the grill to 375℉, then brush the grill grates with oil to prevent sticking. Grill teriyaki-marinated chicken breasts 7 minutes on each side, or until internal temperature reaches 165℉. While the chicken is cooking, combine ¼ cup of water with 2 teaspoons of cornstarch (this creates a slurry) in a saucepan set over medium-low heat. Add the reserved marinade and simmer until it begins to thicken. Brush the thickened sauce over the chicken as it finishes grilling.
Serve: Teriyaki chicken breasts are delicious served simply with white rice, green onions, and broccoli.
How to Store, Freeze, and Reheat
- Cooked Chicken: Store leftover cooked teriyaki chicken breasts in an airtight container. Keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Marinade: Unused teriyaki marinade can be stored in a sealed jar or container, and kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Discard any leftover marinade that has come into contact with raw chicken to prevent illness.
- Sauce: Teriyaki sauce can be stored in a sealed jar or container, in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- Reheat: For best results, reheat cooked chicken on the stovetop or in the oven until warmed through. If frozen, thaw before reheating.
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