Grilled teriyaki chicken is juicy boneless chicken thighs coated in a glossy, sticky-sweet homemade soy and brown sugar sauce, grilled until charred at the edges and finished with a fresh drizzle of sauce. It’s an easy summer dinner that takes about half an hour, sauce included.
How to make grilled teriyaki chicken: simmer a quick teriyaki sauce and set 1/3 cup aside, toss salted chicken thighs in the rest, grill them covered over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, flip and baste for 7 to 8 minutes more until they reach 165°F, then drizzle with the clean sauce.
Why You’ll Love It
- No marinating needed. The chicken is tossed in sauce and goes straight onto the grill.
- Homemade sauce from the pantry: soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, ginger and garlic powder, thickened in 4 minutes.
- Sticky, charred edges and tender, juicy thighs.
- Feeds 6 with 3 pounds of chicken.
Ingredient Notes
Chicken thighs. Three pounds of boneless, skinless thighs. Thighs are the most forgiving cut on a grill and stay juicy and tender. Pat them dry before they go in the sauce.
Soy sauce or tamari. One-third cup. Use tamari if you need the dish gluten-free.
Brown sugar and honey. Half a cup of brown sugar plus 2 teaspoons of honey sweeten the sauce.
Cornstarch and cold water. Whisk the cornstarch into the water while it’s still cold, before the pan goes on the heat. Then simmer until it’s thick.
Ginger and garlic powder. A quarter teaspoon of each, ground and dried, so there’s nothing to chop.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 cup cold water
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup soy sauce, or tamari
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, patted dry
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
How to Make Grilled Teriyaki Chicken
1. Make the sauce. In a small saucepan, whisk the cornstarch into 1 cup of cold water. Whisk in the brown sugar, soy sauce, honey, ginger and garlic powder. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook, stirring often, until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 4 minutes. Set aside about 1/3 cup of the sauce for serving.
2. Coat the chicken. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel and season all over with the salt. In a large bowl, toss the chicken with the rest of the sauce until well coated.
3. Grill the first side. Preheat the grill on high. Lift the chicken onto the grill and let any extra sauce drip off. Turn the heat down to medium-high, cover the grill and cook for 5 minutes, or until char marks appear.
4. Flip, baste and cook through. Flip the chicken and baste it with the sauce left in the bowl. Keep cooking, turning and basting now and then, for 7 to 8 more minutes, until an instant-read thermometer reads 165°F.
5. Rest and serve. Move the chicken to a platter and drizzle with the 1/3 cup of reserved sauce. Let it rest for about 5 minutes before serving.
Which Sauce Goes Where
One pot of sauce does three jobs here, and keeping them apart is the whole trick. It’s also what answers the question everyone asks: do you put teriyaki sauce on before or after cooking? The answer is both, from two different portions.
| Portion | When | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Most of the sauce | Before grilling | Coats the raw, salted chicken in the bowl |
| What’s left in that bowl | On the grill, after the flip | Basting while the chicken cooks |
| About 1/3 cup, set aside first | After grilling | Drizzled over the finished chicken |
Set the clean sauce aside first. Pour off that 1/3 cup the moment the sauce has thickened, before any chicken comes near the pan. That portion never touches raw meat.
Use the bowl sauce only on the grill. The sauce the raw chicken sat in goes on as a baste while the chicken is still cooking, and that’s its last use. Throw out whatever is left; never pour it over cooked chicken.
Finish with the clean sauce. Once the thickest piece reads 165°F, move the chicken to a platter, drizzle the reserved sauce over the top and let it rest about 5 minutes. You get a fresh, glossy coat on top of the charred one.
Tips for Success
Why is my sauce too thin to stick?
It came off the heat too soon. Keep it at a simmer, stirring, until it coats the back of a spoon, about 4 minutes. Also make sure the chicken is patted dry before it goes in the bowl, so the sauce clings instead of sliding off.
How much sauce should go on the grill with the chicken?
Only what clings to it. Lift each piece out of the bowl and let the extra drip back in before it goes onto the grates; the rest of the bowl sauce is for basting after the flip.
Variations
- Spicy: whisk 2 to 3 teaspoons of Sriracha or a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes into the sauce.
- Other proteins: the same sauce works on grilled steak, shrimp or salmon.
- Garnish: finish with sliced green onions and sesame seeds.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow, covered containers and eat them within 3 to 4 days, or freeze them for 3 to 4 months. You can also freeze raw chicken in the teriyaki sauce for up to 3 months and thaw it overnight in the fridge before grilling. Reheat leftovers covered until they reach 165°F.
What to Serve With It
Slice the chicken into strips and serve it over rice with the sauce, or next to chicken and bacon fried rice and a tray of roasted asparagus and carrots. Grilled corn or grilled pineapple fit right in too. If teriyaki is a favorite, try teriyaki chicken skewers, Hawaiian-style teriyaki chicken, slow cooker chicken teriyaki or teriyaki chicken and rice casserole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is teriyaki chicken good on the grill?
Yes. The brown sugar and honey in the sauce caramelize into dark char marks, and thighs stay juicy over the heat.
How long should I marinate teriyaki chicken for grilling?
You don’t have to: tossing it in the sauce right before grilling works. If you’d like to marinate, give it at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours, covered, in the refrigerator, in a zip-top bag or a non-metal airtight container.
Can I use chicken breasts instead of thighs?
Yes, but take care not to overcook them. Pound the breasts to an even thickness or slice them in half lengthwise so they cook evenly, and pull them as soon as they reach 165°F.
Can I make the sauce ahead?
Yes. A thickened teriyaki sauce can be made several days ahead and kept chilled until you grill.
Final Notes
Pour off the serving sauce before you do anything else; it’s the step that’s easiest to forget once the chicken is in the bowl. Tell me in the comments what you served yours with.
Grilled Teriyaki Chicken
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Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 cup cold water
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup soy sauce or tamari
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs patted dry
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, whisk the cornstarch into 1 cup of cold water. Whisk in the brown sugar, soy sauce, honey, ginger and garlic powder. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook, stirring often, until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 4 minutes. Set aside about 1/3 cup of the sauce for serving.
- Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel and season all over with the salt. In a large bowl, toss the chicken with the rest of the sauce until well coated.
- Preheat the grill on high. Lift the chicken onto the grill and let any extra sauce drip off. Turn the heat down to medium-high, cover the grill and cook for 5 minutes, or until char marks appear.
- Flip the chicken and baste it with the sauce left in the bowl. Keep cooking, turning and basting now and then, for 7 to 8 more minutes, until an instant-read thermometer reads 165°F.
- Move the chicken to a platter and drizzle with the 1/3 cup of reserved sauce. Let it rest for about 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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