Hawaiian style teriyaki chicken, the “teri chicken” of Hawaii plate lunches, is boneless chicken thighs soaked overnight in a simple shoyu marinade sweetened with sugar and flavored with garlic and ginger, then grilled until charred at the edges and finished in a little of the reserved sauce. It needs 15 minutes of prep, a day in the refrigerator and 30 minutes of cooking, and it serves 6.
How to make it: Stir the marinade liquids until the sugar dissolves, add mashed garlic and sliced ginger, and set aside 1/2 cup of the marinade before the chicken goes in. Marinate the thighs for at least 24 hours. Grill them over high heat 5 to 7 minutes per side, to 165°F, then steam them in the reserved sauce for 10 minutes so they stay tender and glossy.
Why You’ll Love It
- Six ingredients: chicken, soy sauce, water, sugar, garlic and ginger.
- Juicy thighs: a long marinade and a final steam in the sauce keep them tender.
- Make ahead by design: the work happens the day before, so dinner is just grilling.
- Plate lunch at home: serve it with rice and macaroni salad like they do in Hawaii.
Hawaiian Chicken vs. Teriyaki Chicken: What’s the Difference?
“Hawaiian chicken” on mainland menus usually means a sweet sauce with pineapple or pineapple juice. Hawaiian style teriyaki chicken, the kind sold at local plate-lunch spots, is simpler: a thin shoyu marinade of soy sauce, sugar, garlic and ginger, no thickened sauce and often no pineapple at all. The chicken is grilled until lightly charred, sliced and served with two scoops of rice. Japanese teriyaki is a glaze brushed on as the meat cooks; the Hawaii version is all about the long marinade.
Ingredient Notes
Chicken thighs: 3 pounds boneless, skinless. Thighs stay juicy on a hot grill and soak up the marinade better than breasts.
Soy sauce, water and sugar: 1 cup of each. Equal parts make a balanced sweet-salty marinade. Water keeps it from being too salty for a long soak.
Garlic: 5 cloves, mashed so they release their flavor into the liquid.
Ginger: 1 piece of fresh ginger root, cut into 2 or 3 thin lengthwise slices.
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Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
- 5 cloves garlic, mashed
- 1 ginger root (2-3 thin slices, cut lengthwise)
How to Make Hawaiian Style Teriyaki Chicken
1. Make the marinade. In a large mixing bowl, combine soy sauce, water and sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then add the garlic and ginger. Reserve 1/2 cup in a clean covered container and refrigerate it before adding the raw chicken to the remaining marinade.
2. Marinate. Place the chicken thighs in the remaining marinade and coat them well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours and no longer than 2 days.
3. Heat the grill. Heat your grill to high heat to achieve a nice sear on the chicken.
4. Grill. Remove the chicken from the marinade, let excess liquid drip off and discard all marinade that touched the raw chicken. Grill for 5–7 minutes per side, until lightly charred and the thickest part reaches 165°F (74°C).
5. Warm the sauce. Pour the refrigerated 1/2 cup of reserved, unused marinade into a clean pot or grill-safe pan over medium heat.
6. Steam in the sauce. Transfer the grilled chicken to the pot with teriyaki sauce. Cover and place on the grill over medium heat. Steam the chicken in the sauce for 10 minutes to ensure it remains tender, moist, and flavorful.
7. Slice and serve. Remove the chicken from the pot and slice into bite-sized pieces if desired. Arrange on a serving platter and garnish with chopped green onions and toasted sesame seeds. Pair with steamed rice, a green salad, or grilled vegetables.
How to Marinate Chicken Hawaiian Style
- Give it time. At least 24 hours in the refrigerator lets the shoyu flavor reach the center of each thigh.
- Keep it cold. Always marinate in the refrigerator, never on the counter, and use it within 2 days.
- Save sauce first. Set aside the portion for serving before any raw chicken touches the marinade.
- Turn it once. Flip the chicken or turn the bag halfway through so every piece soaks evenly.
- Throw out the used marinade. Liquid that touched raw chicken is never used as a sauce.
Tips for Grilling Teriyaki Chicken
- Clean and oil the grates. The sugar in the marinade sticks to a dirty grill.
- Let it drip. Excess marinade causes flare-ups and burnt spots.
- Watch for burning. Sugar chars quickly; move pieces to a cooler spot if they darken too fast.
- Check the temperature. Thighs are done at 165°F in the thickest part.
- No grill? Cook the thighs in a hot grill pan or under the broiler, then finish them in the sauce on the stove.
Variations
- Pineapple: swap some of the water for pineapple juice and grill pineapple slices alongside.
- Brown sugar: use brown sugar for a deeper, molasses flavor.
- Sesame: add a splash of sesame oil and green onions to the marinade.
- Chicken breasts: they work, but grill them carefully to 165°F so they don’t dry out.
- Beef: the same marinade makes Hawaiian-style teriyaki beef.
If you like teriyaki, Teriyaki Ground Beef simmers ground beef in a glossy homemade sauce.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container within 2 hours and eat them within 3 to 4 days. Reheat with a splash of water or sauce until it reaches 165°F. The leftovers are great sliced over rice or in a wrap.
What to Serve With It
For a Hawaii plate lunch, serve it with two scoops of white rice and macaroni salad. Steamed vegetables, a green salad or grilled pineapple work too.
More teriyaki and Hawaiian-style chicken: teriyaki chicken skewers, slow cooker chicken teriyaki, teriyaki chicken and rice casserole, sweet Hawaiian crockpot chicken, pineapple chicken and rice and garlic chicken stir fry.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the difference between Hawaiian chicken and teriyaki chicken?
Hawaiian chicken usually includes pineapple. Hawaii-style teriyaki is a soy, sugar, garlic and ginger marinade, grilled and served with rice.
What is the best Hawaiian teriyaki sauce?
Equal parts shoyu, water and sugar with mashed garlic and fresh ginger, as in this recipe.
How long should I marinate the chicken?
At least 24 hours and no more than 2 days, in the refrigerator.
Can I use the marinade as a sauce?
Only the portion you set aside before adding raw chicken. Discard the rest.
Can I bake it instead?
Yes. Bake or broil the thighs until 165°F, then simmer them in the reserved sauce.
Can I use low-sodium soy sauce?
Yes. It makes a milder, less salty marinade.
How long do leftovers keep?
3 to 4 days in the refrigerator.
Final Notes
Give the chicken its full day in the marinade, grill it hot and finish it in the reserved sauce. If you try it with pineapple juice or turn it into teriyaki beef, tell me in the comments how it turned out.
Hawaiian Style Teriyaki Chicken
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Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
- 5 cloves garlic mashed
- 1 ginger root 2-3 thin slices, cut lengthwise
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine soy sauce, water and sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then add the garlic and ginger. Reserve 1/2 cup in a clean covered container and refrigerate it before adding the raw chicken to the remaining marinade.
- Place the chicken thighs in the remaining marinade and coat them well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours and no longer than 2 days.
- Heat your grill to high heat to achieve a nice sear on the chicken.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade, let excess liquid drip off and discard all marinade that touched the raw chicken. Grill for 5–7 minutes per side, until lightly charred and the thickest part reaches 165°F (74°C).
- Pour the refrigerated 1/2 cup of reserved, unused marinade into a clean pot or grill-safe pan over medium heat.
- Transfer the grilled chicken to the pot with teriyaki sauce. Cover and place on the grill over medium heat. Steam the chicken in the sauce for 10 minutes to ensure it remains tender, moist, and flavorful.
- Remove the chicken from the pot and slice into bite-sized pieces if desired. Arrange on a serving platter and garnish with chopped green onions and toasted sesame seeds. Pair with steamed rice, a green salad, or grilled vegetables.
Notes
Nutrition
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Nutrition values are estimates based on the listed ingredients and serving count. Actual values vary with brands, cuts and portion sizes.
