20-Minute Chicken Teriyaki Stir Fry Recipe
This is the latest meal that my kids request on repeat. Chicken teriyaki stir fry is a little sweet, a little savory, and totally delicious. It might just become your family’s favorite meal as well! You’ll love that these simple teriyaki chicken thighs are made with simple ingredients and take just 20 minutes to pull together, it’s the perfect weeknight meal.
This healthy teriyaki chicken stir fry uses the same teriyaki sauce as my teriyaki glazed salmon and shrimp teriyaki so if you love this one, try one of those next time!
If you are as stir fry obsessed as we are, be sure to try my moo shu shrimp, ground turkey stir fry, ground beef, and broccoli stir fry, steak stir fry, or vegetarian noodle stir fry next time.
Estimated reading time: 9 minutes
What You’ll Love About Easy Chicken Teriyaki Stir Fry
- Full of flavor
- Sweet and savory sauce
- Quick and easy meal for a busy weeknight
- Made with simple ingredients
- Just 10 minutes prep time
- Just 20 minutes total time (not including rice)
Ingredients
- Soy sauce – Use a high-quality soy sauce for the best flavor. You can use low-sodium soy sauce if you prefer, but may need to adjust seasonings accordingly. As mentioned below, you can also use coconut aminos or tamari for a gluten-free alternative.
- Brown sugar – This is used to give the teriyaki sauce a rich and deep sweet flavor. You could also use your favorite brown sugar alternative or coconut sugar.
- Cornstarch – This helps create a thick and glossy sauce, just like your favorite takeout spots.
- Mirin – This is a seasoned sweet rice wine. You can also use rice vinegar, but add a little bit more honey or brown sugar to balance out the sweetness.
- Honey – This helps sweeten the teriyaki sauce, you could also use maple syrup if you prefer.
- Sesame oil – Use high-quality sesame oil for the best flavor.
- Ginger – Use fresh ginger for the best flavor, or frozen cubes or ginger from tube for convenience.
- Garlic – Use fresh garlic for the best flavor, or frozen cubes for convenience.
- Oil – Use a vegetable oil that can be heated to high heat – like avocado oil, canola oil, or peanut oil.
- Chicken – We’re using skinless boneless chicken thighs (just like my chicken lettuce wraps!) so they are easy and ready to trim. I prefer thighs as they are more flavorful and have more fat, which helps in cooking, but you could also use boneless skinless chicken breasts if you prefer. Be sure to add a little oil to the pan before cooking.
- Rice – Use your favorite rice for serving alongside the simple chicken teriyaki stir fry. White rice, brown rice, fried rice, cauliflower rice, or even with noodles. You can also use microwavable or frozen rice for a shortcut.
- Garnish – Sesame seeds, green onions, red pepper flakes.
How to Make Chicken Teriyaki Stir Fry Recipe
This is an overview on how to make chicken stir fry with teriyaki sauce, the detailed instructions can be found below in the recipe card.
TIP: Depending on how hot and how large your pan is, this can happen very quickly, so watch closely.
FAQs
Is teriyaki chicken healthy?
Yes, while teriyaki chicken may have a not great reputation because it’s sweetened…which you know we don’t do “good or bad” foods here. So I look at it a different way. I see a meal that provides protein and flavor and when you serve it over rice and with a veggie…you’ve got a balanced meal.
Looking for calories in chicken teriyaki? Calories will vary based on recipes, ingredients, and serving sizes, but the full nutrition facts can be found below. Each serving of these teriyaki chicken thighs has about 249 calories. (Nutrition facts are an estimate.)
How do you make a chicken teriyaki bento box?
Chicken teriyaki bento boxes are a super fun make-ahead lunch. While I normally like to pack lunches in stainless steel containers, I would recommend packing the chicken teriyaki and rice in containers that can be microwaved (or a thermos where they can stay warm) so that you don’t have to eat cold chicken.
Add a veggie like pickled cucumber salad or haricot verts and fruit or something sweet for a balanced and delicious lunch that’s great to take on the go.
Can you serve this teriyaki chicken stir fry with noodles?
Yes! If you love saucy noodles, serve the teriyaki chicken over noodles. Try rice noodles, Chinese noodles, lo mein noodles, or even ramen noodles.
Storage Instructions
Store easy teriyaki chicken stir fry in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
How to reheat
Reheat leftovers in a microwave or hot skillet, just until heated through.
How to meal prep:
If you would like to prep this easy teriyaki chicken stir fry recipe ahead, here is what you can do:
- Make rice and store it in the refrigerator
- Mix up teriyaki sauce
What to Serve with Teriyaki Chicken Thighs
All this chicken needs is a carb and a veggie! I typically serve over rice, but you can also do noodles or double veggies. Virtually any vegetable will work, so go with a favorite. Here are a few ideas:
- Rice – Use your favorite white rice, brown rice, or cauliflower rice
- Noodles – Use an Asian noodle like
- Stir-fried bok choy
- Haricot verts
- Sautéed or roasted cauliflower
- Sautéed cabbage
- Snow peas or snap peas
- Air fryer broccoli
- Frozen broccoli (Roasted, sautéed, air fryer, or steamed)
How to Feed Teriyaki Chicken to the Whole Family
I get it, feeding kids can be tough! But following the Division of Responsibility and knowing your job and your child’s job makes it SO much more enjoyable. You’ll be able to feed your kids any meal, which will help ensure that they are eating a variety of nutritious foods – with plenty of play food sprinkled in.
The nice thing about the homemade sauce is that it’s sweet, which can be helpful for kiddos. I would recommend serving a small portion of chicken in a pinch bowl (taster bowl) if it’s a new or learning-to-like it food. Serve the meal with a few items you know your kids will eat, like fruit, milk, and/or bread and butter if they don’t do rice.
More Chicken Thigh Recipes
If you like these easy chicken teriyaki thighs, you might also like some of these other chicken thigh recipes:
Chicken Teriyaki Stir Fry
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stir Fry
- Cuisine: Asian
Description
My family requests this chicken teriyaki stir-fry meal all the time! It’s loaded with flavor and has the best homemade sweet and savory sauce.
Ingredients
For the teriyaki sauce:
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
- 2 Tbsp. mirin
- 2 Tbsp. honey
- 1 Tbsp. sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp. minced ginger (1/4 tsp dried)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
For the chicken stir fry:
- 16 oz. chicken thighs (skinless, boneless)
- rice for serving
- veggie side
- optional garnish: sesame seeds and green onion
Instructions
- Cook rice according to package instructions. Prep veggie side dish.
- Cut chicken into ~1” pieces.
- In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, brown sugar, corn starch, mirin, honey, sesame oil, ginger, and garlic.
- Heat large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add chicken to skillet in a single layer. Cook for 4 minutes, undisturbed. Flip over, and cook another 2-3 minutes, until chicken is cooked through, and has reached an internal temperature of 185 degrees F.
- Pour teriyaki sauce over chicken and cook another minute or so, until sauce is thick and glossy. (Depending on how hot and how large your pan is, this can happen very quickly, so watch closely.)
- Serve over rice with a veggie side.
Notes
- Nutrition facts do not include rice or vegetables
Food styling and photography by Loren Runion.
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