Slow cooker teriyaki chicken is chicken breasts cooked with garlic, ginger, soy sauce and honey, then shredded and drizzled with sauce. Serve over rice for an easy yet satisfying crock pot dinner!
I always order teriyaki chicken when I go to my local Japanese restaurant. This slow cooker recipe is SO simple to make at home and has all the same great flavors of the restaurant version.
Being able to throw a meal into my crock pot for dinner is something I have always been extremely thankful for. This slow cooker teriyaki chicken is one of my go-to dinner ideas because it’s quick and the entire family loves it. Plus, because it utilizes the slow cooker I can throw dinner on earlier in the day and forget about it.
HOW DO YOU MAKE SLOW COOKER CHICKEN TERIYAKI?
Thankfully, this teriyaki chicken is as easy as tossing all your ingredients in a crock pot and leaving it to cook. Chicken breasts are cooked with garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and honey, then shredded before being drizzled with sauce. Serve your crock pot teriyaki chicken over rice and you’ve got a satisfying dinner!
Depending on your preferences, chicken thighs or breasts can be used to make teriyaki chicken. One of the best parts about this recipe is that it can easily be doubled to feed a crowd if need be. Not to mention, it only takes about 5 minutes of prep time which makes for a quick meal all the way around.
You can eat crock pot teriyaki chicken as is, but it’s best when served over steamed rice. If you love this slow cooker chicken teriyaki, you’ll also love this chicken teriyaki stir fry which has similar flavors but is ready in 30 minutes.
IS CHICKEN TERIYAKI HEALTHY?
Chicken teriyaki is made with mostly healthy ingredients. That being said, soy sauce is salty, and too much sodium is not good for you. Be sure to use a low sodium soy sauce in this recipe!
CAN YOU COOK RICE IN THE CROCK POT?
Yes, you can cook most things in the crock pot. However, you would have to cook it separate from the teriyaki chicken. Cooking rice in a crock pot makes it take much longer than just making it on the stove, however, it can be done if desired.
CAN VEGETABLES BE ADDED TO SLOW COOKER TERIYAKI CHICKEN?
Vegetables can definitely be added to this recipe. Most popular stir fry vegetables such as broccoli, asparagus, snap peas, bell peppers, etc. can be added to this dish to personalize it. However, be aware, those most vegetables will need to be added later in the cooking process or they may get soggy.
If you’re dreading school because weeknight dinners are so stressful, I’m with you. However, I have started preparing for busy nights by pulling out as many slow cooker recipes as possible. I’m definitely adding this slow cooker teriyaki chicken to the weeknight dinner rotation!
MORE CHICKEN SLOW COOKER RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
- Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore
- Slow Cooker Orange Chicken
- Slow Cooker Chicken Tortellini Soup
- Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
- Slow Cooker Chicken Marsala
Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken Video
Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 teaspoons garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons ginger minced
- 1/4 cup honey
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup cold water
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons sliced green onions
Instructions
- Place the chicken breasts in a slow cooker.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic, ginger, honey, brown sugar, soy sauce sesame oil and rice vinegar.
- Pour the soy sauce mixture over the chicken.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours or LOW for 6-7 hours.
- Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and shred with two forks.
- Pour the teriyaki sauce from the slow cooker through a strainer into a saucepan.
- Place the saucepan on the stove over medium high heat and bring to a simmer.
- In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with the water until dissolved.
- Pour the cornstarch into the pan and bring a boil. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until sauce has just thickened.
- Pour the sauce over the shredded chicken and toss to coat the chicken. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions, then serve.
Hi there, looking forward to making this meal this week. I already have cooked shredded chicken in my freezer, what are your cooking time suggestions for the crockpot? I’m thinking 2 or 2 1/2 hours but also thought I might have a problem when I go to strain the juices since the chicken is already shredded. Should I just stick to fresh chicken? Thanks for your help
If you’re using pre-cooked chicken, you might just want to skip the crockpot and instead toss it in homemade teriyaki sauce like the one here: https://www.dinneratthezoo.com/teriyaki-chicken-stir-fry/
My picky Granddaugher absoultely loved this recipe. She begs me to make this all the time. It is so easy and DELICIOUS! I ALWAYS double the recipe as I love to take left overts to work.
Hi!
I am making this today, and realized as I was mindless throwing the sauce together that I added the cold water to the Teriyaki sauce… Will that mess with the flavor or consistency of the sauce?
Thanks! Can’t wait to try it!
You’ll still want to mix the cornstarch with water so that it can properly thicken the sauce!
Delicious and easy!! Thank you!
I served it with quinoa and broccoli instead of rice! Very satisfying 🙂
Can you put it together the night before
and cook it the next day or will the ginger destroy the chicken.
It should be fine!
Can I put all ingredients in zip lock bag and freez it and when ready just put in crock pot
Yes that’s a great idea!
When should I add vegetables in?
If you’re adding more delicate vegetables like broccoli or snow peas, add during the last 2 hours. If it’s something that takes longer to cook like carrots, add halfway through the cook time.
At first my husband didn’t think he would like it, then I made it for us. He loved it, the kids loved it. It’s great! Next time I will double the recipe to have leftovers!
I stupidly added the corn starch to the mixture in the crock pot. Have I ruined the recipe by making it too thick ?
Just seeing this now, I hope it worked out ok!
If I use flour instead of corn starch will it still be okay
Here are some possible substitutes: https://www.epicurious.com/ingredients/how-to-substitute-cornstarch-article
Both my husband and kids have requested this weekly since I first made it a few months ago! Perfect as is, we usually eat it over sticky rice with broccoli and carrots on the side!
If I don’t have any vinegar on hand, will the recipe still turn out okay? It appears that’s the only ingredient I don’t have.
Yes it should be fine!
I will keep this recipe for years to come. Delicious! Thank you for sharing.
I love this recipe and have doubled it for company!
How long would I have to cook this for frozen boneless skinless chicken breast?
I’d add another hour to the cook time.
Love Crock Pot recipes! Thanks for sharing!!
I made this exactly as recipe and it was delicious. Thanks for great site.
The meat came out so tender! I served it over brown rice!
I cooked the chicken for 5 hours. It was too tender but delicious. I used boneless chicken breast. Love it.
Made this last night for dinner, it was a huge success. I just did not use corn starch to thicken the sauce, cause thought it was perfect as is.
So glad you enjoyed it, thanks for reporting back!
What is the serving size?
About 1 1/2 cups!
Wasn’t sure my last comment went through and I did want to say how tasty this was. I did use drumsticks as it was the only chicken I had on hand, and substituted apple cider vinegar as I rarely have rice wine vinegar in the pantry. The outcome was extremely tender, savory, just basically delicious. I will most definitely be sharing this crock pot recipe, and am glad to add it to my book.
So happy to hear you enjoyed it, I love the idea of using drumsticks. Thanks for reporting back!
My pleasure. And as an added bonus, at lunch I just discovered that the leftovers are every bit as scrumptious. This is one dish that could serve as a staple as well as serving to company. It’s that good.