Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken

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This crock pot Teriyaki Chicken recipe only takes 5 minutes to prepare. Slow cooker teriyaki chicken is a flavorful main dish, perfect for busy weeknights! Serve with stir fry vegetables and fried rice.

Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken in a bowl with rice and vegetables like broccoli and red peppers. It's garnished with green onions.

This crock pot teriyaki chicken recipe is an easy, fix-it-and-forget-it dinner perfect for busy weeknights or meal prep.

Slow cooker teriyaki chicken is made from scratch, and the chicken cooks low and slow so it’s completely infused with flavor from the homemade teriyaki sauce!

Serve it with stir fry vegetables, fried rice, vegetable lo mein or on top of an Asian salad or in chicken lo mein.

It’s is also a great recipe if you like to meal prep. The hardest part about planning meals (for me) is choosing a protein. This crock pot teriyaki chicken recipe makes enough chicken to feed my family and have leftovers, and it freezes well. See what Lisa says:

Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken in a bowl with rice and vegetables like broccoli and bell peppers. It's garnished with green onions and sesame seeds.
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Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken: Ingredients & Substitutions

Let’s chat about the ingredients and possible substitutions in this teriyaki chicken recipe. 

overhead photo of the ingredients in this crock pot teriyaki chicken recipe in bowls and labeled like chicken, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, mirin, spices and more.
  • Chicken breasts. Chicken thighs are a great substitute in this recipe.
  • Soy Sauce. Both regular and low-sodium soy sauce work well. To make this slow-cooker teriyaki chicken gluten-free, be sure to choose a gluten-free soy sauce. To make it paleo, use coconut aminos.
  • Honey: I have substituted sugar for the honey in the past with delicious results. 
  • Cornstarch: Tapioca flour and arrowroot powder both work well in this recipe if you don’t have cornstarch.
  • Powdered spices: You can use the real thing (e.g. diced onion, minced garlic, grated fresh ginger) if you prefer. I find this dish much more kid-friendly if the flavor from the spices can be dissolved and therefore not detected by my little ones.
  • Mirin: Please do not omit or substitute any ingredients for the mirin. It is a sweet Japanese cooking wine that’s found in the Asian section of most major grocery stores. Mirin is a key ingredient to make the most delicious teriyaki sauce you’ve ever had/
Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken in a bowl with rice and vegetables like broccoli and bell peppers. It's garnished with green onions and sesame seeds.

How to Make Chicken Teriyaki

This slow cooker teriyaki chicken recipe is easy to make, but as always we’ll walk through the process step-by-step, and don’t forget to watch the video. 

Make the Sauce

Begin by whisking together the sauce ingredients in the container of a crock pot. Making the sauce directly in the crockpot helps reduce the amount of dishes you have to clean! 

Next, place the chicken in the sauce, then turn it to coat it with the sauce in the crockpot. 

Cook

Cook the teriyaki chicken in the crockpot for 3 hours on high or 6 hours on low, or until it’s fork-tender. If I have the time, I prefer to cook it on low. 

making slow cooker teriyaki chicken - three chicken breasts in the sauce in a crock pot after cooking

Shred

Remove the chicken breasts from the crockpot and shred with two forks. You can also place the teriyaki chicken in the bowl of your standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and shred it that way. I prefer not to dirty more dishes, but shredding chicken in a standing mixer is very fast. 

slow cooker teriyaki chicken - being shredded in a bowl with two silver forks.

Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken Sauce

Make sure you do not discard the sauce! Strain the sauce through a fine mesh strainer into a saucepan and thicken with a touch of cornstarch or tapioca flour. 

When you’re ready to serve, toss the shredded chicken with half of the thickened sauce, and save the rest for serving.

overhead photo of crockpot teriyaki chicken in a bowl with sauce poured on it.

Serve

Serve the teriyaki chicken with veggies and rice! Here are some great recipes that pair well with this crockpot teriyaki chicken: 

Store

Store this crock pot teriyaki chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 2 months. 

up close front view of Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken in a bowl with rice and vegetables like broccoli and bell peppers. It's garnished with green onions and sesame seeds.

Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken Recipe FAQS

Is it better to cook chicken on high or low in crockpot?

Both are good options, if you have the time I prefer cooking chicken on low for the best texture and flavor.

Can you put raw chicken in a slow cooker?

Yes, it is safe to cook raw chicken in the slow cooker. The heat from the crokpot gets high enough to cook it thoroughly.

Do I need to sear the chicken before putting it in the slow cooker?

No, you do not need to sear the chicken in this recipe. Place the refrigerated chicken directly in the sauce in the crock pot.

Can I use frozen chicken in this recipe?

I never recommend putting frozen chicken in the crock pot. It’s best to use thawed. The reason is because if the chicken changes temperature too quickly (goes from frozen to hot too fast) it becomes rubbery and there is nothing you can do to fix it!

What should I serve with slow cooker chicken teriyaki?

I suggest your favorite Asian recipes like fried rice, stir fried vegetables, or vegetable lo mein.

overhead view of Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken in a bowl with rice and vegetables like broccoli and bell peppers. It's garnished with green onions and sesame seeds.

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Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken

Laura
This crock pot Teriyaki Chicken recipe only takes 5 minutes to prepare. Slow cooker teriyaki chicken is a flavorful main dish, perfect for busy weeknights! Serve with stir fry vegetables and fried rice.
5 from 32 votes
Course Main Course
Cuisine asian
Servings 8 People
Calories 228
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time4 hours
Total Time4 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients 
 

Sauce:

To thicken:

Instructions 

  • Grease the container of a large slow cooker.
  • Add the sauce ingredients in the order listed into the prepared container of a slow cooker and whisk to combine. Do not add the cornstarch and water mixture.
  • Place chicken breasts into the slow cooker and turn to coat.
  • Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours or until chicken is easily shred with a fork. Turn once halfway through cooking if you can.
  • Remove chicken from the crockpot and place into a medium serving dish. Do not discard the sauce.
  • Shred the chicken with two forks. Cover and set aside.
  • Set a fine mesh strainer over 4-quart saucepan and carefully pour sauce through the strainer into the saucepan.
  • Mix cornstarch in water and add to the sauce, stir or whisk until fully incorporated.
  • Bring sauce to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring constantly, until sauce is thickened.
  • Mix half of the sauce into the shredded chicken, and save half of the sauce for serving.
  • Serve with rice, stir-fried veggies or your favorite Asian salad!

Video

Notes

Ingredient Substitutions
  • Chicken breasts. Chicken thighs are a great substitute in this recipe.
  • Soy Sauce. To make this recipe gluten-free, use gluten-free soy sauce. 
  • Honey: granulated sugar or brown sugar are good substitutes for honey.
  • Cornstarch: Tapioca flour and arrowroot powder are good substitutes. 
  • Powdered spices: You can use the real thing (e.g. diced onion, minced garlic, grated fresh ginger) if you prefer. I find this dish much more kid friendly if the flavor from the spices can be dissolved and therefore not detected by my little ones.
  • MirinPlease do not omit or substitute any ingredients for the mirin. It is a sweet Japanese cooking wine that’s found in the Asian section of most major grocery stores. Mirin is a key ingredient to make the most delicious teriyaki sauce. 
Store
Store this crock pot teriyaki chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 2 months. 

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cup | Calories: 228kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 1404mg | Potassium: 477mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 34IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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28 Comments

  1. Hi…looks delicious, and I was just talking to a cousin about utilizing my crockpot better (actually last used it about 2 hrs ago!), so this is a timely recipe that looks great for chicken thighs.

    Perhaps you might consider adding a “Personal Notes” type of section to your recipes, as I find it would be helpful to have a place to make notes, including my own and those of your tips & Comments so I didn’t need to re-read them repeatedly to incorporate into future preps. Just an idea. Thanks!

    1. I don’t recommend it, but if you try it, you have to cook it on low. Chicken can become rubbery if it changes in temperature too quickly (e.g. goes from frozen to hot). I always thaw my chicken in the refrigerator or on the counter before putting it in the crockpot.

  2. Hi Laura!

    I am using chicken tenderloins for this recipe. Do you think it would be ok to leave it on low for 8 hours? I am trying to base it off my my work schedule!