This easy slow cooker teriyaki chicken has a delicious sweet & sticky glaze that’s made with no refined sugars. This slow cooker teriyaki chicken a healthier twist on a traditional teriyaki sauce, so you can enjoy a guilt-free pleasure. The teriyaki chicken is slow-cooked until tender and lets all teriyaki stock infuse into the meat. This delicious slow cooker teriyaki chicken pairs really well with green veggies. You can also serve this teriyaki chicken over rice, giving you another healthy idea.
If you are looking for more healthy ideas like this crock pot or slow cooker chicken, make sure to check out my 54 Best Healthy Meal Prep Ideas (All less than $3 per serving!).
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How to Thicken Teriyaki Sauce
Thickening teriyaki sauce is super easy if your recipe is good. It doesn’t need any additional thickening agents like corn flour or starch, these aren’t traditional. The sauce naturally thickens during reduction into a sticky glaze. The thickening process comes from a mix of gelatine from the cooking liquid and sugar from the honey, even if some people use brown sugar.
Ingredient & Cost Information – ($1.56 Per Serving)
- 6 Chicken Thighs – Make sure to use good quality chicken, this will make a difference! Many commercial brands ‘plumping’, inject chicken with water to make it appear larger. So if you ever notice your chicken shrink a lot during cooking, it’s time to change brands. You can use either boneless or boned chicken thighs and some sesame seeds. Chicken thighs with the bone will add more flavor and depth to the sauce. – $3
- 3 Cloves of Garlic – Make sure to use fresh garlic! The cloves should be firm without discoloring. – $0.12
- 0.85 fl oz Soy Sauce – The regular ‘light’ soya sauce works best. To further reduce the sodium, you may want to use low sodium soya sauce. – $0.29
- 0.85 fl oz Sesame Oil – Sesame oil can be found in the oil section of the supermarket, they normally come in smaller bottles, and are stacked with the rest of the specialist oils. – $0.37
- 4tbsp Honey – Use organic clear honey, if you are using a more budget-friendly brand check the label as some may use brown sugar or sugar syrup and brand it as ‘honey’. – $0.60
- 6.75 fl oz Chicken Stock, double concentrated – If you are using fresh chicken stock, reduce 13.5 fl oz down into 6.75 fl oz, then leave to cool. For people using cooking liquid cubes or stockpots, add double the amount of stock to water ratio suggested. – $0.30
The total price for 6 of these slow cooker teriyaki chicken thighs is $4.68, which adds up to $0.78 each. Two chicken thighs are the equivalent to one serving, making this slow cooker teriyaki chicken $1.56 per serving.
Can I Use Chicken Breasts Instead of Chicken Thighs?
Yes, chicken breasts work great for this slow cooker teriyaki chicken recipe too. With boneless skinless chicken breasts, it’s extra important to avoid overcooking or else the chicken breast will become very dry. For a medium-size chicken cook for 2 hours on high or 4 hours on low, then check carefully the temperature of the chicken breasts with a thermometer. The temperature for this slow cooker teriyaki chicken should be 167f, and ideally not above 176f.
What Size Slow Cooker Should I Use?
The slow cooker size is always an important factor when slow cooking, too full and you risk undercooking, to unfilled and you risk overcooking. For this slow cooker teriyaki chicken recipe, I used a 3.5-quart slow cooker that worked great. You could get away with using a 3.5 quart to 5-quart slow cooker whilst keeping the slow cooker teriyaki chicken recipe quantities.
- If you are using a smaller slow cooker or larger slow cooker you may need to adjust the quantities.
- 1.8 quart to 3 quarts: Use 0.66 of the recipe.
- 3.5 quart to 5 quarts: Use 1 of the recipe.
- 5 quart to 7 quarts: Use 1.33 of the recipe.
If you need more information on slow cooker sizes, I have created a detailed guide on Different Slow Cooker Sizes. Also for more chicken teriyaki and slow cooker recipes make sure to check out these 50 Healthy Chicken Meal Prep Ideas.
Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken Recipe: Step by Step
1) Measure all of the ingredients and place them to the side.
2) Mix together garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, and chicken stock in a mixing bowl.
3) Place the chicken thighs into the slow cooker.
4) Pour over the teriyaki chicken stock, place a lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or low for 4 to 6 hours.
5) Carefully place the chicken onto a plate.
6) Sieve the teriyaki stock into a large pot and reduce for 5 to 10 minutes, until the stock starts to thicken and becomes a sauce.
7) Once the teriyaki chicken sauce has thickened, add the chicken thighs and continue to reduce until the teriyaki sauce becomes a glaze.
8) Reduce the heat to low and keep turning the chicken thighs into they start to glaze. Once the teriyaki sauce is sticky, and the chicken is glazed, turn off the heat and serve with some sesame seeds.
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Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken
Equipment
- Slow Cooker (3.5 quarts)
Ingredients
- 6 Chicken Thighs
- 3 cloves Garlic
- 25 ml Soy Sauce
- 25 ml Sesame Oil
- 4 tbsp Honey
- 200 ml Chicken Stock double concentrated
Instructions
- Mix together garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, and chicken stock in a mixing bowl.
- Place the chicken thighs into the crockpot, pour over the teriyaki stock.
- Cook for 2 to 2 ½ hours on high or 4 to 6 hours on low.
- Sieve the teriyaki stock into a large pot and reduce for 5 to 10 minutes, until the stock starts to thicken and becomes a sauce. Mix thoroughly.
- Add the chicken thighs and continue to reduce until the teriyaki sauce becomes a glaze.
- Reduce the heat to low and keep turning the chicken thighs into they start to glaze. Once the teriyaki sauce is sticky, and theteriyaki chicken is glazed, turn off the heat and serve.
Nutrition
Nathaniel Lee is an avid cook, drawing on his decades of home cooking and fine dining experience. He is a contributing chef at Mashed, and his recipes and contributions have been featured in Tasting Table, Edible Arrangements, Insanely Good Recipes, and The Daily Meal.
