This Teriyaki Chicken Bowl recipe is so delicious! You’ll love the rich Asian inspired flavors, tender chicken with a sweet and tangy homemade teriyaki sauce, and the fresh and healthy toppings.
Teriyaki Chicken is super easy to make, and completely irresistible! Make this simple chicken recipe, and add it to rice and fresh vegetables to make Teriyaki chicken bowls that everyone will love.
This rice bowl recipe is based on my reader favorite Chicken Teriyaki recipe. We’re going to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs in this version – this stir-fried chicken is juicy, flavorful, and perfect.
In Japanese cooking, teriyaki refers to a method of cooking meat with a glaze. The teriyaki flavor we enjoy now has been perfected over many years and is a combination of umami, sweet, salty, and savory notes that all work together flawlessly.
If you love this rice bowl recipe, check out my California Roll Sushi Bowls, Korean Beef Bowls, and Teriyaki Salmon Bowls too.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Better than Takeout – This teriyaki chicken is 100 times better than anything you can order for delivery, and it will be ready in the same amount of time.
- Fun to Make – Instead of just making teriyaki chicken and calling it done, add the chicken to a bowl of rice, and top it with gorgeous, fresh vegetables. Nobody can resist a beautiful rice bowl.
- Customizable – The toppings you see here are just suggestions – feel free to add your favorite things to make this bowl your own.
- Delicious, Easy Teriyaki Sauce – This meal is made quickly in a skillet. Both the chicken and the sauce are cooked in the same pan in less than 20 minutes.
Ingredients In Teriyaki Chicken Bowls
Here’s what you need to make this tasty meal!
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- Olive Oil: To cook the chicken.
- Chicken Thighs: Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are an inexpensive meat option, and easy to cook on the stovetop.
- Salt and Pepper: Just a bit to season the chicken before it’s cooked. The sauce will add tons more flavor later.
- Fresh Garlic and Ginger: When creating Asian-style sauces, fresh ginger root and garlic are a must. These are aromatic and delicious. The easiest way to grate ginger is with a microplate grater.
- Low Sodium Soy Sauce: I like using low-sodium soy sauce. The regular style can often be too salty. If you’re gluten-free, use Tamari instead.
- Water: Just a bit to thin out the sauce.
- Rice Wine Vinegar: This vinegar is specific to Asian cuisine, and adds a tang and acidity to balance out the sweetness from the other ingredients.
- Toasted Sesame Oil: This nutty oil is so delicious.
- Honey and Brown Sugar: We are using two different sweeteners. Both have specific flavor notes that work well in this sauce.
- Cornstarch: A bit of cornstarch (aka cornflour) helps to thicken the sauce so it’s delightfully sticky.
- Toasted Sesame Seeds: I love the little bit of crunch that these add to the chicken!
- Rice and Toppings: Let’s talk about how to make the chicken first, then we can get into your options for the rest of the bowls! The ingredients I used in the photos are brown rice, edamame, grated carrot, sliced green onion, black sesame seeds, sriracha sauce, and black sesame seeds.
How To Make Teriyaki Chicken
- Cook Chicken: In a skillet, heat the olive oil, then add the chicken thighs and season with salt and pepper. Cook on both sides until cooked through and lightly browned. Ensure that the internal temperature of the chicken thighs is 175°F/80°C.
- Slice: Remove the chicken from the skillet and place it on a cutting board to cool down a bit. Slice it into strips and set aside while you make the teriyaki sauce.
- Make Sauce: Add garlic and ginger to the pan that you cooked the chicken in, and cook for 1 minute. Then add the soy sauce, water, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, honey, and brown sugar. Bring to a simmer and cook the sauce for one minute.
- Thicken Sauce: Mix the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water to make a slurry, then stir it into the sauce. Continue cooking for 1-2 minutes until the sauce thickens.
- Assemble Teriyaki Chicken Bowls: Add cooked rice to four bowls, then top each with chicken teriyaki. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and arrange toppings such as avocado slices, edamame beans, and shredded carrots around the chicken.
Tip!
Be ready! This teriyaki sauce comes together really quickly, so it’s helpful to have all of your ingredients measured and ready to add to the pan.
Recipe Tips
- Use a different cut of chicken: This recipe will work just the same with boneless chicken breast or chicken tenders
- Rice for Teriyaki Chicken: You should choose what type of rice you enjoy. I like to use brown rice if I’m feeling healthy, or delicious jasmine rice. Regular white rice, short-grain sushi rice, and quinoa are also great options. Watching carbs? Try it with cauliflower rice!
- Add some heat: If you like your teriyaki spicy, add a small amount of Sriracha sauce directly into the sauce, or drizzle it on top of the bowls instead.
Storing Tips
Teriyaki Chicken rice bowls can be assembled and kept in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, making them perfect for meal prep. You can also cook the rice and the chicken teriyaki, and store them in the fridge separately for a few days. When you’re ready to eat, warm them up and assemble the bowls with freshly prepared toppings.
Toppings for Teriyaki Chicken Bowls
The most fun part of making rice bowls like this one is choosing the toppings and making them look beautiful before you serve them! Try any of these common rice bowl additions, or include your favorites
- Sliced Avocado
- Edamame Beans
- Grated Carrot
- Sliced Green Onion
- Lime Wedges
- Sriracha
- Black Sesame Seeds
- Red onion
- Diced bell pepper
- Seaweed Chips
- Japanese mayo (I love Kewpie!)
- Kimchi
- Soft Boiled eggs
- Sliced Radishes
More Delicious and Different Chicken Recipes
All Chicken Recipes →
FAQs
You can use any type of rice you like to make teriyaki bowls. Brown rice is a healthy choice. White rice works just as well, or you can use sushi rice, jasmine rice, or even other grains like quinoa or farro.
You can make teriyaki with tofu, steak, pork, shrimp, or any other protein you like! Just be sure that the meat is cooked fully before adding it to the prepared sauce.
Adding a mixture of cornstarch and water to the sauce will cause it to thicken. If you need to thicken it more, add more cornstarch slurry. If your sauce is too thick, you can whisk in a bit of water to thin it down.
If you want to be sure that you have lots of extra teriyaki sauce for your chicken bowls, double all of the ingredients for the sauce. It’s easy!
Make sure to Pin this recipe for later! Teriyaki Chicken Bowls are a delicious dinner that everyone will love, and they are easy to make on a busy weeknight.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Teriyaki Chicken Bowl
Equipment
- Instant-read thermometer
- Chef’s Knife
- Microplane grater
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 ½ pounds (650g) chicken thighs skinless and boneless, see note 2
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce or tamari
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch (cornflour)
- 1 teaspon toasted sesame seeds
To Assemble Teriyaki Bowls (all optional suggestions, choose your favorites)
- cooked white or brown rice see note 3
- edamame beans thawed
- grated carrot
- sliced green onion
- lime wedges
- black sesame seeds
- Sriracha sauce
Instructions
- In a skillet, heat olive oil, add the chicken thighs and season with salt and pepper. Cook on both sides until cooked through and lightly browned (the internal temp must reach 175°F/80°C). Remove the chicken from the skillet, allow to cool slightly and cut it up on a cutting board into strips.
- To the same pan, add garlic, and ginger, and cook for 1 minute.
- Add soy sauce, water, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, honey and brown sugar. Stir and bring to a light simmer, and cook the sauce for 1 minute.
- Mix the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water, and add it to the sauce. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Add the chicken to the sauce so its coated in sauce.
- To assemble the bowls, add cooked rice to four large bowls, then divide the teriyaki chicken among them. Arrange your desired toppings on top of the bowls. Serve with lime wedges and Sriracha sauce.
Notes:
- The nutrition facts in this recipe only include the teriyaki chicken. Adjust the rest of the bowl ingredients to your preference.
- This recipe can be made using any type of boneless, skinless chicken that you prefer. It can also be made with other proteins.
- Rice for Teriyaki Chicken: You should choose what type of rice you enjoy. Brown rice, white rice, jasmine rice, sushi rice, or alternatives like quinoa and cauliflower rice can all work.
- It’s helpful to have all of the ingredients measured out before you start cooking. The sauce comes together quickly and you won’t have time to measure at the stove.
- Add some heat: If you like your teriyaki spicy, add a small amount of Sriracha sauce directly into the sauce, or drizzle it on top of the bowls instead.
- Other Topping Ideas: Red onion, diced bell pepper, seaweed chips, Japanese mayo (I love Kewpie!), kimchi, soft-boiled eggs, sliced radishes.
- To Store: Teriyaki Chicken rice bowls can be assembled and kept in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. You can also cook the rice and the chicken teriyaki, and store them in the fridge separately for a few days. When you’re ready to eat, warm them up and assemble the bowls with freshly prepared toppings.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
Tatuts says
Hi, Diana!
Thanks for sharing this. cooking is very new to me and your recipes are helping me big time.
i have a question though regarding the rice wine vinegar. I’ve been going to various stores looking for this and all i see is “rice vinegar” is this the same thing? i used mirin for this recipe bec it’s all i have, but i still want to get rice wine vinegar in the future. thank you so much, appreciate your help!