This Sweet and Sour Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken is better than takeout and doesn’t make a mess or take a lot of time to make. It’s the best dinner on a weekday when you don’t want to cook but also don’t want to go out to eat.
This teriyaki chicken from the slow cooker is sticky and tasty, and the sauce is made using seven easy-to-find items that you probably already have in your kitchen. Soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and honey come together to make a sweet and savory sauce that is as good as the sauce from your favorite takeout place. This is one of our family’s favorite easy crock pot chicken recipes for weekday dinners when we’re busy.
You will love my Slow Cooker Teriyaki Meatballs, Slow Cooker Beef Ramen Noodles, and Slow Cooker Teriyaki Beef if you like my Teriyaki Slow Cooker Chicken!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Sweet and Tasty: This teriyaki chicken from the slow cooker is sweet, tangy, and sticky. The thick sauce coats every piece of chicken, so there is flavor packed into every bite.
- You should have practically everything you need for this dish in your pantry, like soy sauce, honey, brown sugar, rice vinegar, and sesame oil.
- This quick teriyaki chicken recipe is a great alternative to takeout. It will taste just as good as your favorite takeaway teriyaki, whether your family is trying to save money or just cut back on takeout in general.
Things you need
Chicken Breasts and Ingredients
Chicken Breasts: For this recipe, boneless, skinless chicken breasts are the ideal kind of meat. Once the chicken is cooked, it shreds easily and doesn’t need to cook for a long time.
Low-Sodium Soy Sauce: This recipe calls for a lot of soy sauce, so using low-sodium soy sauce makes the meal less salty. If you don’t have low-sodium soy sauce, you can use water instead of half of the standard soy sauce.
Light Brown Sugar: Add some sugar to the dish to balance out the salty and savory flavors. This dish tastes great using brown sugar because it has a stronger flavor than ordinary sugar.
Rice Vinegar: This vinegar is made from fermented rice and is popular in many Asian dishes. It tastes a little sweeter and less strong than conventional white distilled vinegar.
Sesame Oil: Sesame oil is derived from sesame seeds and has a nutty, tasty flavor. It smells very strong, so a little bit goes a long way!
Ginger: This recipe calls for ground ginger, but you may also use fresh ginger that has been minced. If you use fresh or jarred ginger, add one tablespoon more.
Garlic: Fresh minced garlic can give your teriyaki sauce a little kick. You can also use garlic from a jar. If you need to replace garlic powder, use a half teaspoon.
Honey: Add some honey to this slow cooker chicken teriyaki to make it sticky and sweet. This makes the dish sweeter and better in texture.
Cornstarch: Adding cornstarch toward the end of cooking makes the sauce thicker and gives it a shiny finish.
For exact amounts of each ingredient, nutritional information, and step-by-step instructions, see the recipe card below.
Things you need
- Chicken
- 4 chicken breasts without bones or skin
- Low-sodium soy sauce, ⅓ cup
- ⅔ cup of water
- 2 tablespoons of packed light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar
- 1 tsp of sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons of ground ginger, 2 teaspoons of chopped garlic, and 3 tablespoons of honey
- Sauce
- 3 tablespoons of cornstarch
- 1/3 cup of water
How to Cook Teriyaki Chicken in a Slow Cooker
If you don’t want to cook on a hectic night, this teriyaki slow cooker chicken is a terrific option. It doesn’t take much time to get ready, and everyone will adore it.
How to do it
- In a medium bowl, mix together soy sauce, water, brown sugar, rice vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, and honey. Mix everything together and put it aside.
- Put the chicken breasts in the slow cooker and pour the sauce over them. For 3½ to 4 hours, cook on low.
- Take the chicken out of the slow cooker, shred it, and put it aside.
- Put the water and liquid from the slow cooker into a pan. Then turn the heat up to medium-high and bring it to a boil. Add cornstarch a bit at a time while swirling the liquid until it gets thick. Bring to a boil and stir every now and then for 1 minute.
- Pour the sauce over the shredded chicken and mix it all together.
- Put on rice and top with green onions and sesame seeds.
Advice from Experts
- Build a Cornstarch Slurry: Instead of putting cornstarch straight into the sauce and risking lumps, build a slurry beforehand. Mix the cornstarch and ⅓ cup of cold water together in a another bowl. While stirring, slowly pour the cornstarch slurry into the sauce that is boiling. It makes the sauce thicker and shinier.
- Don’t Overcook the Chicken: When you cook chicken in a crock pot, be sure you don’t cook it too long. If you cook the chicken on low with a lot of liquid, it won’t get dry and rough.
- Less Mess: Use a crock pot liner or coat the inside of the crock pot with a nonstick cooking spray to make cleanup easier.
- Thin Out the Sauce: If your sauce gets too thick, you can add 1 tablespoon of water at a time and whisk it in until the sauce is the right consistency.
Changes
- Use Chicken Thighs: For this recipe, boneless and skinless chicken thighs are a terrific choice. Dark meat has more fat and flavor, and it doesn’t dry out as rapidly as chicken breasts do. It can take longer to cook.
- Add Veggies: I like to put broccoli, carrots, snap peas, peppers, and zucchini in my chicken teriyaki. You could even put pineapple in it to make it a little sweeter. A frozen stir-fry mix or fresh vegetables are both terrific.
- Try coconut liquid aminos instead of soy sauce if you don’t like it or are allergic to it. It has less sodium than soy sauce and is created from salted and fermented coconut flower buds.
How to Store
Store leftovers in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to three days. You can store leftovers for up to eight weeks if you put the chicken in a container that is appropriate for the freezer.
To reheat, put the dish in the microwave on medium heat for 30 to 60 seconds at a time until it is hot all the way through. You may also put big pieces of leftover food in a baking dish and cook them in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 to 20 minutes. If you want to reheat frozen leftovers, take them out of the freezer and put them in the fridge for 24 hours before you do.
You can create the teriyaki sauce a day or two ahead of time and store it in the fridge in an airtight container until you’re ready to make this slow cooker teriyaki chicken breast recipe.
Ideas for Serving
You might desire a home-cooked meal after a long day, but you don’t want to actually make it. This simple teriyaki chicken breast recipe makes that dinner a reality. It doesn’t take much prep or hands-on cooking, and the whole family will want it every week.