Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken

Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken – this easy chicken teriyaki is made with a just a handful of ingredients and flavors. The ginger and garlic will make your kitchen smell amazing.

Teriyaki Chicken EASILY MADE AT Home

Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken is an easy weeknight meal you’ll love, but the best part is the leftovers are amazing for lunches! Teriyaki chicken is one of our favorite dishes to order when we go out to eat, so having a quick version to make at home saves us a ton of money. Slow cooker recipes are in regular rotation in our house because of their ease and flavors. We are running around all day long and by the time everyone is home from school and settled in I simply don’t want to be cooking dinner for a long time.

Slow Cooker Chicken Teriyaki: Easy as 1, 2, 3

First, when we make slow cooker chicken meals, I normally just set the rice cooker to make white or brown rice to serve the meal with. Easy.

Second, I either steam or roast some broccoli and carrots to go with the meal. I like to siphon off a couple of tablespoons the marinade and use it for my vegetables. So, in this case, I would add all the ingredients except the chicken to the slow cooker. Then I would take a couple tablespoons of it and add a tablespoon or two of canola oil to a bowl. Tossing the vegetables in that mixture before roasting them (375 degrees for 20-25 minutes) adds an awesome flavor.

Third, there is no standing at the stove top! This meal ends up being almost completely hands off. The slow cooker cooks the chicken, my rice cooker makes the rice and the vegetables go in the oven. 

Tips for How to Make Teriyaki Chicken IN A SLOW COOKER

Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken is really as easy as dumping the ingredients into the slow cooker, but I do want to go over a few things about this recipe:

• Because there are so few ingredients, the quality really matters. I wouldn’t substitute fresh garlic and ginger for powdered. Stay away from inexpensive soy sauces.
• Try to source mirin and sake if at all possible, I know it can be frustrating to buy ingredients you don’t normally work with, but this dish really will become a staple in your home.
• If your chicken thighs have a large amount of fat on them, trim the chicken thighs so the fat left can render, and leave a thinner skin you’ll want to eat. Too much fat may not render, meaning you’ll end up discarding the skin.
• I always use low sodium soy sauce as the sodium content in regular soy sauce is so high, and in cases in the slow cooker where the soy sauce will intensify in flavor and have a lot of time to cook into the meat, regular soy sauce would be too salty.
• If you have leftovers, you can strain off the fat in the sauce and toss it with any leftover chicken to be used in an easy lunch bowl with rice and steamed vegetables.

Looking for more slow cooker Chicken Recipes?

• Crisp & Juicy Slow Cooker Chicken
• Slow Cooker Jerk Chicken
• Slow Cooker Garlic Parmesan Chicken and Potatoes
• Slow Cooker Indian Butter Chicken
• Slow Cooker Hawaiian Pineapple Chicken

Tools Used to Make Slow Cooker Chicken Teriyaki:

1. Sake: If you absolutely can’t get your hands on this sake (or really just don’t want to order through Amazon) you can substitute white wine, but I would highly recommend not making the substitution as the flavors of sake add a signature flavor to the teriyaki chicken.
2. Low Sodium Soy Sauce – I find regular soy sauce much too salty, remember you can always add salt but you can’t subtract it. Starting with low sodium allows you to alter to your tastes if necessary.
3. Mirin: This is the most prominent flavor in the chicken teriyaki, I would not suggest making the recipe without it. Most Asian grocery stores will carry it for 2-3 dollars, so check local stores if you have one.
4. Slow Cooker: Love this slow cooker and how programmable it is, it has been a workhorse for me… until…
5. My New Slow Cooker: This recipe was made in this slow cooker. For larger roasts, I also brown the meat in the insert and not lose a bunch of the flavor by transferring the meat and leaving the browned bits behind. If you’re thinking of a new slow cooker, consider it if your budget is open.

3.75 from 4 votes

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Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken

Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken made with a handful of ingredients has amazing flavors of ginger, garlic that will make your kitchen smell amazing.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Japanese

Keyword Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 4 hours

Total Time 4 hours 5 minutes

Servings 6 servings

Calories 338 kcal

Author Sabrina Snyder

Ingredients

• 6 chicken thighs bone in and skin on
• 1/4 cup sake
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup mirin
• 1/2 cup lite soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons garlic minced
• 1 tablespoon ginger minced
• green onions and sesame seeds for garnish, optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

1. Add all the ingredients into a 6 quart slow cooker and arrange the chicken skin side up.

2. Cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 7-8 hours.

3. Garnish with sliced green onions and sesame seeds if desired.

Nutrition Facts

Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken

Amount Per Serving

Calories 338 Calories from Fat 162

% Daily Value*

Fat 18g28%

Saturated Fat 5g31%

Cholesterol 110mg37%

Sodium 1318mg57%

Potassium 283mg8%

Carbohydrates 19g6%

Sugar 13g14%

Protein 20g40%

Vitamin A 90IU2%

Vitamin C 0.8mg1%

Calcium 18mg2%

Iron 1.3mg7%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.