This chicken teriyaki marinade recipe is the ultimate answer for a tasty weeknight dinner. Pair the chicken teriyaki with a bed of brown rice and stir fry vegetables for a satisfying healthy meal.

I've been so into stir fry dishes lately! This pregnancy has got me on a salty food kick. Popcorn, fries, cheeses and soy sauce 😂 . Don't ask me why, the body is a crazy place.

Before I started making this teriyaki sauce, I googled what an actual 'teriyaki sauce' is. Teriyaki refers to a shine or luster given by the sugar content and the cooking method of grilling or broiling. In this recipe I marinate the chicken, then cook the chicken with the marinade and use the pan sauce to 'coat' the chicken for extra juiciness. Yum!

Chicken teriyaki cooking in sauce in a pan.

The flavors of umami in this sauce are insane. I also love the touch of sweetness from the sugar. When you are cooking the chicken in the sauce, the smell fills your kitchen and it's heavenly.

How to Make the Marinade

The marinade is only a few simple ingredients. All of these you can find at a normal grocery store.

Soy Sauce: I always buy low sodium soy sauce and we never miss the loaded sodium stuff.
Rice wine vinegar: You can find rice wine vinegar near the vinegar section in the grocery store!
Sherry vinegar: Sherry vinegar is slightly sweeter when compared to red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar, but either of those would work as a substitute.
Light brown sugar: You can use regular white sugar or coconut sugar if you want to substitute. Whatever you do, don't miss this step! The sugar helps break down the chicken and gives the sauce a deeper flavor.
Garlic: Because you can't have a sauce without it!
Ginger: You can use ground (dried) ginger in this chicken teriyaki sauce recipe or fresh ginger.

What to Eat Chicken Teriyaki with?

There are so many different combinations you can do with chicken teriyaki! Here are some of my favorites...

Rice noodles with stir fry vegetables
Over a bed of rice/cauliflower rice/quinoa with stir fry vegetables
Hint: I love buying frozen stir fry vegetables and throwing them in my freezer for later use. It's so easy to rip them open and toss them in a Wok or large sauté pan to defrost (just make sure to drain out the water with a lid).

Hope you love this recipe as much as I do! Don't forget to 'PIN IT' for later and to leave a star rating/comment below!