Our quick and easy Grilled Teriyaki Chicken is the perfect main dish for simple weeknight dinners! Made with juicy and tender chicken that can be served with so many different side dishes for a meal the whole family will love!
The Best Grilled Teriyaki Chicken
For years we have been making our own sweet and savory homemade teriyaki sauce that is an all-time blog favorite recipe! This flavor-packed sauce is made with a handful of ingredients and will level up any great dinner, including these grilled chicken thighs. Highly recommend serving these savory flavors over rice with the best grilled broccoli, but feel free to use this saucy chicken any way you want!
Looking for More Chicken Teriyaki Recipes?
If you love them as much as we do, you definitely need to try our Baked Teriyaki Chicken or Teriyaki Chicken Stir Fry!
What You Will Need
- soy sauce – perfect option for a simple grilled teriyaki chicken marinade before cooking.
- boneless skinless chicken thighs – highly recommend picking up this cut of chicken at the local grocery store, but chicken breasts would work too (cooking notes in the recipe card).
- salt and pepper – seasonings that are always a must when cooking any type of meat.
- teriyaki sauce – feel free to use your favorite store-bought version or make your own in a small sauce pan!
- optional: cooked rice & broccoli
How To Make Grilled Teriyaki Chicken
The first steps to making this easy chicken recipe are to place the soy sauce and chicken thighs in a mixing bowl to marinate for 15-30 minutes.
Bring an outdoor grill to a high heat. Place the chicken thighs directly on the hot grates to cook for 2-4 minutes per side or until they reach an internal temperature of 162 degrees F (use an instant-read thermometer). During the last 2 minutes of cooking, brush some teriyaki sauce on the chicken.
Remove chicken from the gas grill (or charcoal grill) and let the meat rest for 5-10 minutes at room temperature. Add some more delicious sauce on top and enjoy!
Best Ways To Serve Grilled Teriyaki Chicken
We made this a complete meal by making grilled teriyaki chicken and rice with a side of grilled broccoli. Other delicious side dishes would be some braised bok choy, grilled green beans, or even fresh pineapple. And if rice isn’t your thing, use these grilled teriyaki chicken thighs to make Chicken Teriyaki Noodles!
Recipe FAQs and Tips
- How to grill teriyaki chicken without burning? First, make sure the grill grates are clean and greased before adding the chicken. Then use a timer and meat thermometer to keep an eye on the cooking progress. Pull the cooked chicken when they are around 162 degrees F.
- How long to grill teriyaki chicken breasts? These will require a slightly longer cook time than chicken thighs. Teriyaki chicken breasts will need to grill over medium heat for 4-5 minutes per side and then move to indirect heat until they reach an internal temperature of 162 degrees F (temp will rise 5 degrees during rest time).
- Do I put teriyaki sauce on before or after cooking? Both – highly recommend brushing a little bit on the chicken towards the end of cooking and then generously drizzle more sauce on when serving.
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Other Recipes You Might Like
Grilled Teriyaki Chicken
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Marinate Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner/Entree
- Method: Grill
- Cuisine: American
Description
Our flavorful and juicy Grilled Teriyaki Chicken recipe is the perfect weeknight dinner that can be served any way you want!
Ingredients
- 1/4 – 1/3 soy sauce (tamari for gluten-free)
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- kosher salt & ground black pepper
- 1 cup teriyaki sauce, divided (store-bought or homemade teriyaki sauce)
Serving Suggestion:
- cooked rice of choice
- grilled broccoli
- optional garnish: sesame seeds
Instructions
- Marinate Chicken: Put the soy sauce and chicken thighs in a large bowl or storage bag to marinate for 15-30 minutes.
- Prep: Heat grill to a medium-high heat and make sure the grill grates are clean.
- Cook Chicken: Remove the chicken from the marinade, allowing excess liquid to drip off, and season with salt and pepper. Place chicken thighs directly on the hot grill grates and cook for 2-4 minutes per side or until they reach an internal temperature of 162 degrees F (use a meat thermometer). With about 2 minutes of cook time remaining, brush chicken with teriyaki sauce.
- Let Rest: Carefully remove the chicken from the grill and let rest for about 5-10 minutes.
- Serve: Enjoy with the rest of the sauce drizzled on top and we love it with a side of rice and grilled broccoli OR make a Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowl!
Notes
- Serving Suggestion: we love this chicken with cooking grilled broccoli on a grill pan, because we can grill both at the same time!
- Teriyaki Sauce: option to pick-up your favorite store-bought version or learn how to make homemade teriyaki sauce.
- Chicken Breast: feel free to use chicken breasts instead of thighs. They would require a longer cook time of 4-5 minutes per side over medium heat. Then move them to indirect heat to finish cooking for 5-7 minutes or until they reach an internal temperature of 162 degrees F at the thickest part of the meat (use a meat thermometer).
- Storage: keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6oz
- Calories: 225
- Sugar: 6.8 g
- Sodium: 1013.1 mg
- Fat: 6.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 7.8 g
- Fiber: 0.1 g
- Protein: 32.2 g
- Cholesterol: 140.1 mg
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