Today’s chicken teriyaki stir fry recipe introduces a healthy addition to your weeknight dinner. Instead of feeling guilty about the “unhealthy” fat and sugar-laden sauce from the takeout food, you will be full of energy and satisfaction with this homemade version.
Juicy chicken and crunchy vegetables are stir-fried until coated in the delicious homemade teriyaki sauce and then served over fluffy steamed rice. The dish has a balance of sweet and savory flavors, making it a family-friendly meal that even kids will enjoy.
Not to mention, this recipe can be made in just 20 minutes, including the prep time.
Is Chicken Teriyaki Stir Fry Healthy?
Yes, our chicken teriyaki stir fry recipe is healthy. Each serving of our dish contains:
- 502 calories: For a rice dish like teriyaki chicken, our recipe is relatively low in calories. We encourage you to pair it with soup or salad for an extra boost of vitamins and minerals, creating a fulfilling 750-calorie meal.
- 2.2 grams saturated fat: There is less than 3 gr of saturated fat, and most of it comes from the oil used to stir fry, making our teriyaki chicken one of the healthiest versions you can find.
- 587 milligrams sodium: It’s recommended to consume less than 2300 mg per day. Our teriyaki takes up only 22% of the suggested sodium amount, leaving generous space for other food you have on the same day.
Ingredients for Chicken Teriyaki Stir Fry
For this chicken teriyaki recipe, you’ll need to gather lean protein, fresh vegetables, and various ingredients for the sauce.
Chicken: We used skinless, boneless chicken breasts and cut them into similar-sized cubes. You can go with chicken thighs or tenders if you like. They are both delicious and a fantastic alternative to this recipe.
Vegetables: This is another area where you can pick whatever suits your taste. We prefer broccoli and bell pepper due to their vibrant colors and distinctive crunchiness.
Teriyaki Sauce: You can either buy the sauce at a store or make it at home. The latter option is our preference since it’s healthier.
Sauce for Chicken Teriyaki Stir Fry
You already know the main ingredients in the stir-fry pan, let’s get to the soul of the dish: the teriyaki sauce. Homemade teriyaki sauce only takes a minute to make and it is a shortcut to various recipes, especially Japanese-inspired ones.
Here is everything you need to make the teriyaki sauce:
- Soy sauce
- Sugar
- Mirin
- Sesame oil
- Sriracha
- Pepper
- Mustard
- Cornstarch and Water
The basic flavor formula comes from soy sauce, sugar, and mirin — the three most essential Japanese pantry ingredients. We Americanized the original recipe a bit by adding sriracha and mustard, producing a slightly spicy finishing taste.
Our version is also syrupy and thicker due to the blend of cornstarch and water. Of course, there is no strict rule with the teriyaki sauce; you can omit these elements and go for a thinner consistency if desired.
In terms of flavor, it wouldn’t make much difference. Both homemade teriyaki options are sweet, savory, and versatile. It will quickly become your go-to secret sauce for your meat, fish, tofu, or even vegetarian dishes.
If you love Japanese cuisine, here is our Teriyaki traditional grilled chicken.
How to Make Teriyaki Chicken Stir Fry
Making teriyaki chicken is rather like any other stir-fry recipe. You will sear the meat and vegetables over fairly high heat before stirring in the sauce at the end.
Here is how we made the dish:
Step 1: Make the sauce.
Cook the chicken. Set aside.
Stir fry the veggies.
Add the sauce and the chicken back to the pan.
Garnish.
Serve over steamed rice.
Tips
Prep All the Ingredients: Stir-frying is one of the quickest cooking methods around. In this teriyaki chicken stir fry, everything is cooked quickly in just 10 minutes. Thus, it’s vital all the ingredients are prepared and gathered near the pan before you fire up the flames.
You should also make sure that you soak the white rice and start cooking it beforehand so that the whole meal can be ready at the same time.
Cook in Batches: Start with chicken. Once cooked, remove it from the pan before tossing in the veggies. Cooking in batches may sound like an extra unnecessary step, but it’s worth the labor.
The goal of stir-frying is to quickly sear your food on medium-high heat until tender. Crowding the pan with different ingredient groups runs the risk that you end up with soft, steamed veggies and chicken that isn’t cooked through.
To sum up, this method takes the same amount of cooking time but ensures each element reaches its most delicious point.
Maintain Medium-High Heat: The key to stir-frying is to keep your heat stable at a fairly high temperature. It’s essential to reduce the heat a bit if your pan starts burning but don’t turn it down significantly.
The second batch of chicken also cooks a little faster since the pan is already hot. Thus, we suggest paying close attention to this step, so it doesn’t end up burning in the pan.
If you love this recipe, you may also find this beef stir-fry or chicken stir-fry noodles helpful. For more recipes on chicken, have a look at our collection of chicken recipes.
How to Store, Freeze and Reheat Leftovers
Store: Once cooked, the chicken teriyaki can be stored in an airtight container or a Ziplock bag in the refrigerator for up to 3 – 4 days.
Freeze: Put your cooked dish in an airtight container that’s labeled with the date time so that you can remember when you froze it. Frozen teriyaki can last up to 3 months in the freezer.
Reheat: When you’re ready to use the chicken, defrost it in the fridge overnight or in the microwave using the “defrosting” setting. Then reheat the dish in the skillet with a splash of water and occasionally stir until warmed through.
Side Dishes for Chicken Teriyaki Stir Fry
Rice: Steamed rice is optimal and the most common and beloved choice. Various types of rice can pair with scrumptious chicken teriyaki stir fry, including brown rice, jasmine rice, or basmati rice. If you want to reduce the intake of carbs, feel free to pair the dish with cauliflower rice.
Noodles: Pasta or rice noodles can be a tasty twist to pair with teriyaki chicken. To make the dish even more appealing, toss the cooked noodles in the same pan at the very end so that they can all be beautifully coated in the delicious sauce.
More Mouthwatering Chicken Meals:
- Stir-fried Chicken And Broccoli Recipe
- Pineapple Chicken Recipe
- Cashew Chicken Recipe
- Orange Chicken Recipe
Chicken Teriyaki Stir Fry Recipe
Our chicken teriyaki stir fry recipe makes an easy 20-minute weeknight dinner with simple ingredients and delectable sauce.
- cook TIME 10 mins
- prep TIME 10 mins
- total TIME 20 mins
- COURSE Main Course
- CUISINE Japanese
- SERVINGS servings
- CALORIES 502 kcal
INGREDIENTS
- 16 ozskinless boneless chicken breast (cubed)
- 1 tspbrown sugar
- 1 tbspsesame oil
- 2 fl ozwater
- 1 tbspcornstarch
- 3 tbspreduced sodium soy sauce
- 1.5 tbspcooking mirin
- 1 tsphoisin sauce
- 1 tspsriracha
- 0.5 tspground pepper
- 0.5 tsptraditional Dijon mustard
- 1.5 tbspolive oil (divided)
- 1 tbspgarlic (chopped)
- 1 tspginger (chopped)
- 0.5 tsppaprika
- 4 ozbroccoli florets
- 2 ozcarrots (julienned)
- 4 ozred bell pepper (sliced)
- 2 tbspscallion (chopped)
- 1 tbspsesame seed
- 3.5 cupscooked medium-grain rice
INSTRUCTIONS
Prepare the sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together 1 tsp brown sugar, 1 tbsp sesame oil, 2 fl oz water, 1 tbsp cornstarch, 3 tbsp soy sauce, 1.5 tbsp mirin, 1 tsp hoisin, 1 tsp sriracha, 1/2 tsp pepper, and 1/2 tsp mustard until well combined.
In a non-stick pan, heat 1 tbsp olive oil with 1 tbsp garlic and 1 tsp ginger over medium heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add 16 oz chicken breast and 1/2 tsp paprika to the pan and stir occasionally. Stir fry the chicken until lightly brown, about 2 minutes. Remove to a plate and set aside.
Add 1/2 tbsp olive oil to the pan, add 4 oz broccoli, 2 oz carrot, 4 oz bell pepper to the pan. Stir fry for another 2 minutes.
Return the chicken to the pan. Add the prepared sauce to the chicken and stir frequently for about 2 minutes until it thickens into a delicious glaze.
Garnish with 2 tbsp chopped scallion and 1 tbsp sesame seeds.
Serve hot over steamed rice.
NUTRITION
Tuyet Pham
Chef, Culinary Consultant
Luna Regina
Writer, Author
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN, LD
Nutrition Reviewer