Chicken
$1.79per plate
Prep
10 min
Chicken · Teriyaki Chicken
Teriyaki Chicken
This homemade teriyaki chicken is the sticky, glossy takeout favorite made from scratch in one skillet, for a fraction of the price. Bite-size pieces of chicken thigh get seared golden, then simmered in a quick homemade teriyaki sauce of soy, brown sugar, garlic, and ginger that thickens into a glaze coating every piece. The teriyaki sauce is the whole point here: unlike a chicken stir fry loaded with vegetables, this is glazed chicken, plain and simple, meant to go over rice. Serve it with our chicken fried rice or steamed rice and broccoli, and see the rest of our cheap chicken recipes, price up front. It feeds four for about a dollar forty a plate.
$1.40per plate
Estimated recipe total
$5.60 · serves 4
Cook
15 min
Total
25 min
Serves
4
Recipe from Budget Plates · https://www.budgetplates.com/teriyaki-chicken
Equipment
- Large skillet
Variations
- Use boneless skinless chicken breast instead of thighs; it is leaner and dries out faster, so pull it right at 165 F.
- Swap the brown sugar for an equal amount of honey for a glossier, slightly floral glaze.
- Steam broccoli, snap peas, or carrots on the side, cooked separately so the chicken keeps its glaze.
1 How to make it
1
Mix the teriyaki sauce
In a bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, and 1/2 cup water. In a separate small cup, stir the cornstarch into 2 tablespoons of cold water until smooth: this is your slurry, and mixing the cornstarch with cold water first is what keeps it from clumping into lumps when it hits the hot sauce. Set both aside.
2
Sear the chicken in batches
Pat the chicken pieces dry and season lightly. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high until shimmering, then add the chicken in a single layer. Work in two batches if your skillet is smaller than 12 inches so the pan is not crowded, and sear undisturbed for a couple of minutes before tossing. Cook until golden and cooked through to 165 F on an instant-read thermometer, about 8 to 10 minutes total. Crowding the pan traps steam and the chicken turns gray instead of browning.
3
Add the sauce and thicken to a glaze
Lower the heat to medium and pour the soy mixture into the pan with the chicken. Bring it to a gentle simmer, then stir the cornstarch slurry again and pour it in. Simmer, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes, just until the sauce turns glossy and thick enough to coat the chicken. Pull it off the heat as soon as it coats a spoon; simmering too long or using too much cornstarch is what makes teriyaki turn gluey and paste-like.
4
Finish and serve
Stir in the sesame oil off the heat. Serve the teriyaki chicken over rice, scattered with sesame seeds and sliced green onions if you like. Rice and garnishes are figured separately.
2 Cheaper ingredient swaps
- Chicken breast for thighs. Boneless skinless breast works too; it is leaner and dries out faster, so watch it and pull it right at 165 F.
- Honey for the brown sugar. Swap the brown sugar for an equal amount of honey for a slightly floral, extra-glossy glaze.
- No mirin needed. This budget version skips mirin and sake; a tablespoon of rice vinegar, or even cider vinegar, gives the sauce its tang without a special-occasion bottle.
- Add vegetables on the side (optional). Steamed broccoli, snap peas, or carrots alongside keep this teriyaki chicken and not a stir-fry. Cook them separately so the chicken keeps its glaze.
3 Budget tips
- Boneless thighs are cheaper than breast and stay juicy under the sweet glaze, making them the best value for teriyaki.
- A homemade teriyaki sauce from pantry soy sauce, sugar, and cornstarch costs a fraction of a bottle and skips the additives.
- Serve it over plain rice to stretch a pound and a half of chicken into a full dinner for four.
- Fresh ginger freezes well; keep a knob in the freezer and grate off what you need so none goes to waste.
- See more recipes priced per serving in the Budget Plates Index.
4 Storage, freezing & reheating
Fridge
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. The glaze thickens in the fridge, so a splash of water loosens it back up when you reheat.
Freezer
Freeze the cooled teriyaki chicken for up to 2 months in a sealed container. Thaw in the fridge overnight; the sauce may separate a little but comes back together when reheated and stirred.
Reheating
Reheat gently in a skillet or the microwave with a splash of water to loosen the glaze. Warm it just until hot so the chicken stays tender rather than rubbery.
5 Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
330
Protein
30g
Fat
15g
Carbs
16g
Estimates per serving of chicken and glaze, before rice, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not a substitute for medical advice.
6 Frequently asked questions
What is teriyaki sauce made of?
Classic teriyaki is soy sauce, a sweetener, and mirin; this budget homemade version uses soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, garlic, and ginger, thickened with a cornstarch slurry into a glossy glaze. It skips the special-occasion mirin and sake and still tastes like the takeout favorite.
How do I keep the sauce from getting lumpy or gluey?
Stir the cornstarch into cold water first so it dissolves smoothly before it hits the hot sauce, which prevents lumps. Then simmer just 1 to 2 minutes until it turns glossy and coats a spoon, and pull it off the heat; simmering too long or using too much cornstarch is what turns teriyaki gluey and paste-like.
Is this a stir-fry?
No. This is teriyaki chicken, where the glaze is the star and the chicken is the whole dish. A stir-fry tosses chicken with a pile of vegetables; here you serve the glazed chicken over rice with vegetables on the side if you want them, so the sauce stays thick and clinging instead of watered down.
How is $1.40 a plate figured?
About $5.60 for the whole skillet, four servings, so roughly $1.40 each. The chicken thighs are most of the cost; the pantry sauce ingredients are pennies. Rice, sesame seeds, and vegetables to serve are figured separately.
Helpful Tools for This Recipe
As an Amazon Associate, Budget Plates may earn from qualifying purchases.
- 12-inch nonstick skillet. A wide nonstick skillet browns ground meat, fries rice, and builds a one-pan sauce with less oil and easier cleanup. Best for everyday stovetop dinners like skillet meals, fried rice, pasta sauces, and patties.
- Cast iron skillet. Cast iron holds heat for a deep sear and moves from stovetop to oven, and it lasts for decades with basic care. Best for searing chops and chicken, and recipes that start on the stove and finish in the oven.
- Chef's knife. One sharp chef's knife handles almost all the chopping, from onions to chicken, and replaces a drawer of gadgets. Best for all-purpose prep in essentially every recipe on the site.
- Cutting board. A large, stable cutting board makes prep faster and safer, which matters when you cook most nights. Best for everyday chopping of onion, garlic, and vegetables across nearly every recipe.
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