Teriyaki Chicken Stir Fry
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Teriyaki Chicken Stir Fry is a quick and easy weeknight meal. In this recipe, I use an easy Chinese technique for creating the MOST TENDER chicken ever! Pair this chicken with a simple homemade teriyaki sauce and broccoli for a dinner win.
This stir fry is delicious served over rice or rice noodles. For a low carb option, ditch the rice and throw some extra vegetables in the stir fry.
Stir fry recipes are an easy way to bring your favorite Chinese dishes home into your kitchen. At our house, we’re regularly adding these recipes for General Tso’s Vegetarian Noodle Stir Fry, Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry and Chicken Potsticker Stir Fry to our weekly menu.
The best part about this chicken stir fry recipe is that it’s made in under an hour, with only 20 minutes of hands-on time. Simply tenderize the chicken, prepare the teriyaki sauce, then stir fry everything together.
In no time at all, you’ll have a delicious dinner on the table that the entire family will love!
How to make it
- Tenderize the chicken. This method is also called velveting chicken. It’s used in Chinese cooking to help tenderize lean cuts of chicken, like chicken breasts. It’s done by simply tossing cubes of chicken with baking soda, then letting them sit in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, rinse off the chicken, pat dry and it’s ready to add to your stir fry!
- Prepare the homemade teriyaki sauce. While you can purchase prepared teriyaki sauce at the grocery store, I highly recommend making your own. It only takes 10 minutes, the sauce ingredients are easy to find at the grocery store and it’s so delicious!
- To make homemade teriyaki sauce, combine soy sauce, mirin, brown sugar, crushed garlic and grated ginger in a small saucepan on the stove over medium heat. Bring to a boil and simmer for 4-5 minutes. In a separate small bowl, combine cornstarch and water. Add this slurry to the sauce and whisk everything together. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 3-4 minutes before removing the sauce from the heat to cool.
- Quick Tip #1: This sauce can easily be stored in the refrigerator for 2 weeks. So why not double the recipe and save some to make this recipe again later in the week? Or make another delicious recipe with teriyaki sauce! (I’ve got some suggestions later in the post!)
- Quick Tip #2: To make this recipe gluten free, simply replace the soy sauce in the teriyaki sauce with tamari, also known as gluten free soy sauce.
- To make homemade teriyaki sauce, combine soy sauce, mirin, brown sugar, crushed garlic and grated ginger in a small saucepan on the stove over medium heat. Bring to a boil and simmer for 4-5 minutes. In a separate small bowl, combine cornstarch and water. Add this slurry to the sauce and whisk everything together. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 3-4 minutes before removing the sauce from the heat to cool.
- Stir fry the teriyaki chicken and vegetables. Heat sesame oil in a large skillet or wok over medium high heat. Add vegetables to the skillet. I like to use broccoli and bell peppers in this recipe. But onions, zucchini, sugar snap peas or carrots could also be used in addition to, or instead of, the broccoli and peppers. After the vegetables have stir fried for 3-4 minutes, add minced garlic and the tenderized chicken. Cook until the chicken is browned on all sides. Pour the teriyaki sauce into the stir fry and continue cooking 1-2 minutes. Top the chicken stir fry with diced green onions and sesame seeds. Serve the stir fry with one of the options below.
Serving options
- Rice: if you’re looking for a traditional stir fry serving option, serving the stir fry over rice is the way to go. White rice or brown rice can be cooked ahead of time in a rice cooker, pressure cooker, or on the stove. Place approximately one cup of cooked rice in a bowl or on a plate, then top with the stir fry.
- Quinoa: for a lower calorie and more nutrient dense option, serve the stir fry over cooked quinoa. Follow this post for how to make quinoa 3 ways, in the Instant Pot, on the stove or in a rice cooker.
- Rice Noodles: if you’d like to serve the stir fry with rice noodles, bring a large pot of water to boil on the stove while preparing the teriyaki sauce. When the chicken is added to the hot skillet, add 8 ounces of rice noodles to the boiling water. After 4-5 minutes, drain the rice noodles. Add them to the skillet at the same time as the teriyaki sauce and toss to coat.
- Extra Veggies: if you’re going low carb, you can either toss extra vegetables in with the stir fry, or serve the stir fry with cauliflower rice or zucchini noodles, instead of traditional rice or rice noodles.
Can I use chicken thighs?
Yes, if you prefer chicken thighs over breasts, you can definitely use them in this recipe. Since chicken thighs are much higher in fat content than chicken breasts, using the chicken tenderizing method is not necessary when substituting in chicken thighs for this recipe.
More teriyaki recipes
Whip up extra homemade teriyaki sauce to make these delicious teriyaki recipes!
Teriyaki Chicken Stir Fry
Ingredients
Teriyaki Sauce
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup mirin
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- ½ teaspoon ginger, grated
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
Stir Fry
- 1 pound chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 1 cup bell pepper, cut into 1 inch squares
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons diced green onions
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
Serving Options
- 2 cups cooked rice
- 2 cups cooked noodles, lo mein or rice noodles
Instructions
Teriyaki Sauce
- Heat a saucepan on the stove over medium heat, add the soy sauce, mirin, brown sugar, garlic and ginger to the pan, whisk to combine, bring to a boil, then simmer 4-5 minutes.
- In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water, add this to the simmering sauce and whisk together, reduce the heat to low and leave on the stove for 3-4 additional minutes.
- Remove the sauce from the heat and set aside to cool.
Stir Fry
- Toss the cubes of chicken with the baking soda in a plastic zipper bag.
- Place in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
- Remove the chicken from the bag and rinse with cold water, then pat dry and set aside.
- Add the sesame oil to a large skillet or wok over medium high heat.
- Add the broccoli and bell pepper, stir fry for 3-4 minutes.
- Add the diced chicken and minced garlic.
- Cook the chicken on all sides until lightly browned, 5 minutes.
- Pour the teriyaki sauce into the skillet and toss with the chicken and broccoli over medium high heat for 1-2 minutes.
- Remove from the heat, top with diced green onions and sesame seeds.
- The stir fry can be served with cooked rice noodles or over cooked white or brown rice. See blog post for specific instructions on preparing the serving option of your choice.
Notes
- Nutritional information provided is only for the stir fry and does not include the serving options of cooked rice or rice noodles.
- To make this recipe gluten free, substitute tamari (gluten free soy sauce) for traditional soy sauce.
Nutrition Facts
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