You know what the best feeling is once you finish up all of your work for the day?
It’s not that you are done for the day. It isn’t even that you can tear your eyes away from the computer or take a moment to clear your mind.
Instead, the best feeling in the world is knowing that when you are home and ready to eat, you don’t have to go through a ton of work to get dinner on the table.
This is why my Crock-Pot and I are the best of friends.
When I start a recipe in the morning, by the time I get about an hour into work, I forget all about the fact that I already started dinner.
It’s ridiculous how busy I can get on an average day, let alone a hectic one. But when I reflect on this, I think it’s kind of a blessing.
As many of you know I am sure, a slow day is the worst to get through. You sit around waiting for the minutes to tick by, feeling trapped because you should be working but there is nothing to do.
Those are the moments when organizing my desk and catching up on filing suddenly take on the utmost importance.
On the busy days, the work makes the time fly right by. It seems like in an instant, you lift your head to look at the clock and it’s time to wrap up for the day.
At that point, I feel a rush of relief immediately followed by the question: “What am I doing for dinner?”
Hey, my world revolves around food, so you can’t possibly be surprised by that.
On the days when I remember to start dinner in the slow cooker before I leave for work, I realize the answer to that question immediately. It’s just the best, most joyous feeling.
Instead of worrying about having to figure out what to eat, I know I will arrive at home and dinner will already be just about ready to serve.
All you really have to do is make some rice and steamed vegetables to make it a complete meal. That’s pretty simple to pull off at the end of the day, and the best part is, it’s nice and healthy too.
You can find more suggestions on how to serve up this chicken at the end of this article, but the way you see it served here is my favorite.
Do you ever go to one of those restaurants where you can order teriyaki bowls? This chicken is an ideal homemade substitute for that meal.
You don’t even have to leave the house to get your fix when you’re craving those flavors.
Not only is this recipe a healthier option because you are controlling all of the ingredients that go into it, it’s also a lot cheaper to make yourself at home.
Instead of spending ten to thirteen dollars on a large restaurant bowl, you can save a ton of money by buying the ingredients and cooking them yourself.
The chicken is nice and juicy, the sauce is extremely flavorful, and you don’t have to worry about doing a thing except mixing all the ingredients together. Then you let it slow cook all day long.
This will become your new favorite weeknight meal, trust me. And if you’re more of an Instant Pot fan, we’ve provided easy electric pressure cooker instructions below as well.
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Slow Cooker Chicken Teriyaki
- Total Time: 6 hours, 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Busy week? Whip up our slow cooker chicken teriyaki to enjoy after a long day. The flavorful poultry is so juicy, ideal for serving over rice.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teapsoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 3 cups cooked rice, white or brown
- 3 teaspoons sesame seeds
- 1/4 cup sliced green onion (green parts only)
Instructions
- Place soy sauce, honey, rice wine vinegar, ginger, garlic, salt, pepper, and onion in a bowl and stir to mix together.
- Place chicken breasts in the slow cooker.
- Cover with the sauce and pour in chicken stock.
- Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.
- Transfer cooked chicken to a cutting board. Shred it with two forks, then return it to the slow cooker and stir into the sauce.
- Serve over rice. Garnish with sesame seeds and sliced green onion.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 hours
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: Poultry
Keywords: chicken, poultry, teriyaki, slow cooker
Cooking By the Numbers…
Step 1 – Prep and Measure Ingredients
Peel and grate ginger until you have 1 tablespoon in total. I used a 1-inch piece of fresh, peeled ginger to get this.
Peel two cloves of garlic and mince, or press them through your garlic press.
Peel the onion and chop it until you have a 1/2 cup in total. I used 1/2 large onion.
If you want to do this ahead of time, cook some rice so you will have about 3 cups cooked. Brown or white rice both pair nicely with this dish.
Slice the green parts of the green onion until you have 1/4 cup in total. You can save the white portions in the refrigerator for another use.
Measure out all of remaining ingredients as they are listed on the ingredients list.
Save money by learning how to break down a whole chicken to get boneless, skinless breasts, as well as all the other best cuts of the bird!
Step 2 – Make Sauce
Stir together the soy sauce, honey, rice wine vinegar, ginger, garlic, salt, freshly ground black pepper, and onion in a medium bowl until combined. Set aside.
Step 3 – Cook
Add the chicken breasts to the bottom of your slow cooker. Cover with sauce and chicken stock, and stir briefly to combine.
Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.
To Make in the Instant Pot: You can also use an electric pressure cooker to prepare this recipe. Set Manual pressure to high and cook for 20 minutes, then quick release.
Step 4 – Shred
Remove the poultry from the slow cooker (or electric pressure cooker) and transfer to a cutting board. Use two forks to shred the meat.
Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker and stir it into the sauce.
Serve over cooked rice. Garnish with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and sliced green onion.
Make Your Own Teriyaki Chicken Bowls at Home
My favorite way to enjoy this Crock-Pot meal is to serve it in a bowl. But first and foremost, you need to make sure you know the best way to cook rice on the stove. Or, if you have one, simplify the process with your rice cooker.
Fill a bowl halfway with rice, then get to work on your favorite steamed vegetables. For me that’s broccoli, but you can also incorporate bell peppers, mushrooms, carrots, sliced onion, asparagus, or bok choy.
Top everything with a heaping serving of shredded teriyaki chicken and serve with soy sauce, Sriracha, and any other toppings or sauces that you like.
Do you love making Asian recipes at home to avoid going out or ordering take out? Check out some of our all-time favorite meals:
- Vegetarian Pad Thai With Seared Tofu
- Asian Chicken Cabbage Stir Fry
- Slow Cooker Thai Chicken Curry
- Sriracha Tofu, Green Bean, And Carrot Stir Fry
- Shrimp Pad Thai
What vegetables will you serve with this dish? Tell us in the comments below, and be sure to come back to rate the recipe to let us know how much you loved it.
Photos by Meghan Yager, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Originally published on October 27, 2013. Last updated: February 28, 2021 at 14:43 pm.
*Nutritional information derived from a database of known generic and branded foods and ingredients and was not compiled by a registered dietitian or submitted for lab testing. It should be viewed as an approximation.
About Meghan Yager
Meghan Yager is a food addict turned food and travel writer with a love for creating uncomplicated, gourmet recipes and devouring anything the world serves up. As the author of the food and travel blog Cake 'n Knife, Meghan focuses on unique foodie experiences from around the world to right at home in your own kitchen.
