Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken {Freezer Meal}
Oh man, was this Slow Cooker Chicken Teriyaki good. Yes, I do repeat. This is a GREAT SLOW COOKER RECIPE. I have tried one too many slow cooker recipes that have failed to impress me, but this one is a keeper. Another great perk of this recipe is that it’s freezer-friendly!
I actually doubled this recipe the first time I made it. I made one to eat fresh and then froze this one for an upcoming busy week. Here’s a snapshot of it before it went into the freezer. See you soon little chicken thighs!
To get that lovely glaze on the chicken it does take one extra (but easy) step. After the slow cooker has done its job, you simply boil the marinade for a few extra minutes and then coat the chicken with it. Easy peasy.
Serve it over some rice and you have yourself an easy weeknight meal!
Make sure to check out a few other delicious slow cooker ideas like:
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This fast, healthy chicken teriyaki dinner will thoroughly impress your family and friends. The best part – it’s made in the slow cooker, so you have very little work to do!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (This is where we get our favorite organic chicken*.)
- 1/2 cup soy sauce (Gluten-Free Option: Use coconut aminos or gluten-free Tamari Soy Sauce)
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic (about 2 cloves)
- 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar (Gluten Free Option: Double check your vinegar is gluten-free.)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup cold water
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
*affiliate link
Instructions
Make It Now:
- Place chicken in the slow cooker.
- In a medium mixing bowl combine soy sauce, onion, garlic, vinegar, brown sugar and honey. Mix it all together and then pour it over the chicken in the slow cooker.
- Cook on low for 4-5 hours or high for 2-3 hours until internal temperature registers to 165°F.
- When chicken is done, remove it from the marinade and pour marinade into a medium sauce pan.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the cold water and cornstarch until the cornstarch is dissolved and no longer lumpy.
- Pour the cornstarch into the teriyaki sauce mixture, and whisk to combine. Bring the sauce to a boil over medium-high heat, and let it cook for about 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat.
- Pour the sauce on top of of the chicken until it is well coated. (This won’t take all of the marinade–you will have some remaining).
- Optional: Using two forks, shred the chicken and serve over rice.
Freeze For Later: Place the raw chicken thighs and all of the marinade ingredients (minus the water and cornstarch) into a zip top freezer bag. Seal and freeze.
Prepare From Frozen: Thaw using one of these safe methods and then cook as directed in Step 3.
Think I could use teriyaki sauce instead? Which ingredients would I omit?
Yes, just replace all the sauce ingredients (everything after the chicken in the list) with 1 1/2 cups teriyaki sauce.
Thanks for the quick reply! I’m making it now!!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was really yummy, the kids loved it too. I used chicken breast because that’s what I had on hand, I cooked it on low for 3 hours. I added a half teaspoon of ground ginger too. I liked the way you boil the marinade at the end because then you can add as much or as little of the teriyaki glaze as you want. Perfect for different tastes. Thanks so much for the recipe.
Glad you liked it, Jerusha. Thanks for sharing your tweaks.
Do you use boneless skinless chicken thighs or bone-in skin on?
Good question. You’ll use bone-in, skin-on thighs. You can cook them longer in the slow cooker with the bone-in. I just updated the recipe to make this clearer.
This looks delicious! I love that you make your own teriyaki sauce rather than using the bottled like a lot of recipes I have seen. The rice you served this with looks delicious too. Is it a recipe you can share? Thanks!
Thanks! That’s our Fried Rice with Sweet Soy Sauce and it’s soooo yummy. https://thrivinghomeblog.com/2013/04/fried-rice-with-sweet-soy-sauce-updated/
looks delicious and easy! Will try this week. Thanks for posting.
Can’t wait to try this!!!