Name: Chicken breast in teriyaki sauce
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 400
Cuisine: Asian
Ingredients: 400g (14 oz) chicken breast; 20g (1 tbsp) butter; 1/2 tbsp garlic; 1/2 tbsp ginger; 2 tbsp soy sauce; 1.5 tbsp honey; 1 tsp chili sauce/sweet chili sauce (optional); 1 tbsp lemon juice

Chicken breast is sometimes relatively boring because it is not as juicy as other parts of chicken. In fact, it’s very good for our health, especially for people who are on a diet. Low in price but high in nutrition, I usually buy chicken breast for my family. To make chicken breast more appealing in daily meals, I tried many recipes, and chicken breast in teriyaki sauce becomes one of my favorite.

I don’t want to stay in the kitchen for too long when I make somethings to eat with cooked jasmine rice. Therefore, I always look for some tips and tricks to shorten my cooking time and reduce the numbers of dirty tools. Finally, I have this post for you to share a 15-minute recipe with only 1 pan and 1 plate to wash.

Moreover, the teriyaki sauce from this recipe can also be applied in many other dishes. It’s a basic, easy teriyaki recipe with soy sauce, honey, lemon juice, garlic, and ginger. Teriyaki sauce, a perfect balance between sweet, tangy, savory and (probably) spicy taste, helps to enhance flavor of baked or pan-fried chicken breast significantly.

Let’s discuss the ingredients needed for making chicken breast in teriyaki sauce.

Ingredients

Chicken breast

Coming from the breast area of a chicken, chicken breast is a lean and boneless cut of poultry known for its mild flavor and tender texture. Chicken breasts are a popular choice in cooking. They are a good source of protein and a main ingredient in a wide range of dishes, including salads, sandwiches, and main courses.

To prepare chicken breast with teriyaki sauce, you can either bake it in oven or air-fryer, or fry it in a pan with a bit of oil. Super easy.

Teriyaki sauce

Teriyaki sauce is a flavorful Japanese sauce typically made from a combination of soy sauce, sugar, and mirin (a sweet rice wine). It is perfect for marinade or glaze various dishes, especially grilled or broiled meats such as chicken, beef, or fish. Teriyaki as a dipping sauce is the favorite of many people as well.

Because it’s not easy to buy mirin everywhere and simply because… I don’t have mirin at home when I made the dish, in my recipe, I replace it with lemon juice. This adjustment adds a bit tangy taste to the sauce, and I found it quite interesting!

Best Way to Cook Teriyaki Chicken Breast

As I shared, this is a recipe that takes you only 15 minutes for a yummy dish. I’m going to give you two ways to cook chicken breast in teriyaki sauce, one in oven and one in frying pan.

Oven baked chicken breast with teriyaki sauce

If you opt to bake chicken breasts, it could take a bit more time than pan-frying, around 20-25 minutes. In return, they will be juicier and more tender. Follow these steps:

Step 1. Bake chicken breasts

After washing your chicken breasts, make some cuts on them to proceed the baking process more quickly. Season them with a bit of salt and pepper. Then, preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and bake your chicken in 15-20 minutes.

If you would like to bake them at 350°F (175°C), refer to another article of mine: How to cook chicken breast in oven at 350°F. Note that the lower temperature, the longer baking time but juicer result.

Step 2. Mix teriyaki sauce to the breasts

While waiting for the chicken breasts to be baked, mix teriyaki sauce. Mix melted butter, minced garlic and ginger, soy sauce, honey, and lemon juice together.

After 15-20 minutes, open the oven, take the chicken breasts out and mix the sauce with them. Return them to the oven and bake for more 5-10 minutes.

Finally, check if they are thoroughly cooked by toothpick test or thermometer. In case they aren’t fully cooked, bake them for 10-15 minutes more.

May you ask, why not baking chicken breasts with teriyaki right from the beginning? The reason is that the teriyaki sauce includes honey, which is easy to be burnt. Baking the sauce from the beginning not only burns the honey, but the sauce also evaporates too much, becomes too thick and dry.

Frying pan chicken breast with teriyaki sauce

With frying pan, the cooking time is short: 15 minutes for all the steps.

Step 1. Fry chicken breasts

After washing your chicken breasts, make some cuts on them to shorten the cooking process and season them more evenly. Basically, season them with a bit of salt and pepper.

Turn on medium heat and start to fry them in a pan with a bit vegetable oil. Pay attention: don’t use butter immediately from start, because butter may be burnt more easily as compared with vegetable oil.

After 12-14 minutes, the breasts are cooked. Set them aside on a plate; it’s the final plate for presenting your dish too. Save your time washing dish!

Step 2. Cook teriyaki sauce

On the same frying pan, add butter, minced garlic and ginger, honey, soy sauce and lemon juice in. Stir them well on low heat until well dissolved.

Once it starts to boil, return the chicken breasts into the pan, and coat the sauces over them. Mix well in 2-3 minutes and turn off the heat.

Set them on the plate and enjoy!

Serving and preservation

I can say that this dish is still so great when standing alone. I enjoyed eating them only as my main course when I was on a diet and would like to reduce my starch intake.

Besides, chicken breasts in teriyaki sauce is a perfect match with hot jasmine rice – typical Asian meal for sure. Some vegetables or salads, such as cucumber salad are good for a healthy and balance lunch or dinner as well. A hot soup at the end of the meal will round up your luscious meal with teriyaki chicken.

To preserve the leftover, you should store them in an air-tight container and keep in fridge in 3 days maximum. Frozen chicken breast with teriyaki can last for 3 months. To reheat, use microwave or oven in 4-5 minutes or 15-20 minutes for frozen chicken.

How about storing teriyaki sauce? Of course, you can make more teriyaki sauce for later use. After cooking it on stove, let it cool down and store in an air-tight bottle or box. Refrigerate it in a week.

Other Chicken Recipes

Try it and share me your delicious meal soon!

Chicken breast in teriyaki sauce

Yield: 400g

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

this is a recipe that takes you only 15 minutes for a yummy dish. Teriyaki sauce, a perfect balance between sweet, tangy, savory and (probably) spicy taste, helps to enhance flavor of baked or pan-fried chicken breast.