If you've ever attempted teriyaki chicken breast only to end up with dry, stringy meat, you're not alone! In Japan, teriyaki is traditionally made with chicken thighs for their rich, juicy texture—but with the right technique, you can achieve that same succulent bite using leaner breast meat. It all starts with a quick ginger-infused marinade that enhances the chicken's natural flavor while locking in moisture. A gentle, low-and-slow pan-fry ensures the skin turns irresistibly crisp, and the homemade honey teriyaki sauce lacquers the breast in a glossy glaze. This dish is easy enough for a busy weeknight dinner yet impressive enough to serve guests—proving that juicy, flavorful teriyaki chicken breast is absolutely possible!
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Why This Recipe Works
- Marinating the chicken breast with fresh ginger, salt, and potato starch infuses it with ginger flavor without clouding the sauce. The starch creates a coating that prevents the chicken juices from leaking out as it cooks.
- Letting the breast come up to room temperature before pan-frying and starting it in a room-temperature pan minimizes the temperature gradient between the outside and the inside of the meat. This ensures juicy chicken that's cooked through evenly.
- Teriyaki means "glossy grilled" in Japanese, and traditional sauces avoid ingredients that can cloud the sauce. Although honey isn't a traditional ingredient, the balance of salty(soy sauce), sweet(honey), and umami (sake) is maintained in this homemade honey teriyaki sauce.
Ingredients
- Chicken Breast – Although teriyaki is traditionally made with thigh meat, breast meat makes for a leaner option that can still be juicy and flavorful with the right technique. I don't recommend using skinless chicken breasts because the skin acts as a protective blanket, keeping the surface of the meat from getting tough. You can also do this with chicken thighs.
- Ginger – Fresh ginger root infuses the marinade with a warm aroma while its proteolytic enzymes help tenderize the meat. You can also add grated garlic to the marinade for more flavor.
- Potato Starch – Adding starch to the marinade creates a thin coating that locks in moisture and gives the chicken a silky finish when cooked. It also helps the glaze cling to the meat. Cornstarch will work as if you don't have potato starch.
- Soy sauce – The savory backbone of any traditional teriyaki glaze, soy sauce adds deep umami and provides the salt. Use a good-quality Japanese soy sauce for the best flavor, or swap in tamari for a gluten-free option.
- Honey – Although honey isn't added to traditional teriyaki sauce, making teriyaki with honey adds additional flavor to the glaze while creating a gorgeous lacquered finish. I recommend using honey with a mild flavor. Maple syrup or brown sugar will work as a substitute.
- Sake – Sake naturally contains amino acids which create the taste of umami. The alcohol gets burned off as the sauce reduces, but if you still want to avoid it, you can substitute water with a pinch of MSG. Mirin can be used as a substitute, but you will want to halve the amount of honey.
How to Make Honey Teriyaki Chicken
To make this honey teriyaki chicken recipe, start by trimming away any gristle, blood vessels, or excess fat from the breast. Since chicken breasts are naturally uneven in thickness, use the back of your knife to gently pound the thicker end so it cooks more evenly.
Next, mix the sake, grated ginger, potato starch, and salt to make a marinade, then drizzle it evenly over both sides of the breast. Let this marinate for about 30 minutes at room temperature—this not only allows the flavors to penetrate the meat but also ensures it cooks more evenly.
Prepare the honey teriyaki sauce by stirring together equal parts soy sauce, honey, and sake until the honey is fully dissolved.
To fry the chicken, add a little vegetable oil to a cold non-stick frying pan, then place the breast on the oil, skin-side down. Move it around the pan to ensure the skin is evenly coated in oil, and turn on the heat to medium-low. Starting with a cold pan may seem unusual, but it allows the fat under the skin to gradually render out while slowly raising the internal temperature of the breast. Let it cook for about 12 minutes (the time will vary based on your breast's size and initial temperature), adjusting the heat as needed to maintain a gentle sizzle. Be sure to press down on any parts of the chicken that aren't making full contact with the pan to encourage even browning.
When the skin is golden brown, and the breast is cooked about halfway through, flip it over and cook the other side for another four minutes. The goal is to increase the internal temperature to around 140°F, as it will continue to cook as we glaze it.
Before adding the sauce, use a folded paper towel to wipe out excess oil from the pan. Now, turn the stove to high heat and pour in the honey teriyaki sauce. Flip the chicken repeatedly to coat it in the glossy glaze. Once the teriyaki sauce starts forming large, shiny bubbles, spoon the glaze onto the skin side of the chicken. At this point, the internal temperature of the breast should hit 160°F. If your breast still isn't cooked through, add a little water to the sauce to keep it from burning.
Transfer to a cutting board and let it rest for a few minutes before slicing. This short resting period allows the juices to redistribute, keeping every bite succulent. Arrange the sliced teriyaki chicken breast on a plate and drizzle any remaining sauce. For extra flavor and texture, you can garnish this with toasted sesame seeds, chopped green onions, or pepper flakes.
Meal Prep
If you are meal-prepping, mix the sauce ingredients in a jar and marinate the breasts in an airtight container. That way, all you have to do is fry and glaze the chicken when you want to eat it. Alternatively, if you want to cook it in advance, I recommend letting the breasts cool completely before slicing them and packing them into meal prep containers.
Serve it With
Serve this honey teriyaki chicken recipe over a bowl of steamed Japanese rice to soak up the glorious sauce, or try it with a side of garlic fried rice for even more flavor. For a fresh contrast, a crisp sunomono cucumber salad adds a bright, vinegary crunch that balances the richness of the teriyaki glaze. If you want a heartier meal, pair it with a comforting bowl of miso soup and a side of blistered shishito peppers for a well-rounded Japanese-inspired dinner. Also, be sure to check out my other teriyaki recipes.
If you're looking for more delicious high protein chicken dishes, check out my article, Easy High Protein Chicken Recipes.
📖 Recipe
Units
Ingredients
for chicken
- 1 skin-on chicken breast
- 1 tablespoon sake
- 7 grams ginger (grated)
- 2 teaspoons potato starch
- ½ teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
for honey teriyaki sauce
- 1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 ½ tablespoons honey
- 1 ½ tablespoons sake
Instructions
- Trim any gristle, blood vessels, or excess fat from 1 skin-on chicken breast, but be careful not to remove any skin.
- Use the back of your knife to pound the thicker side of the breast so that it becomes more even in thickness (it doesn't have to be perfectly even).
- Make the marinade by stirring together 1 tablespoon sake, 7 grams ginger (grated), 2 teaspoons potato starch, and ½ teaspoons salt and drizzle it evenly over both sides of the chicken breast. Let this marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature.
- Make the honey teriyaki sauce by mixing 1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce, 1 ½ tablespoons honey, and 1 ½ tablespoons sake together in a bowl until the honey has dissolved.
- Add 2 teaspoons vegetable oil to a non-stick frying pan. Let any excess marinade drip off the breast, but don't scrape it off. Place the chicken skin-side down in the cold pan and scooch it around to ensure the skin is evenly coated with oil. Turn the stove onto medium-low heat.
- Slowly pan-fry the skin side of the chicken until it is cooked halfway up the sides (about 12 minutes). Adjust the heat up or down to maintain a gentle sizzle. If it's spattering, your heat is too high. Periodically check how the skin is browning and press on the parts that are not browning to encourage better contact with the pan in those areas.
- Flip the chicken over and cook for another 4 minutes, pressing on the thicker side of the breast. You want to get the breast to about 140°F (60°C) at this stage.
- Use a folded-up paper towel to wipe out all of the excess oil.
- Add the honey teriyaki sauce and turn up the stove to high heat. Flip the chicken over repeatedly to glaze with the sauce while cooking it the rest of the way.
- Once the sauce starts forming big shiny bubbles, use a spoon to pour the glaze over the skin side of the breast and turn off the heat. Your chicken should have an internal temperature of 160°F (71°C) at this point.
- Transfer to a cutting board and let it rest for a few minutes before slicing and glazing with the remaining sauce.
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