I love this Baked Teriyaki Chicken and I use Golden Monkfruit Sweetener in the Teriyaki Sauce to make it sugar-free and low-carb. And I’ve updated the method for this favorite recipe with some simple changes that make it even better!
PIN the Baked Teriyaki Chicken to try it later!
This Baked Teriyaki Chicken is an updated version of a recipe I got many, many years ago from the sister of a former boyfriend. She got the recipe when she lived in Hawaii from a Japanese friend who claimed this simple Teriyaki sauce combination is how it’s made by home cooks in Japan. I have no idea whether it’s really an authentic recipe, but it’s delicious and so easy to make, and I bet most kids will gobble this up!
The recipe has been on my site for years, but since I first posted it I’ve become a fan of my “Chicken Bake” method where chicken breasts are quickly browned in a hot frying pan, cut into thick strips, and then covered with sauce to finish cooking in the oven. That method keeps baked chicken from drying out in the oven, and I thought the technique would be an improvement for this Teriyaki Chicken recipe, and Kara and I definitely thought that it was!
What Ingredients do you need?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
How to make the Teriyaki Chicken Sauce more smooth:
If you look carefully at my finished photos of the Baked Teriyaki Chicken, you’ll see a few small bits of garlic and ginger. That didn’t bother us at all, but if you’d like a smoother sauce use something like a Magic Bullet (affiliate link) or Food Processor (affiliate link) to puree the ginger and garlic instead of the Mortar and Pestle (affiliate link) we used.
Can you use fresh minced garlic and ginger in the Teriyaki Chicken sauce?
For years I did use fresh minced garlic and ginger in the sauce for this Baked Teriyaki Chicken. Then a few years ago I started using purchased Minced Ginger (affiliate link) and Minced Garlic (affiliate link), and truthfully I can’t tell any difference in the taste. Use whichever you prefer!
How can you tell when the Baked Teriyaki Chicken is done?
You want to be careful not to overcook the chicken so doesn’t dry out, so I would use an Instant Read Meat Thermometer (affiliate link) and remove it from the oven as soon as a thick part of the chicken reaches 165F/75C.
Want to make the original version of Baked Teriyaki Chicken?
This is the third time I’ve updated and improved this favorite on the site, and I think the current recipe is the best one yet. But if anyone was a fan of one of the previous versions (the most recent one is shown above), you can see the printer-friendly recipes here.
Want to make Teriyaki Chicken in the Instant Pot?
Check out my Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken with the same sugar-free sauce if you like these flavors and want to try the Instant Pot version!
More Tasty Baked Chicken Dinners:
Check out my huge collection of Low-Carb and Keto Baked Chicken Dinners if you want more delicious ideas for cooking chicken, and many of those chicken use my Chicken Bake recipe method has been such a hit!
How to Make Baked Teriyaki Chicken:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- Preheat oven to 375F/190C.
- Use freshly-minced ginger and garlic if you like, but this was amazing with purchased ginger and garlic.
- We used a Mortar and Pestle (affiliate link) to puree the garlic and ginger more finely; if you want it completely smooth use a Magic Bullet (affiliate link) or Food Processor (affiliate link).
- Put soy sauce, water, Golden Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link), pureed ginger and pureed garlic in a small pan and simmer over low heat, until reduced to 2/3 cup.
- Trim visible fat and undesirable parts from chicken breasts.
- Heat oil over medium-high heat and brown chicken breasts about 3-4 minutes per side.
- Cut browned chicken breasts into same-size lengthwise strips
- When Teriyaki Sauce is reduced to 2/3 cup, get a Pastry Brush (affiliate link) ready.
- Use the smallest casserole dish that will fit the chicken in a single layer. Spray dish with non-stick spray, then lay chicken pieces crosswise in the baking dish.
- Brush Teriyaki Sauce over the chicken, using about one-third of the sauce. Bake chicken for 5 minutes.
- Remove chicken from oven and brush with sauce again. Put back in the oven and bake 5 minutes more. (You can brush with sauce even more frequently if you like.)
- Brush one more time and put chicken back into oven and bake 2-5 minutes more or until Instant Read Meat Thermometer (affiliate link) reaches 165F/75C.)
- When chicken is completely cooked and glazed with sauce, serve hot, garnished with green onions if desired.
Make it a Low-Carb Meal:
This Baked Teriyaki Chicken would be great with something like Spicy Szechuan Green Beans, Air Fryer Peppers and Onions, or Barely-Cooked Asparagus with Lemon-Mustard Vinaigrette for a low-carb meal.
More Baked Chicken Dinners to Enjoy:
Ingredients
- 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (see notes)
- 1/2 cup soy sauce (Use Gluten-Free Soy Sauce if needed, see note.)
- 2/3 cup water
- 1/4 cup Golden Monkfruit Sweetener or sweetener of your choice (see notes)
- 1 T minced ginger or fresh grated ginger root
- 1 T minced garlic or fresh garlic, finely diced
- 2 T peanut oil (see notes)
- thinly-sliced green onions for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F/190C.
- Puree minced garlic and ginger with a mortar and pestle, magic bullet, or food processor.
- Put soy sauce, water, sweetener, ginger puree, and garlic puree in small saucepan and simmer over low heat until reduced to about 2/3 cup. (Taste a few times to see when it’s as strong as you like it.)
- Trim all visible fat and undesirable parts from chicken breasts. If some pieces are extra thick, I would trim the on the bottom and save those scraps for homemade chicken stock.
- Heat oil in large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat and brown chicken about 3-4 minutes per side. (It should not be completely cooked through.)
- Cut the browned chicken pieces into four lengthwise same-size strips. (If some chicken breasts are larger than others, I might cut them into five strips.
- Choose the smallest size casserole dish that will fit all chicken in a single layer. Arrange chicken in dish and brush well with about half the reduced Teriyaki Sauce.
- Bake chicken about 5 minutes, then remove and brush again with a generous amount of sauce.
- Bake chicken 5 minutes more, than remove and brush with sauce a third time. (You can brush with sauce even more frequently if you like.)
- Bake chicken about 2-5 minutes more, or until chicken tests 165F/90C in the thickest part when you test with an Instant Read Meat Thermometer (affiliate link).
- When chicken is completely cooked and well-glazed with the sauce, serve hot, garnished with sliced green onions if desired. If you have extra sauce you can re-heat it and serve over the chicken.
Notes
I used chicken breasts that were about 8 oz. each after trimming. If you prefer chicken thighs, I’d use 8 skinless, bone in chicken thighs, well trimmed).
To make this gluten-free, be sure to use Gluten-Free Soy Sauce (affiliate link). Use any neutral-flavored oil if you don’t have peanut oil or can’t use it.
I like Golden Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link) for the sweetener for the Teriyaki Sauce.
This recipe was adapted from one I got years ago from the sister of an old boyfriend who had lived in Hawaii.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4
Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 284Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 2.4gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 102mgSodium: 1842mgCarbohydrates: 4gFiber: .3gSugar: 1.4gProtein: 40g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
With Golden Monkfruit Sweetener or another approved sweetener, this Baked Teriyaki Chicken recipe would be suitable for low-carb or Keto diets. If you’re making it for the original South Beach Diet, chicken breasts are definitely recommended over thighs for South Beach.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Chicken Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This Baked Teriyaki Chicken recipe was first posted in 2006 and the recipe was improved and new photos were added in 2010. Both the photos and method of cooking were updated again in 2023. I love the new version of this recipe that browns the chicken, cuts it into strips, and then bakes for a shorter time with the Teriyaki Sauce brushed on.
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