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This Hawaiian Grilled Teriyaki Chicken is the real deal. The homemade Hawaiian teriyaki sauce is the perfect combination of sweet and tangy and is and SO easy to make.
Featured with this recipe
- Ingredients in Hawaiian Grilled Teriyaki Chicken
- The Secret to Perfect Teriyaki Chicken
- Homemade Hawaiian Teriyaki Sauce
- Different Cooking Methods To Try
- What to Serve With Teriyaki Chicken
- Frequently Asked Questions about Hawaiian Grilled Teriyaki Chicken
- Hawaiian Teriyaki Chicken Plate Lunch
- Hawaiian Plate Lunch Recipes
- More Hawaiian Favorites
- How to Make Hawaiian Grilled Teriyaki Chicken
- Hawaiian Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Recipe
This Hawaiian Grilled Teriyaki Chicken reminds me of the authentic teriyaki chicken that I ate all the time when I lived on the island. It is tender, flavorful, and goes great with any Hawaiian dish. Much like fresh pineapple, you almost can’t have a luau or Hawaiian party without having teriyaki chicken or maybe a little spam (insert crying-laughing emoji here because it is funny but totally true.) This delicious Hawaiian chicken is moist, juicy, and pairs perfectly with grilled pineapple spears or an authentic Hawaiian plate lunch.
Ingredients in Hawaiian Grilled Teriyaki Chicken
You’ll love this simple, yet succulent chicken dish and how easy it is to prepare! Here’s what you need:
- Chicken thighs – boneless, skinless thighs, NOT chicken breast. The dark thigh meat stays juicy, even through the grilling process.
- Soy sauce – one cup, dark soy sauce. You can use low-sodium or your favorite brand, whatever you have on hand.
- Brown sugar – balance the soy sauce with sweet dark brown sugar. It gives the perfect blend of sweet and tangy.
- Pineapple juice – one cup of canned juice.
- Garlic – start with four cloves, chopped
- Fresh Ginger – find fresh ginger root in the produce section of the grocery store. It’ll stay fresh in the freezer for months!
The Secret to Perfect Teriyaki Chicken
Some people can’t quite seem to get grilled Hawaiian Teriyaki Chicken right. The trick to having good, authentic, chicken teriyaki is using the right cut of chicken. You always want to use chicken thighs. I promise, if you want AUTHENTIC teriyaki chicken, chicken breasts just won’t cut it. No matter how you cook the chicken breasts, it will not be the same. They are two completely different cuts of meat. Just like how a beef roast cut is completely different from a beef filet (not that I am comparing chicken thighs to a filet). If you have been making teriyaki chicken using chicken breasts and have wondered why it isn’t quite right, this is why.
Homemade Hawaiian Teriyaki Sauce
It is SUPER EASY to make your own teriyaki sauce at home. This sauce recipe is so simple and it can be used as both the marinade AND to drizzle over the chicken as a sauce. You can actually use the same batch for BOTH. I learned this method while living in Hawaii and thought it was genius. Don’t discard your marinade! So many people discard the marinade and it is totally unnecessary and wasting a perfectly good sauce! Instead, put the marinade in a sauce pan and bring it to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. This will make it safe to use as a glaze or sauce after the chicken is fully cooked.
Different Cooking Methods To Try
Want teriyaki chicken but don’t want to pull out the ol’ grill? No worries, there are several different ways you can prepare it:
- Stir Fry – If I can’t grill the chicken, my next favorite way to prepare teriyaki chicken is to cut it into bite sized pieces and stir-fry it in a large wok or skillet. Add a little sesame oil to the skillet over medium-high heat, add the chicken and sauté until white on the outside, and then add the sauce. Simmer until sauce thickens and chicken is cooked through.
- Stove Top – Similar to stir fry, but keep the chicken pieces whole. In a large skillet, sear each chicken thigh on each side until golden brown then add sauce and simmer until sauce has reduced (similar to Shoyu Chicken).
- Crock Pot / Instant Pot – The slow or pressure cooked methods are my least preferred methods because the sauce seems to get watered down. If you do these methods, simmer the sauce down in a separate pot on the stove until it thickens (about 20-30 minutes). You can serve the chicken whole or shred it.
- Baked – Place chicken pieces in a baking dish and pour about 1-2 cups of the homemade teriyaki sauce over the top. Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until chicken has cooked through (165-degrees F).
No matter how you prepare it, serve with extra teriyaki sauce and maybe a few sesame seeds and some diced green onion for garnish.
What to Serve With Teriyaki Chicken
Of course, this Hawaiian Teriyaki Chicken is incredible on its own or with simple sides such as white rice, brown rice, grilled zucchini or steamed vegetables, but it is also amazing when added to other dishes. Our favorite way to serve teriyaki chicken is as part of a plate lunch (see notes below) but you can also put it over salad or add it to a Hawaiian rice bowl. If you want to serve it more “Panda Express” style, you can serve it with fried rice and/or lo mien noodles. You can also try it “fusion” style and slice it and serve it in a sandwich, or serve in a pasta like our Chicken Stir Fry Over Noodles. There are so many possibilities!
Frequently Asked Questions about Hawaiian Grilled Teriyaki Chicken
The chicken is a good source of protein and other nutrients, but be careful of the added sugar and sodium in the teriyaki sauce. The trick is to eat teriyaki chicken in moderation and pair it with other nutrient-dense foods.
You’ll find the flavor of teriyaki sauce is salty, sweet and slightly citrus-y. A perfect blend of flavors with tender chicken.
Use the homemade teriyaki sauce as a marinade, then brush the sauce on while it’s being cooked, then as a dipping sauce after.
READ MORE:50+ Best and Delicious Grill Recipes
Hawaiian Teriyaki Chicken Plate Lunch
My favorite way to have Hawaiian Teriyaki Chicken is as part of a plate lunch. I can honestly say, a good Hawaiian plate lunch may just be my favorite meal of all time, and that is saying something. In Hawaii, a plate lunch typically consists of rice (usually calrose rice or similar), Hawaiian Mac Salad, and some protein of some sort. Usually the protein is any combination of teriyaki chicken, Kalua pork, and beef teriyaki. You can have all of one kind of meat, pick two, or a little of each one. I almost always opt for the latter. I love having a little bit of each!
Hawaiian Plate Lunch Recipes
Lucky for you, we have the recipes for everything you need to make a Hawaiian Plate Lunch:
- Hawaiian Beef Teriyaki: Hawaiian Beef Teriyaki is a favorite of mine from when I lived in Hawaii. The teriyaki sauce is out of this world good. Great with a plate lunch!
- Kalua Pork with Cabbage: Kalua Pork with Cabbage is a Hawaiian dish often served at Luaus. This version is made in the slow cooker and tastes just like authentic shredded Kalua Pig.
- Authentic Hawaiian Macaroni Salad: This Hawaiian Macaroni Salad is the real deal. A no-frills, creamy mac salad that is the perfect side dish for any BBQ or Luau!
More Hawaiian Favorites
How to Make Hawaiian Grilled Teriyaki Chicken
Hawaiian Grilled Teriyaki Chicken
Video
Equipment
- Outdoor Barbecue Grill
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken thighs boneless, skinless
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 cup pinapple juice
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 Tablespoon ginger fresh, minced
Instructions
- Place chicken thighs in a bowl or gallon-sized Ziploc bag, set aside.Combine remaining ingredients in medium-sized mixing bowl and mix until sugar dissolves.Pour marinade over chicken, press air out of bag, and seal tightly (or cover the bowl and make it as air-tight as possible). Refrigerate overnight (or at least 4 hours). Remove chicken from bag and set aside. Do NOT discard marinade.
- In a medium saucepan, bring marinade to a simmer and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
- Place chicken on grill and brush some of the hot marinade over the top (do not place brush back in marinade after brushing the chicken).Continue to grill chicken until done (165 degrees internal temp).
- Place cooked chicken in a baking dish and pour remaining hot teriyaki marinade over the top. Serve immediately.
This was the best teriyaki chicken I’ve ever had! It was a hit with every person that had it at our party! Can’t wait to make it again.
Looks like my kind of chicken,
I love this recipe, easy to make. It will be my go to for teriyaki sauce.
This recipe is incredible, so tasty and easy to make. I have made it multiple times and keep coming back
Excellent! I live in Hawaii and this is an amazing teriyaki marinade for grilled chicken! I added a splash of sesame seed oil and used low sodium soy sauce.
Love this. Made it multiple times and always rave reviews. I would recommend halving or cutting by a third all marinade/sauce ingredients. We had a TON leftover the first time. It was perfect the 2nd time when cutting back.
Dynamite!!
Hi there, If you are baking this in the oven what temperature do you cook it at? Thanks!
Bake at 400 degrees.
I’m attempting this in the oven too, how long did you cook at 400 degrees?
20-30 minutes should do the trick!
Fantastic recipe! I used 3T of fresh squeezed ginger juice instead of the 2T of grated ginger. I wanted a liquid based marinade that was free of solids. I noticed the marinade was slightly over-salty. The 1 part pineapple juice shpuld have been 2. Using canned juice may have saved my chicken. Lastly, i added 3 green onions to the marinade. Its important to generously massage the chicken in the marinade before placing in tbe refrigerator. A minimum of 4hrs is a must!
Tastes just like Hawaiian bros Honolulu chicken 💕 beautiful recipe!
This was a big hit with my family.
Look so good and yummy
The chicken was amazing! So easy to make! Excellent flavor.
So delicious, I’ll make this recipe from this point on. Mmmmmm good!
By far the best teriyaki chicken recipe I’ve ever made!
Decided to try this recipe last minute and it didn’t disappoint. My little kids and husband loved it which is a win win for me! So thank you for this delicious recipe.
Made this for the second time tonight! Delish!
I used a can of pineapple instead of fresh and no garlic (my husband is allergic to it) in addition to the other ingredients.
Thanks for sharing this recipe!!
This was so good, the flavor was so delicious and it was easy to make. I noticed the texture of the chicken was a little off. The chicken marinated for about 6 hours and I could tell the enzymes in the pineapple had started to cook the chicken. I only had fresh pineapple on hand and I juiced it myself, I’m wondering if using fresh juice speeded up the process. Next time, I’ll leave the pineapple out of the marinade until about 1 hour before grilling.
Reducing down the sauce was such a good idea and I basted the chicken frequently.