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This Hawaiian Grilled Teriyaki Chicken recipe is the real deal. The chicken is perfectly tender with a smokey flavor from the grill. The teriyaki sauce is the perfect combination of sweet and tangy and is and SO easy to make.
5 Star Reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“This was delish! We had a family luau with this chicken, your mac salad, a few other sides, and your guava cake. My husband lived in Hawaii for a few years and he loved everything and said it was great! Thanks for the recipes!!” – Christi
“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.”
– Johanna“We love this recipe. Have been making it for a couple years. Never fails us.”
– Michelle
Why I Love This Grilled Chicken
This Hawaiian Grilled Teriyaki Chicken reminds me of the authentic teriyaki chicken that I ate all the time when I lived on Oahu. 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 (and maybe even a little cooked spam). This delicious Hawaiian grilled chicken is tender, juicy, and pairs perfectly with grilled pineapple spears, in our authentic Hawaiian plate lunch, or any of our tasty Hawaiian Recipes.
🩷 Erice
Ingredients You’ll 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 – 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!
How to Make Hawaiian Grilled Teriyaki Chicken
- Prepare the marinade and marinate the chicken for at least 4 hours in the refrigerator or overnight.
- Prepare the Teriyaki Sauce. Put the leftover marinade in a sauce pan and bring it to a boil, then reduce to a simmer until it thickens.
- Place the marinated chicken on the grill. Brush teriyaki sauce over the chicken. Grill for 5-6 minutes on each side. Cook to internal temperature of 165°F. Wrap the chicken in foil and let it rest for 5-10 minutes.
- Pour cooked teriyaki sauce over chicken. Slice, if desired, or serve whole.
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 until it thickens slightly. This will make it safe to use as a glaze or sauce after the chicken is fully cooked.
Make it a Plate Lunch
You can easily make this teriyaki chicken into a complete plate lunch by adding a scoop or two of cooked calrose rice and some authentic Hawaiian Mac Salad. If you are really hungry, you can even make it a 2 or 3 combination plate by adding any of these recipes:
- 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. It’s the perfect plate lunch addition.
- 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.
- Spam Musubi: This is more of a side than a part of a combination plate but it is one of my VERY favorite additions!
Tips and Suggestions
- Use Chicken Thighs – Some people can’t quite seem to get grilled Hawaiian Teriyaki Chicken right, and that’s because they aren’t using the right cut of chicken. For perfect teriyaki chicken, chicken thighs are the only choice. 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.
- Cook evenly – Place some plastic wrap over the chicken and pound it flat with a meat mallet or rolling pin before marinating or grilling. This will help achieve even cooking and give you more surface space for the delicious sauce.
- Slather on the teriyaki sauce – Brush on more teriyaki sauce after the chicken has cooked enough that it isn’t raw on the outside anymore, really slather it on! Then add even more once the chicken is fully cooked through and also right before serving.
- Let it rest – For perfectly tender chicken, wrap the chicken in foil after grilling and allow it to rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Chicken breasts work great too—just keep an eye on the grill so they don’t dry out, as they cook faster than thighs.
For the best flavor, marinate the chicken for at least 4 hours. Overnight is ideal to let the sweet and savory flavors really soak in.
Yes, but only after it’s been simmered on the stovetop for at least 5–10 minutes to ensure it’s safe to eat. Never brush raw marinade directly from the bowl onto cooked chicken.
Absolutely! Bake it at 400°F for about 25–30 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temp of 165°F. You can broil it at the end for a caramelized finish.
It pairs perfectly with white rice, grilled pineapple, stir-fried veggies, or a tropical salad for a full island-style meal.
More Authentic Hawaiian Recipes
- Loco Moco
- Chicken Long Rice
- Kalua Pork
- Hawaiian Beef Teriyaki
- Haupia
- Chocolate Haupia Pie
- CrockPot Hawaiian Chicken
Did you try this Hawaiian Grilled Teriyaki Chicken? I’d love to hear what you think! Leave a comment below and let me know how it turned out. If you made any tasty twists or served it with your favorite sides, share those too! And if you enjoyed it, don’t forget to leave a star rating. 🌺
Hawaiian Grilled Teriyaki Chicken
Equipment
- Outdoor Barbecue Grill
- Meat Thermometer
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
Instructions
- Place chicken thighs in a bowl or large resealable plastic bag. Set aside.
- Combine the remaining ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl and mix until sugar dissolves.
- Pour marinade over the chicken and seal tightly. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Remove the chicken from the bag and set aside. Do not discard marinade. Pour the marinade into a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer. Cook for 5-10 minutes.
- Pour some of the hot marinade into a separate bowl. Place chicken on a grill and brush some of the cooked marinade over the top. Do not place the brush back in the main bowl of marinade after brushing the chicken. Grill chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Wrap the chicken in foil and allow it to rest for 5-10 minutes.
- Place chicken in a baking dish and pour the remaining hot teriyaki marinade over the top.
- Serve as whole chicken thighs or slice before serving.
Video
Notes
- Use chicken thighs – For the most authentic flavor and juicy texture, thighs are the way to go. Chicken breasts just don’t compare.
- Pound for even cooking – Flatten the chicken slightly before marinating to help it cook evenly and soak up more flavor.
- Layer on the sauce – Brush on teriyaki sauce mid-grill, after cooking, and again before serving for max flavor.
- Let it rest – Wrap the grilled chicken in foil and let it rest for 5–10 minutes before slicing to lock in the juices.
I enjoyed this chicken SO very much. Just the perfect summer dish on the grill. Thank you so much for sharing! This will definitely be added into the regular rotation. 🙂
Thank you for the 5 stars! I’m so glad you like it!
Hi!
I have tried the recipe once before. I am having a party for 50 people do you have any suggestions on how to cook the day before and reheat the next day? Thank you for your time and help. Rachel
I haven’t tried this before, but if I were doing that I would make up some extra marinade and set it aside before marinating the chicken with the rest. Then, I would cook the chicken all the way the night before. Then, on the day of serving, I would put the chicken on a pan and cook it at a low temp (maybe 325) until it is heated through. I would brush the extra marinade over the top every few minutes while it is cooking. Let me know how it turns out!
I’m having a luau birthday party for my daughter and cooking for about 60 people. Did you end up cooking them the night before and reheating the next day? How did they turn out?
My comment is more of a question, although I have used this marinade many times with steak tips and it is fabulous! I’d like to now the best way to turn this marinade/sauce in to a glaze consistency.
If you want it to be thicker you could boil it down to remove some of the liquid!
Use A cornstarch South or reduce it on stovetop.
So flavorful! Yum! I never want to stop eating this! Thanks for the tip on using thighs instead of breasts!!
This was a huge hit at my house! Such a perfect meal any night of the week!
Oh my goodness, we love this chicken recipe! The flavor is INCREDIBLE! Such a good recipe.
This was delicious! We ended up putting the chicken under the broiler and that worked great, got a little bit of charring and check the temperature when it hit 160 it was done! Everybody raved about it! Oh and I even forgot to put in the pineapple juice, never even saw it when I looked at the recipe! Added a little bit of water to dilute a bit, and then made a cornstarch slurry to thicken. Thank you so much!
Made this tonight for meal prep after letting it marinate overnight. The only difference is we used breasts and to cut back on the sugar, I subbed the brown sugar for the Swerve brown sugar, but the flavor was amazing!!! Thank you!!!
I made the baked version, and I’m so happy that I did. There were so many layers of flavor in this quick and easy to make recipe. The chicken was tender and the sauce was amazing. I can’t wait to enjoy this again. Thanks so much for sharing. BK
What temp and how long did you bake the thighs for?
Can’t wait to try it !!!!
Thanks for sharing !
I use my air fryer and it’s like cooking on the grill!
Absolutely delicious! Thank you for this recipe.
I have made this at least a dozen times. It is so incredibly good. Even the leftovers heat up well! I first made this for some Samoan friends and they really liked it.
Thank you for sharing such an amazing recipe with us.
Thank you so much for the 5-star rating! We are so glad you love this recipe!
This sauce is awesome………..just like what I used to have in Hawaii. It’s simple to make and now I have some in the freezer to grab for a quick dinner. The only thing I did differently is to grill thighs with skin and bones so needed to adjust the grilling time a little bit. Thanks for sharing this great keeper.
Do you mind me asking how long you grilled the thighs with bone and skin? Thank you!
6-7 minutes is usually enough. I usually use a meat thermometer and I take them off as soon as they reach 165 degrees.
Could I pan fry the chicken??
Sure!
We absolutely loved the marinade for both baked and grilled chicken. I love its versatility because you can add a little heat if you want to kick it up a notch. Thanks!
Anyone try this in the crockpot or is it better with the char from the grill?
Awesome!! I pulled the soy down a bit b/c I shouldn’t have that much sodium plus I used lower sodium soy. Other than that, no changes, and it was delicious!
I’ve made this both ways, in the oven and on a charcoal grill. I would recommend the charcoal because it gives the chicken just the right flavor.
This is by far the very BEST Teriyaki Chicken I’ve ever eaten including when I was in Hawaii!
As for the baking, I baked it at 325 degrees for about 45 minutes to an hour depending on how done you like it. I prefer mine pretty well done. 🙂
Thanks for a fantastic recipe! ! !
Excellent recipe. The second time I made it I added a star anise. The licorice added a bit of “zip” my wife and I enjoyed. I used a very small charcoal grill and added some apple chips for more smoke flavor. The smoke fragrance was incredible, the chicken thighs (especially the skin) intoxicating.
This was so good!!! My wife and I made it for a big extended family dinner and they said it was the best BBQ chicken they’d ever had! 10/10 Would make twice in one week.
Superb recipe that is better than most restaurant teriyaki chicken dishes. I grill my chicken and brush it down with marinade frequently. I have never felt the need to add the heated sauce afterward. I just marinate, brush the meat and grill, flip, brush and grill. Perfect every single time!