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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.
🩷 Erica
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
Video
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.
Equipment
- Outdoor Barbecue Grill
- Meat Thermometer
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.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Fabulous! Used whole bone in thighs, placed in a vacuum sealer marinating container. most likely was marinating 24 hours. Grilled on indirect heat with out basting or using remaining marinade. let rest while making other items. I believe I made flavor adjustments to the marinade after tasting, I think I added some more low sodium soy sauce and more pineapple juice. Will be using this recipe in the future.
This looks delicious! I wonder if I could make this in the oven? temp/time?
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).
I love this recipe! So delicious. If you want to go the extra mile, get yourself some slices of pineapple and lightly cook them on both sides, brushing with the extra marinade. Great with a little roasted broccoli and rice to make teriyaki bowls.
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.