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Instant Pot Chicken Teriyaki is restaurant quality good. Juicy, tender chicken pieces smothered in a sweet, savory & a bit tangy homemade Teriyaki Sauce. Your whole family will love this instant pot teriyaki chicken and rice bowl!
Don’t miss our Asian Take-out Recipes and Instant Pot Recipes!
Note: This post has been updated with reheating directions, serving ideas, leftovers & storage and FAQs!
Easy chicken teriyaki recipe
If you love Panda express chicken teriyaki than you'll surely love this easy instant pot teriyaki chicken recipe because it tastes even better! Try our homemade chicken teriyaki marinade, it tastes amazing and you can make it so easily at home and in so less time!
Our homemade teriyaki sauce is made with the best Asian sauces and you can totally control the depth of flavor!
You can make this chicken teriyaki restaurant quality good by using either boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Find the Ingredients with actual measurements at the bottom of the post. The list below is just a reference.
- Chicken: Skinless, boneless chicken thighs or breasts works great. We used chicken breasts.
- Aromatics: Ginger & garlic minced.
- Regular Soy Sauce: Use the low sodium variety. You can also use Tamari, Light Soy Sauce or even coconut aminos ( no, it doesn't taste like coconut :D)
- Hoisin Sauce: It's the barbecue sauce of Asian cuisine. Tastes fabulous and a little goes a long way.
- Mirin: It's a sweet sake that has lower alcohol content and higher sugar content. It's sweet and sour. It makes food taste great & rewards the sauce with a gorgeous glaze. Sub it with white wine, dry sherry or rice vinegar. Add a little more sugar to balance the flavor.
- Sake: It's a Japanese alcohol made from fermented rice. You can drink it as such or use it in recipes as well. White wine, dry sherry or equal amount of mirin are great substitutions.
- Rice Vinegar: You can sub it with cider vinegar.
- Brown Sugar: You can sub it with honey. Read notes at the bottom of the post for exact quantity.
- Red pepper flakes: Adds a subtle kick, so so good.
- Liquid: Water or chicken stock. Chicken stock really doesn't make a huge difference in this recipe. We added water.
- Thickener: Cornstarch slurry. You can totally skip the thickener and cook down the sauce to thicken it. In that case the total recipe time will increase.
- Garnish: White Sesame Seeds and Scallions.
- Accompaniment: Blanched Broccoli Florets. We love it. We sometimes even toss the broccoli in the pot and give a quick stir along with the chicken just before serving. Choice is yours 🙂
Tips & Tricks
- Wok Flavors: To mimic the fabulous flavors of wok made chicken teriyaki recipe do add the homemade teriyaki sauce after pressure cooking the chicken and cook down. Never ever pressure cook the chicken with the sauce! Makes a huge difference in taste & texture.
- Nail that awesome Glaze: Don't miss the mirin. You'll get a gorgeous sheen in the sauce. Makes the dish not only tasty but also appetizing.
- Boost the flavor: Rub the diced chicken with soy sauce & sesame oil. Sauté first to lock the juices and than pressure cook. Amazing flavors!
- Thickener: You can totally skip adding the thickener (cornstarch slurry). In that case cook down the sauce until it thickens, becomes glossy and beautifully coats the chicken. It'll take some time. With the help of the thickener you can accelerate this step.
How to make chicken teriyaki?
Find the detailed step by step recipe along with measurements + Video at the bottom of the post.
Step #1 Saute the chicken
Rub the chicken with sesame oil & soy sauce. Saute the garlic in the Instant Pot on SAUTE function set at NORMAL heat settings for 30 seconds. Add the marinated chicken cubes and saute until they become opaque and also begin to turn light golden around the edges.
Step #2 Pressure Cook Chicken
Add liquid and de-glaze the pot very well scraping the sides & the bottom of the pot with the help of a spatula. There should not be any food particles stuck at the bottom of the pot. This step will prevent the BURN error.
Close the lid and PRESSURE COOK on HIGH for just 1 minute followed by a quick pressure release.
Step #3 Add Teriyaki Sauce & thicken
Now, you can either prepare the teriyaki sauce in a separate bowl by mixing all the sauce ingredients and than dump it in the instant pot. Or you can dump all the sauce ingredients in the Instant Pot itself without first mixing it in a separate bowl. I did just that.
Simmer the sauce for about 1-2 mins in the SAUTE function kept at LOW heat settings. Add the thickener and cook down the sauce to thicken it. The consistency of the sauce is totally your preference. We love a thick sauce.
However, if you want to skip the thickener you need to cook down the sauce for a long time until it naturally thickens, caramelizes and coats the chicken with a lovely sheen. It's your choice. A thickener catalyses the whole process and thickens the sauce beautifully in no time 🙂
Garnish with a few sesame seeds, chopped scallions and serve over steamed Jasmine rice with a side of blanched or steamed broccoli. You can also toss the blanched or steamed broccoli in the Instant Pot and give a quick stir with the chicken.
Serving Ideas
You’ll love this Japanese chicken teriyaki recipe on a bed of white Jasmine Rice or even brown rice. Noodles are a great option as well! Here’s our favorite picks:
- Instant pot hibachi fried rice.
- Chili garlic noodles instant pot.
- Instant pot green beans no steamer basket.
- Potstickers.
- Wontons.
- Dumplings.
- Wonton soup.
- Hot and sour soup.
- Asian salad.
- Chinese egg rolls.
Leftovers & storage
Fridge: This chicken teriyaki stir fry would last for 6 days in the fridge when stored in air tight containers. The sauce will thicken further when stored in the fridge.
Freezer: This recipe will last for 2 months in the freezer. Store them in portion sized freezer safe bags or containers. Thaw the dish over night in the fridge before re-heating.
How to reheat
You can reheat this chicken breast teriyaki recipe in the microwave oven until warm or hot. Add a few drops of water before popping it into the microwave oven.
FAQs
Teriyaki chicken tastes sweet, savory and a bit of tangy. Authentic Japanese teriyaki dishes delivers a salty umami flavor that comes from the simple soy sauce and mirin ( a sweeter version of sake, very low in alcohol content).
Teriyaki sauce has soy sauce as the main base and contains several other ingredients. Teriyaki sauce tastes savory, sweet and a bit tangy. Whereas, soy sauce is salty with a great depth of flavor.
Teriyaki sauce is not the same as store bought stir fry sauce. Teriyaki sauce is a bit sweeter whereas stir fry sauce is not as sweet as teriyaki sauce. Teriyaki sauce has a great depth of flavor whereas stir fry sauce helps to build mild flavor perfect for light stir fry recipes.
If you prefer sweeter taste than you can use teriyaki sauce instead of soy sauce for stir fry.
Yes, you can use teriyaki sauce for marinade. You can also use it as a glaze for shrimp, salmon and chicken. The sauce lasts a while in the fridge.
More Asian take-out recipes you might like
- Instant pot pork lo mein.
- Instant pot chicken lettuce wraps.
- Instant pot drunken noodles.
- Authentic chicken lo mein recipe.
- Instant pot ramen stir fry.
- Instant pot pad Thai.
- Instant pot shrimp and broccoli.
- Thai peanut chicken instant pot.
- Instant pot sweet and sour pork.
- Instant pot egg roll in a bowl.
- Instant pot cashew chicken.
- Instant pot sweet and sour meatballs.
- Instant pot chicken teriyaki.
- Instant pot stir fry shrimp.
- Instant pot orange chicken.
- Instant pot Mongolian chicken.
- Instant pot Kung Pao chicken.
Recommended
Instant Pot Chicken Teriyaki
Print Recipe Pin RateWatch Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 1.3 pounds Chicken Breast (** boneless, skinless. You can use thighs too.)
- 2 tsp garlic (**minced)
- 2 tsp ginger (**minced)
- 2 tbsp Avocado oil
- 1 tsp Sesame oil
Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
- ¼ cup Soy sauce (**you use: regular or light soy sauce or Tamari or even coconut aminos)
- ½ tbsp Mirin (**See NOTES below for sub)
- ½ tbsp Rice vinegar (**See NOTES below for sub)
- 1 tbsp Sake (**See NOTES below for sub)
- 1 tbsp Hoisin Sauce
- 2 tbsp brown sugar (**See NOTES below for sub)
Garnish
- ½ tsp sesame seeds (**white or black or use both)
- 2 tbsp Scallions (**chopped. Use only green parts)
Liquid
- ¼ cup water
Sauce Thickener
- 2 tbsp Cornstarch (**diluted in 2 tbsp water to form a slurry)
For Flash Marinating Chicken
- 2 tbsp Soy sauce (**you use: regular or light soy sauce or Tamari or even coconut aminos)
- 1 tsp Sesame oil
Equipment Used
Instructions
Flash marinate the chicken
- Dice the skinless, boneless chicken breasts or thighs into 1 inch cubes. Rub them with sesame oil & soy sauce mentioned in the "for flash marinating chicken" above. Set them aside while you prep the other stuffs.
How to make Chicken Teriyaki?
- Set the Instant Pot on SAUTE & set it on NORMAL heat settings. Add oil and when the oil becomes moderately hot throw in the minced ginger & garlic and saute for 30 seconds.
- Add the marinated chicken and saute until the chicken becomes opaque and begins to become slightly golden around the edges.
- Add the liquid and de-glaze the pot very well by scraping the sides and the bottom of the pot with a spatula. This will help to loosen any food particles stuck at the bottom of the pot. As a result, it'll prevent the BURN error.
- CANCEL the SAUTE function and close the lid of the Instant Pot. SEAL the valve and PRESSURE COOK on HIGH for just 1 minute.
- When the pressure cooking cycle is over the Instant Pot will begin to beep. Quickly do a quick pressure release (QPR) by manually moving the valve from the SEALING to the VENTING position. Open the lid carefully. CANCEL the PRESSURE COOK function.
- Hit the SAUTE function and set it on LOW. Add all the ingredients mentioned above in the "Homemade Teriyaki Sauce" section. You'll end up with lots of liquid in the pot. That's fine we'll be cooking down the sauce to thicken.
- Bring the sauce to a simmer. Now, add the cornstarch slurry and give everything a good stir. Simmer to thicken the sauce. At this point you can keep the sauce you prefer, I mean the consistency. We love a thicker sauce and that's how I made it.
- Turn off the Instant Pot. Add the 1 tsp sesame oil and give everything a quick stir. Garnish with sesame seeds, chopped scallions and serve hot. We served the dish with a side of blanched broccoli. If you want you can toss the steamed or blanched broccoli in the pot. Give a quick stir and than serve. Enjoy!
Notes
- Mirin Sub: Sub it with same amount white wine, dry sherry or rice vinegar. Add a little more sugar to balance the flavor. However, this is not mandatory.
- Sake Sub: White wine, dry sherry or equal amount of mirin are great substitutions.
- Rice Vinegar Sub: Use cider vinegar.
- Brown Sugar: You can sub it with 1.5 tbsp honey.
- Spicy Teriyaki Chicken: Add sriracha sauce or increase the amount of red pepper flakes. Today's recipe is not spicy, it has a slight kick to it.
- Soy Sauce: Use low sodium variety. It's a must. Otherwise the dish will become salty.
- Soy Sauce alternatives: You can use low sodium light soy sauce, or tamari or even coconut aminos (it doesn't taste like coconut!).
- The Sauce: We prefer a thick sauce that coats the chicken. However, the consistency of the sauce is totally your choice. Keep it the way you want.
- Thickener: We used cornstarch slurry to quickly thicken the sauce. However, chicken teriyaki chicken can be made without cornstarch. In that case, you need to cook down the sauce to thicken it. The result will not be the same and also the taste.
- Storing Tips: Instant Pot Chicken Teriyaki will last for 5 days in the fridge when stored in dry and air tight containers. The sauce will thicken.
- Freezing Tips: You can fridge the Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken for upto 1 month in freezer safe containers or bags. Just skip the sesame seeds and scallions.
- Re-heating tips: Sprinkle a few drops or teaspoons of water (depending on how thin or how thick you want the sauce) on top of the fridge cold teriyaki chicken and re-heat it in the microwave oven. Garnish with sesame seeds & scallions and serve.
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