This easy Slow Cooker Chicken Teriyaki recipe comes complete with fresh vegetables for a hearty and healthy meal. It is soy-free and refined sugar-free, making it a healthy teriyaki chicken recipe!
This easy dump-and-go slow cooker chicken teriyaki recipe is a shining star for all those times you’re needing to prepare dinner but you can’t give it your full attention.
We simply mix some ingredients for our homemade teriyaki sauce, chop up some meat and veggies, and into the crock pot it all goes! I like adding some fresh veggies like bell pepper and green beans for a simple infusion of vegetation, flavor, texture, and color.
This healthier recipe is soy-free, gluten-free, refined sugar-free and paleo friendly, making it suitable for those trying to eliminate overly processed ingredients. The sauce ingredients are few and flavorful, making prep simple!
Let’s discuss the simple ingredients for slow cooker teriyaki chicken!
Ingredients for Slow Cooker Chicken Teriyaki
Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs: The protein star here, we need boneless chicken thighs. While boneless skinless chicken breasts may be used, I prefer the flavor and texture of thighs, as they maintain moisture and don’t dry out as easily.
Coconut Aminos: Taking the place of store-bought teriyaki sauce, we use coconut aminos for our sweet and umami flavors.
If you have never cooked with coconut aminos, it is a sweet sap that comes from coconuts, and it is also savory. It is often used to replace soy sauce for a soy-free alternative, and it also replaces refined sugar, as it is naturally sweet.
Rice Vinegar: A little rice wine vinegar brings a tangy flavor to add to the flavor profile.
Fresh Garlic and Yellow Onion: Onion and garlic are key players in the flavor department. They ensure this healthy dinner has plenty of boldness.
Fresh Ginger: A little mild kick of heat comes from zingy ginger. It adds a fresh flavor that is impossible to replicate with any other ingredient.
Tapioca Flour: Used as the thickener to give the sauce a glaze-like consistency. Cornstarch, gluten-free all-purpose flour, and arrowroot flour all work too. If you are okay with soupy sauce, feel free to skip this ingredient altogether.
Sriracha: A little sriracha brings a kick of heat that is nearly imperceptible. Feel free to increase the amount to your personal taste, or omit it altogether.
Sea Salt and Black Pepper: Season the meal to taste with salt and pepper.
Fresh Vegetables: Pick your favorites! In this recipe, I use red bell pepper and green beans.
Recipe Customizations:
- Toss in your favorite vegetables, such as green beans, bell pepper, snow peas, green onions, bok choy, or broccoli florets.
- If you cook with soy sauce, substitute the coconut aminos for ⅓ cup of low sodium soy sauce + 2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup or brown sugar.
- Swap the chicken for sirloin steak or pork tenderloin, cut into thin strips.
Now that we’ve covered the basic ingredients, let’s make some crock pot teriyaki chicken!
How to Make Slow Cooker Chicken Teriyaki:
Chop the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces and transfer them to the bottom of your crock pot with the chopped onion.
Stir together the ingredients for the homemade teriyaki sauce in a small bowl until combined (coconut aminos, rice vinegar, sesame oil, sriracha, garlic, ginger, and tapioca flour).
Pour the teriyaki sauce into the crock pot with the chicken and stir well.
Secure the lid on the crock pot and cook on high heat for 1 hour. Stir in the bell pepper and green beans and cook for another hour (2 hours total on high heat).
To check for doneness, you can insert a digital thermometer into the center of one of the pieces of chicken. They are cooked through if they are 180 degrees in the center or higher.
Avoid over-cooking the chicken, as it tends to turn dry and chalky in the crock pot.
Season the teriyaki chicken to taste with sea salt and black pepper and serve over steamed white rice or brown rice. Give everything a sprinkle of sesame seeds if you’d like.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Recipe Tips:
For snappier vegetables, add in the veggies when there is 30 minutes left so that they cook for 30 minutes instead of one hour.
And that’s it! The next time you’re craving teriyaki chicken, whip up this healthy homemade version. You can always mix it up with different kinds of vegetables or proteins.
Make a double batch or a triple batch to enjoy throughout the week if you’re a meal prepper!
If you fancy making crock pot dinner recipes at home, also try these gems!
More Slow Cooker Meals:
- Crock Pot Cashew Chicken
- Slow Cooker Mediterranean Chicken
- Crock Pot Birria Tacos
- Slow Cooker Lamb Shanks
- Crock Pot Chicken Stew
Teriyaki chicken and rice it up!
Slow Cooker Chicken Teriyaki Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 to 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 small yellow onion sliced (about 1 cup)
- ½ cup coconut aminos *
- 3 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 Tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tsp sriracha optional
- 4 large cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tbsp fresh ginger peeled and grated
- 2 tsp tapioca flour **
- Sea salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 red bell pepper cut into match sticks
- 2 cups green beans chopped
Instructions
- Chop the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces and transfer them to the bottom of your crock pot with the chopped onion.
- Stir together the ingredients for the homemade teriyaki sauce in a small bowl until combined (coconut aminos, rice vinegar, sesame oil, sriracha, garlic, ginger, and tapioca flour).
- Pour the teriyaki sauce into the crock pot with the chicken and stir well.
- Secure the lid on the crock pot and cook on high heat for 1 hour. Stir in the bell pepper and green beans and cook for another hour (2 hours total on high heat). To check for doneness, you can insert a digital thermometer into the center of one of the pieces of chicken. They are cooked through if they are 180 degrees in the center or higher. Avoid over-cooking the chicken, as it tends to turn dry and chalky in the crock pot.
- Season the teriyaki chicken to taste with sea salt and black pepper and serve over steamed white rice or brown rice. Give everything a sprinkle of sesame seeds if you’d like.
