Teriyaki Chicken Marinade (Grilled Teriyaki Chicken)
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A very easy homemade Teriyaki Marinade that makes chicken, pork, beef, or fish so flavorful. You are going to love making and eating this recipe!
Try my Maple Glazed Chicken, or my Oven Roasted Chicken Thighs, too!
Want the same flavor with less babysitting? Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken is a fast weeknight version.
I love love LOVE having this Teriyaki Marinade in my recipe arsenal. It’s super easy to mix up and tastes way better than any store-bought marinade I’ve tried.
Bring chicken home from the grocery store and put them right in zip-lock plastic bags. Add enough marinade to cover the chicken. Then put them in the freezer and then take them out before leaving for work. As they thaw, they marinate – a great thing to have around for a really tasty dinner!
Being freezer-friendly is RIGHT up my alley, I love being able to make-ahead meals, or at least get a head start!
Bring chicken home from the grocery store and put them right in zip-lock plastic bags. Add enough marinade to cover the chicken then put them in the freezer and then take them out before leaving for work. As they thaw, they marinate – a great thing to have around for a really tasty dinner!
Love Chicken Marinades? Try this sweet and spicy Chicken Diablo, or go for these AMAZING Chicken Satay Skewers (with peanut dipping sauce). For another one that packs a tangy-sweet punch, don’t miss my Honey Lime Chicken recipe.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Make ahead. Prep the marinade on the weekend and keep it in the fridge until you need it. You can also marinate the chicken in the freezer—just add the chicken and marinade, then freeze. It’ll soak up all that flavor as it thaws!
- Easy. Simple ingredients, nothing complicated here!
- Delicious. This one speaks for itself, but I’ll say it anyway—it’s absolutely delicious!
Frequently Asked Questions
Nope! Marinades and Sauces are different, with different purposes. A marinade flavors the meat by slowly absorbing over time. Sauce is more of a condiment, and can also be used in stir fries. Try my Teriyaki Sauce if you want the condiment instead!
You will need to cook the chicken to 165 degrees F when tested in the thickest part.
Yes…. and no. You MUST boil any marinade that has touched raw chicken to a rolling boil to kill all the bacteria.
Serving Suggestion
Sprinkle with sesame seeds and some green onions.
Side dishes for grilled chicken:
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Key Recipe Ingredients
Remember: this is just an overview and the why of the ingredients I choose here. The full list of ingredients and amounts is found in the printable recipe card below.
- Soy sauce. Adds salty, umami flavor to the dish.
- Brown sugar. You can use either dark or light brown sugar—both work fine here.
- Worcestershire sauce. Brings a deep, savory flavor.
- Vinegar. Use your preferred type of vinegar—see above for details.
- Oil. Any oil works, but sesame oil adds a nice touch. I usually use whatever I have on hand.
- Onion powder & garlic powder. These add a little extra flavor to the dish.
- Ginger. I like using fresh ginger for the best flavor, but you can use powdered ginger if that’s what you have.
How to make Teriyaki Marinade
This next part is only a photo tutorial of the recipe steps. The full list of ingredients, quantities and instructions can be found in the printable recipe card below.
Jump- Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and heat gently until the sugar is completely dissolved
- Add the chicken to a dish or bag.
- Add the marinade and mix around until evenly coated.
- Marinate the chicken for 4 hours (up to 24 hours) in the refrigerator.
- Heat a grill to medium-high, and grill for a few minutes per side until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
- Devour!
Kylee’s Notes
This chicken marinade can be used on pork chops too!
Use chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts – you’ll get very moist, tender grilled chicken if you prefer to use thighs! I like
You can use freshly minced garlic in this if you’d like. I generally choose NOT to because if it ends up on the chicken when grilling, it burns. Burned garlic doesn’t taste great.
Vinegar – any kind will do – I’ve used red wine, white wine, plain distilled white vinegar, as well as apple cider vinegar!
Want more easy chicken recipes?
- This Italian Style Mozzarella Skillet is the stuff of DREAMS. Try it!
- Chicken with Romesco Sauce. Grilled Chicken paired with an amazingly full flavored Romesco Sauce brings YOUR dinner to new levels. Smoky and robust, you’ll find yourself looking for new things to eat it with!
- Pesto Stuffed Chicken (with Cream Cheese). Super easy to make, finishes in the oven for some hands-off cooking! Creamy and delicious, everyone will love this dinner!
- ALL CHICKEN RECIPES
- ALL WEEKNIGHT RECIPES
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Teriyaki Marinade Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 1 cup water
- 3/4 cup dark brown sugar see notes
- 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 3 tablespoons vinegar see notes
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil see notes
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder see notes
- 2 teaspoons ginger grated fresh
- 4 chicken breasts
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and heat gently until sugar is completely dissolved. Do not boil.1 cup soy sauce, 1 cup water, 3/4 cup dark brown sugar, 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce, 3 tablespoons vinegar, 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, 2 teaspoons onion powder, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 2 teaspoons ginger
- Add 4 chicken breasts to a dish or bag. Add the marinade and mix around until evenly coated.
- Marinate the chicken for 4 hours (up to 24 hours) in the refrigerator.
- Heat a grill to medium-high, and grill for a few minutes per side until internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Devour!
Notes
- What temperature should chicken be cooked to? You will need to cook the chicken to 165 degrees F when tested in the thickest part.
- OIL – any kind of oil, sesame oil is great in this, but I typically just use whatever is on hand.
- Use chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts – you’ll get very moist, tender grilled chicken if you prefer to use thighs! I like
- You can use freshly minced garlic in this if you’d like. I generally choose NOT to because if it ends up on the chicken when grilling, it burns. Burned garlic doesn’t taste great.
- Vinegar – any kind will do – I’ve used red wine, white wine, plain distilled white vinegar, as well as apple cider vinegar!
- This chicken marinade can be used on pork chops too!
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Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Make sure to follow @kyleecooks on Instagram for more and tag me #kyleecooks so I can see!Update: This was originally posted in June of 2013, and has been updated to improve reader experience.
About Kylee Ayotte
I am a born and raised New Zealander (a Kiwi), now living in Phoenix, Arizona. I’m happily married to the love of my life – a hot American boy I met while traveling the world. I’m a mama to 2 awesome little boys and love red things, rugby, cheesecake, and bacon. Mmmmm. Bacon. Meet Kylee
Great idea! I get into such a rut with grilling chkcein – almost always marinate in Italian dressing – so this will really help. We’re on the road right now (visiting/meetings in TX this week then back to cool IL until we finally move down here) – but will print this up when I’m back home and saying “Hmmm…what about dinner??”
I'm with Caroline – such fantastic multitasking!
I love the idea of freezing them in the marinade! This looks delicious!
This looks great and I love the color too! It definitely beats the already prepared version and I can make this with pantry staples!