Sweet and umami! This 3-ingredient teriyaki chicken meal is a healthy Asian meal you can have for lunch or dinner. It’s dairy-free and high protein.
Do you believe that 3 ingredients can create something delicious? Well, it can, and this Teriyaki Chicken is the proof!
If you’re intrigued that only 3 things will need to be taken out of the cupboard or fridge for this dish, read on!
When you’re tired, just in from work, and hungry, no one wants to reach for a recipe that uses so many ingredients that it takes ages just to get started. So, this 3-ingredients recipe may appeal to you.
This Teriyaki Chicken uses no jars of sugar-filled shop-bought sauce to cut corners, and it just relies on simple, good quality ingredients.
You can still eat well without spending hours emptying the cupboard, and this recipe is the proof. It has loads of taste and a sticky sauce and uses just 3 ingredients. Yes, 3! So, let’s get started.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Chicken thighs – this cut of chicken will give you the most flavor, and when we aren’t using many ingredients, we need all the help we can! You could, of course, use chicken breast here if you prefer. Organic and cornfed are good options.
Soy sauce – You can use a low salt version or even coconut aminos if you like, so choose your favorite.
Honey – A runny honey from a good quality source is the best choice to add some stickiness to the dish.
How to Make Teriyaki Chicken
Place the chicken thighs onto a chopping board and cut them into bite-sized pieces.
Heat a non-stick frying pan over a high heat, like this one, and add the chicken pieces.
Cook for about 8 minutes until cooked and golden. The more color you get to your chicken, the more flavor you will have.
Stir the soy sauce and honey together and add to the frying pan.
Bring to the boil and bubble away to get the ingredients to coat the chicken.
Note: If you wanted to get it to stick even more to the chicken pieces, you could add a little bit of cornstarch.
Leave to cool in the frying pan for a short time, as the sauce will thicken even more.
Some shredded salad onions would be a lovely, fresh addition if you wanted to add some to the top just before serving.
Is Teriyaki Chicken Healthy?
Yes! But beware! There are many store-bought Teriyaki sauces that can be brought as a shortcut which are full of sugar, and unfortunately, this doesn’t make it very healthy.
The traditional flavor of Teriyaki comes from Japan originally, where fish was broiled or grilled with a glaze of soy sauce, mirin, and sugar, but this doesn’t mean lots of sugar needs to be added.
The chicken version was created further afield in the US, where it also had very sweet sauces associated with it – so keep it traditional, and yes, your Teriyaki Chicken will be healthy.
The chicken, widely used in Teriyaki now, is a healthy protein to use. It’s essential for energy, muscle repair, and recovery and contains B Vitamins, such as niacin and B12, which are great for our energy production and blood health.
Is Soy Sauce too high in sodium to be healthy? Yes, soy sauce is considered a high sodium product, but if you are watching salt levels, you can help this by opting for the low-sodium varieties of soy sauce and coconut aminos.
Also, Teriyaki Chicken is usually served with fresh vegetables, rice, or noodles, which keeps the dish healthy, encouraging more vegetables to be eaten, which is vital for good health.
This recipe is only 3 ingredients and makes a quick meal, so yes, this is healthy as it may stop a more processed meal coming out instead.
What Do You Eat Teriyaki Chicken With?
You could add some steamed rice or noodles to eat with this dish to make it into a filling meal.
However, if you are following a low-carb diet, you could serve with zucchini noodles or cauliflower rice instead as the sauce goes so well with these and coats both perfectly.
Garlic and ginger are flavors that have been associated with Teriyaki, so you could make a vegetable stir fry with mushrooms and broccoli, cooking with a little crushed garlic and grated fresh ginger to serve with the chicken pieces and sauce.
Steamed Chinese lettuce, Pak choi, Bok choi, or even grilled lettuce would be a great addition to this Chicken Teriyaki. Any green vegetables do go particularly well with the sweetness of the sauce.
You could add the chicken, cooled and still full of stickiness, to a salad of shredded cabbage and carrot, topped with some finely sliced red onion to make a delicious summer dish.
Seeds and nuts are an excellent way to add some extra nutritional elements to this dish and boost flavor and texture.
Try toasting sesame seeds and sprinkling them over the top of your finished dish. Sesame seeds are a great source of vitamin E, which helps regulate hormones and support the immune system.
Roasted and chopped cashew nuts could be scattered over the top instead, giving some useful copper, manganese, and magnesium to your diet.
Peanuts could also be toasted and chopped as an alternative to a topping.
You could, of course, just eat the chicken on its own as it’s so good!
Other Recipes You Might Like
3-Ingredient Teriyaki Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken thighs skinless, boneless
- ½ cup soy sauce low sodium
- 2 tbsp honey
Instructions
- Cut the chicken thighs into chunks and add them to the frying pan. Cook for 4 minutes on each side until the chicken is fully cooked.
- Add in the soy sauce and honey. Stir and bring to boil.
- Cook until the sauce coats the chicken. You might need to add a tiny bit of cornstarch if the sauce doesn't thoroughly coat the chicken.
Chrissy
Sunday 18th of February 2024
This is delicious thank you! This might be a silly question but what is a serving size for “one bowl” I just don’t know how to figure that out and portion it out
Karo @ AllNutritious
Tuesday 20th of February 2024
It's a small bowl, about 1/2lb of chicken :)