Add a kick of salty sweetness to your week with this unbeatable Teriyaki chicken meal prep recipe! With fluffy white rice and fresh, firm broccoli, this is the ultimate midday pick-me-up. It’s dairy-free!
Enjoy this teriyaki chicken meal prep in the middle of a busy workday or for dinner! I don’t mean to brag. But I do think this is one of the best meal prep ideas out there.
Every morsel of this juicy chicken is coated in a thick, luscious teriyaki sauce. With crunchy white sesame seeds on top, this is your mid-week trip to Japan on a plate.
Best of all, this super simple recipe means you can make four portions at light speed! Who said meal prepping can’t be delicious, easy, and affordable?
Table of Contents
Ingredients and Substitutes
Chicken
Olive oil (2 tbsp) – Olive oil is rich and adds its own flavor to the dish. It also has a low smoke point, so it won’t get too hot and burn your chicken once it hits the frying pan.
If you’re not a fan or you don’t have any olive oil in the house, sunflower or canola oil will work as well.
Chicken thighs (2lbs) – Chicken thighs are dark meat, which means they carry extra flavor. Plus, they become extra tender once cooked. Use boneless and skinless chicken thighs if you can.
Sauce
Soy sauce (1/2 cup) – Soy sauce is the core ingredient for teriyaki sauce. It’s the base! The deep, dark saltiness is the perfect thing to anchor the sticky sauce and make it so rich.
Rice vinegar (2 tbsp) – A little bit of rice vinegar is just the thing to add a touch of acidity to the sauce. It helps balance out the rich saltiness and sweetness, along with the ginger and garlic.
If you don’t have rice vinegar, white vinegar will do in a pinch.
Ginger (1 tbsp, minced) – Ginger is an aromatic ingredient. It will add a rich, natural taste to the sauce, an earthiness you can’t deny.
Garlic (4 cloves, minced)
Brown sugar (2 tbsp) – Not only does it help balance the salty soy sauce, but it also helps thicken the sauce into a deliciously sticky one.
Honey (4 tbsp)
Sesame oil (1 tsp) – Sesame oil is one of the big parts of teriyaki sauce. It adds some nuttiness, and it’s also a great way to add some gentle fattiness to round out the flavor profile.
Water (1/2 cup) – Make sure to use cold tap water for the sauce, not boiling water!
Cornstarch (4 tsp) – Finally, we have the thickener. If you want a thick sauce, you can either reduce it for a very long time or save yourself some heartache with a dose of cornstarch.
To make sure your cornstarch folds in well, try making a slurry first. A little bit of water to make this cornstarch into a paste that blends well into the sauce.
Broccoli and Rice
White rice (1 cup ) – White rice is the ideal meal prep side dish because it’s easy to make in large quantities. Whip up a large batch of long-grain or Jasmine rice for this recipe.
Water (1.5 cups) – Make sure to use cold tap water to cook your rice and broccoli. It’s also a key component of the sauce to help it stretch further.
Salt and black pepper (to taste)– Freshly ground black pepper will always give you the best results with your chicken. However, Japanese dishes also often use ground white pepper as a substitute.
Broccoli (2 heads)– The fresher your broccoli, the better your dish will be. Check your broccoli stems as you’re shopping to make sure they’re firm and fresh.
Garnish
Sesame seeds – White sesame seeds are best to add some crunch and some nuttiness. However, you can always try a little drizzle of sesame oil if you don’t have them!
Green onions – Green onions are essential for a touch of freshness on top of the teriyaki sauce. Try slicing your green onions on an angle to make the pieces wider and thinner so they sprinkle well.
How to Make Teriyaki Chicken
Step 1. Make the Sauce. Grab a small glass bowl and pour half a cup of soy sauce. Add your rice vinegar, ginger, garlic, sugar, and honey.
Finish with a teaspoon of quality sesame oil, your water, and the cornstarch to help it thicken. Stir to combine, and you have your sauce ready to add.
Step 2. Cook the Chicken. Put about two tablespoons of light oil in the bottom of a frying pan and crank the heat to medium. Slice the chicken thighs into one-inch cubes and add them to your heated pan.
Cook these for around ten minutes. Ensure you get all sides of the chicken for that golden brown color and juicy texture.
Step 3. Pour the prepared sauce over the chicken in your frying pan. Cook until the sauce thickens naturally. Stir every once in a while to make sure none of it sticks to your pan.
The sauce will take around five to six minutes to thicken up. You’ll know it’s done when the sauce coats the chicken, even when it’s not totally submerged.
Step 4. Finish the chicken by generously dusting it with white sesame seeds and sliced green onions. Slice your green onions on an angle to make them larger and flakier.
Step 5. Grab your two small heads of broccoli. Then, use a sharp knife to cut the florets of broccoli away from the stem. Add the florets to the boiling water and cook for just three to four minutes.
We want the broccoli to cook and become green, vibrant, and crunchy gently. So, once they look ready, go ahead and pour out the broccoli water.
Step 6. Now, it’s time to assemble your meal prep dishes! This recipe makes four portions, so grab four clean and dry meal prep containers. Glass airtight containers work best if you have them.
Divide your broccoli, rice, and chicken into the four containers. Make sure the chicken goes last so that you can get every drop of that delicious sauce on the other elements too. And you’re done!
Why is Teriyaki Chicken so Good?
Teriyaki sauce is so good because it’s an example of a super-balanced sauce. It contains salt, fat, acid, and sweetness. That means it hits you in every single one of your flavor centers.
It’s versatile, easy to prepare, and keeps well, thanks to the sugar in the sauce. How can you argue with a clean eating meal prep idea like that?
What do You Serve with Chicken Teriyaki?
In Japan, teriyaki chicken is typically part of sushi or a rice bowl. So, its natural companion is rice! Use fragrant Jasmine rice or sticky white rice as the ideal foundation for a chicken teriyaki dish.
To make sure you’re getting all your nutrients in, it’s great to add a vegetable side dish to your teriyaki chicken meal too.
Is Teriyaki Sweet and Salty?
Teriyaki sauce is the king of the sweet and salty combination. It includes soy sauce and honey (or brown sugar), which makes it taste amazing on chicken.
The key is to add a little bit of nuttiness to it, like sesame, to help bring the two worlds of salt and sweet together.
More Meal Prep Recipes
Chicken and Sweet Potato Meal Prep
Teriyaki Chicken Meal Prep
Ingredients
TERIYAKI CHICKEN
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 lbs chicken thighs skinless, boneless (cut into 1-inch cubes)
Teriyaki Sauce Ingredients
- 1/2 cup soy sauce low sodium
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp ginger minced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 4 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 cup water
- 4 tsp cornstarch
Garnish
- Sesame Seeds
- Green Onions
BROCCOLI AND RICE
- 1 cup white rice
- 1.5 cup water
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 small heads of broccoli
Instructions
- Teriyaki Chicken
- Add olive oil to the frying pan and heat it to medium-high heat. Add chicken thighs and cook on both sides until it’s cooked. It will take around 10 minutes.
- Combine all the teriyaki sauce ingredients in a bowl. Pour over the chicken and cook until it thickens, stirring throughout to coat the chicken with the sauce. It will take around 5-6 minutes.
- Sprinkle the chicken with sesame seeds and green onion
- Broccoli and Rice
- While cooking the chicken, cook the rice according to the packaging instructions.
- Fluff your rice once finished.
- Fill a pot with water and bring it to a boil. Add a pinch of salt.
- Now, wash the broccoli. Then, cut the broccoli into florets and slice them up so they boil up faster.
- Add florets into the boiling water and cook for 3-4 minutes until they are tender. Remove and drain them before serving.
- Assemble Meal Prep Containers
- Divide the rice into the containers, do the same with broccoli and then chicken. Your meal prep bowls are ready! Keep in the fridge for 3-4 days, and enjoy! Eat it cold or heated up.