Grilled Teriyaki Chicken
On May 20, 2020 (Updated May 11, 2024)
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Nothing beats grilled teriyaki chicken as a classic backyard BBQ dish the whole family will love. This recipe includes a homemade teriyaki marinade and sauce that tastes delicious with a little kiss of char from the grill.
Grilled Teriyaki Chicken
Teriyaki chicken is a staple in most Asian AND Hawaiian restaurants here in the USA, and for good reason. The flavors are almost universally well liked for adults and kids of all ages.
The flavors in the marinade and sauce are the perfect balance of sweet and savory with great aromatic notes like ginger and garlic. Add in the kiss of caramelized char from the grill and you’ll end up with deliciously juicy chicken that will please a crowd.
What Chicken Works Best for Teriyaki Chicken?
I recommend boneless, skinless chicken thighs for grilled teriyaki chicken. They are incredibly affordable, have a little more fat (which means more flavor and moisture) than breasts, and there is plenty of surface area for the chicken to be seasoned by the marinade. Chicken thighs also grill up quicker than other cuts, which means I spend less time babysitting the fire and more time enjoying my meal.
If you don’t love chicken thighs, breasts are always an option! I do recommend splitting the breasts or using a meat mallet to pound them to a more even thickness. This will give more of your chicken access to the flavorful marinade.
If you want to grill up bone-in chicken cuts (like grilled chicken legs or grilled chicken wings), I recommend seasoning them simply and basting them with my homemade teriyaki BBQ sauce. Bone-in cuts typically take longer to cook, the marinades don’t penetrate the skin as well, and you risk burning the sugars in this marinade on the grill before the chicken is cooked through.
Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Marinade and Sauce
This marinade does double duty as both the base flavor for the chicken AND the teriyaki sauce used to baste the chicken during the grilling process. Using a marinade as a sauce does require an additional boiling step to ensure no cross-contamination, so after gathering the ingredients, make sure you follow the recipe to keep everything food-safe!
Here’s what you need to make this grilled teriyaki chicken marinade:
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup water (or pineapple juice if you like a fruitier and slightly sweeter teriyaki sauce)
- 1/2 cup pineapple chunks (from the can only, fresh pineapple has an enzyme that will make your chicken mushy)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon grated ginger
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
How to Cook Teriyaki Chicken on the Grill
Here are the steps for grilled teriyaki chicken with a few additional notes and insights to help your chicken turn out perfectly.
- Start marinating. Combine all ingredients for the marinade (yes, even the pineapple chunks) in a gallon-sized zip-top bag, mix well and add in the chicken thighs. Next, refrigerate the chicken in the marinade for at least 4 hours. I usually shoot for 8 hours, but you can go up to 24 hours with no problems.
- Grill the chicken. You are going to be using 2-zones of heat (high heat and low heat) if you are using a gas or charcoal grill. If using a pellet smoker, preheat to 375 degrees F. I prefer cooking these chicken thighs over charcoal. Take the chicken out of the marinade and SAVE the marinade!! Start grilling your chicken thighs on the low heat side of the grill, close the lid, and cook for 5-7 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reads 145 degrees F.
- Make the teriyaki sauce. While the chicken grills, make the sauce. You can do this in a pan or cast iron skillet on the direct heat side of your grill while your chicken is on the indirect side. Pour the marinade into the pan and bring it to a boil to kill any bacteria remaining from marinating. Adding in a cornstarch slurry thickens the sauce. Pour about ½ cup of sauce into a separate bowl for basting. Set aside the rest of the sauce for serving with the chicken.
- Baste the chicken. Brush the chicken thighs with ½ cup of reserved teriyaki sauce. Move the thighs over to the high heat side of the grill and cook, flipping and basting once more, until the sauce has caramelized on the outside of the thighs and the internal temperature reads 170-175 degrees F using an instant read internal thermometer.
- Serve and enjoy! Finally, remove the chicken from the grill to a serving platter. Allow it to rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with the reserved teriyaki sauce and a sprinkle of sesame seeds (optional).
More Island-Inspired Recipes
If you love teriyaki chicken, chances are you’ll love these other delicious island-inspired recipes. Check them out at the links below.
- Smoked Kalua Pork
- Teriyaki BBQ Sauce
- Grilled Pineapple
- Grilled Hawaiian Teriyaki Burgers
- Teriyaki Beef Jerky
Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Recipe
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This post was originally published in May 2020. We recently updated it with more information and helpful tips. The recipe remains the same.
Grilled Teriyaki Chicken
Video
Ingredients
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Marinade
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup soy sauce
- ½ cup water (or pineapple juice)
- ½ cup canned pineapple chunks
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon grated ginger
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons corn starch
- 2 Tablespoons cool water
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken thighs. Combine all ingredients for the marinade in a gallon-sized zip-top bag and mix well to combine. Place all chicken thighs in the bag, remove as much air as possible, and seal tightly. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 8 hours.
- Grill the chicken. Preheat your grill to 375 degrees F with 2-zones of heat (high heat and low heat). Remove the chicken thighs from the marinade and set the marinade aside. Place the chicken thighs on the low heat side of the grill, close the lid, and cook for 5-7 minutes on each side, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reads 145 degrees F.
- Make the teriyaki sauce. While the chicken grills preheat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Pour the marinade into the saucepan and bring to a boil. In a small pan, combine the cornstarch and cool water, mixing until there are no chunks of cornstarch left. Pour the cornstarch mixture into the boiling sauce, while whisking. Remove the thickened sauce from the heat and pour about ½ cup of sauce into a separate bowl. Set aside the rest of the sauce for serving with the chicken.
- Sauce the chicken. Baste each of the chicken thighs with ½ cup of reserved teriyaki sauce. Move the thighs over to the high heat side of the grill and cook, flipping and basting once more, until the sauce has caramelized on the outside of the thighs and the internal temperature reads 170-175 degrees F.
- Rest and serve. Remove the chicken from the grill to a serving platter and allow it to rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving with reserved teriyaki sauce.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is so good for made it a second time this week!! Served with sticky white rice and roasted garlic broccoli.
Can you use this recipe for boneless/bone-in pork chops? Any mods necessary?
It should work fine as-is!