Instant Pot Chicken Teriyaki delivers restaurant-quality flavor at home. Tender, juicy chicken pieces are coated in a sweet, savory and slightly tangy homemade teriyaki sauce. Serve it over rice for a family-friendly teriyaki chicken bowl everyone will enjoy.
Note: This post has been updated with reheating directions, serving ideas, leftovers & storage, and FAQs.
Easy chicken teriyaki recipe
If you enjoy Panda Express chicken teriyaki, you’ll love this Instant Pot version — it’s even more flavorful and quicker to make. The homemade teriyaki marinade combines familiar Asian pantry staples so you can control the balance of sweet, salty and tangy notes. Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs for excellent results.
Ingredients and Substitutions
See the full ingredient list with exact measurements in the recipe card below. The list here is a quick reference.
- Chicken: Boneless, skinless breasts or thighs (we used breasts).
- Aromatics: Minced ginger and garlic.
- Soy sauce: Use low-sodium regular soy sauce, or substitute tamari, light soy sauce or coconut aminos.
- Hoisin sauce: Adds a rich, savory-sweet depth — a little goes a long way.
- Mirin: A sweet cooking sake that gives the sauce a glossy sheen. Substitute white wine, dry sherry or rice vinegar plus a touch more sugar if needed.
- Sake: Can be swapped with white wine, dry sherry or an equal amount of mirin.
- Rice vinegar: Cider vinegar works as a substitute.
- Brown sugar: Honey can replace brown sugar if preferred.
- Red pepper flakes: Optional for a subtle kick.
- Liquid: Water or chicken stock — either works; we used water.
- Thickener: Cornstarch slurry to quickly thicken the sauce; you can also reduce the sauce by simmering longer.
- Garnish: White sesame seeds and scallions.
- Accompaniment: Blanched or steamed broccoli and jasmine rice or brown rice.
Tips & Tricks
- Finish with sauce: For wok-like flavor, pressure cook the chicken plain, then add the teriyaki sauce afterward and simmer to develop a glossy glaze. Pressure-cooking the chicken in sauce dulls texture and flavor.
- Use mirin: Mirin adds sweetness and sheen; don’t skip it if you can avoid it.
- Boost flavor: Flash-marinate or rub diced chicken with soy sauce and sesame oil, and sauté briefly before pressure cooking to lock in juices.
- Thickening options: Use a cornstarch slurry for a quick, thick glaze, or simmer longer to naturally reduce and caramelize the sauce (this takes more time).
How to make chicken teriyaki?
Full step-by-step instructions with measurements and a video are available in the recipe card below.
Step #1: Sauté the chicken
Rub the chicken with sesame oil and soy sauce. On the Instant Pot SAUTE (NORMAL) setting, sauté minced garlic (and ginger) about 30 seconds. Add the marinated chicken and sauté until it turns opaque and begins to brown at the edges.
Step #2: Pressure cook the chicken
Add the liquid and deglaze the pot thoroughly, scraping any browned bits from the bottom to prevent a BURN error. Close the lid and pressure cook on HIGH for 1 minute, then perform a quick pressure release.
Step #3: Add teriyaki sauce & thicken
Either mix the teriyaki sauce ingredients in a bowl or add them directly to the pot. With the SAUTE function on LOW, simmer the sauce 1–2 minutes, then whisk in the cornstarch slurry and simmer until the sauce reaches your preferred thickness and coats the chicken. Turn off the Instant Pot, add a splash of sesame oil, and stir to combine.
Garnish with sesame seeds and scallions, and serve over steamed jasmine rice with blanched or steamed broccoli. You can also toss the broccoli into the pot and stir briefly before serving.
Serving Ideas
This teriyaki chicken is excellent over jasmine or brown rice, or served with noodles. Popular pairings include hibachi fried rice, chili garlic noodles, green beans, potstickers, dumplings, egg rolls or a crisp Asian salad.
Leftovers & storage
Fridge: Store in airtight containers for up to 5–6 days. The sauce will thicken as it chills.
Freezer: Freeze portions in freezer-safe bags or containers for up to 1–2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
How to reheat
Reheat in the microwave until warm, adding a few drops of water or broth to loosen the sauce if needed. Reheat gently to avoid drying the chicken.
FAQs
Homemade teriyaki typically combines soy sauce, mirin (or a substitute), sake (optional), a sweetener such as brown sugar or honey, hoisin for depth, rice vinegar for brightness, garlic and ginger. It’s finished with a thickener like cornstarch if desired.
Teriyaki chicken is sweet, savory and slightly tangy with pronounced umami from soy sauce and mirin. A good glaze is glossy and flavorful.
Soy sauce is a salty, fermented seasoning. Teriyaki sauce uses soy sauce as a base but adds sweeteners and other ingredients to produce a sweeter, glossier sauce suitable for glazing.
Not exactly. Teriyaki sauce is sweeter and meant as a glaze, while stir-fry sauces vary and are often less sweet, designed to season and coat quick-cooked vegetables and proteins.
Yes, if you prefer a sweeter stir-fry. Be mindful of added sugars and adjust other seasonings and salt accordingly.
Yes. Teriyaki makes a great marinade and glaze for chicken, salmon or shrimp. It keeps well in the refrigerator for several days.
More Asian take-out recipes you might like
- Instant pot pork lo mein.
- Instant pot chicken lettuce wraps.
- Instant pot drunken noodles.
- Authentic chicken lo mein.
- Instant pot ramen stir fry.
- Instant pot pad Thai.
- Instant pot shrimp and broccoli.
- Thai peanut chicken instant pot.
- Instant pot sweet and sour pork.
- Instant pot egg roll in a bowl.
- Instant pot cashew chicken.
- Instant pot sweet and sour meatballs.
- Instant pot orange chicken.
- Instant pot Mongolian chicken.
- Instant pot Kung Pao chicken.
Recommended
Instant Pot Chicken Teriyaki
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Ingredients
- 1.3 pounds Chicken Breast (boneless, skinless; thighs work too)
- 2 tsp garlic, minced
- 2 tsp ginger, minced
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 tsp sesame oil
Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
- ¼ cup soy sauce (low sodium recommended)
- ½ tbsp mirin
- ½ tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp sake
- 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
Garnish
- ½ tsp sesame seeds
- 2 tbsp scallions, chopped (green parts only)
Liquid
- ¼ cup water
Sauce Thickener
- 2 tbsp cornstarch diluted in 2 tbsp water (slurry)
For Flash Marinating Chicken
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
Equipment Used
Instructions
Flash marinate the chicken
- Dice chicken into 1-inch cubes. Rub with soy sauce and sesame oil from the flash marinate ingredients and set aside while you prep other ingredients.
How to make Chicken Teriyaki?
- Set Instant Pot to SAUTE on NORMAL. Add oil, then sauté ginger and garlic about 30 seconds.
- Add marinated chicken and sauté until opaque and slightly golden at the edges.
- Add water and deglaze the pot, scraping the bottom to remove any stuck bits to prevent a BURN error.
- Cancel SAUTE, close the lid, seal the valve and PRESSURE COOK on HIGH for 1 minute. When finished, perform a quick pressure release and open the lid carefully.
- Set SAUTE to LOW and add all teriyaki sauce ingredients. Bring to a simmer, then whisk in the cornstarch slurry and simmer until the sauce thickens to your liking.
- Turn off the Instant Pot, add 1 tsp sesame oil, stir, garnish with sesame seeds and scallions, and serve hot with rice and vegetables.
Notes
- Mirin substitute: Use equal white wine, dry sherry or rice vinegar and add a bit more sugar if desired.
- Sake substitute: White wine, dry sherry or mirin.
- Rice vinegar substitute: Cider vinegar.
- Brown sugar: Substitute with 1½ tbsp honey if preferred.
- Spicy option: Add sriracha or increase red pepper flakes for heat.
- Soy sauce: Low sodium is recommended to avoid excess saltiness.
- Thickener: Cornstarch slurry speeds thickening; alternatively simmer longer to reduce the sauce.
- Storing: Keeps 5–6 days in the fridge in airtight containers; sauce will thicken when chilled.
- Freezing: Freeze up to 1–2 months in suitable containers or bags. Omit sesame seeds and scallions when freezing.
- Reheating: Sprinkle a few drops of water on chilled teriyaki chicken before reheating to loosen the sauce, then microwave until warm. Garnish before serving.
Calorie and nutrition details are indicative and provided by a third party.
Nutrition
| Carbohydrates: 19 g
| Protein: 46 g
| Fat: 18 g