Teriyaki Chicken Bowls

We love making Asian Rice Bowls for quick dinners and meal prep lunches and this Chicken Teriyaki Bowl is one of my favorites. It comes together in less than 30 minutes and can be made with any combination of chicken and vegetables you like. 

If you are in need of a universally loved meal, it’s hard to find anyone who doesn’t love teriyaki chicken. With the classic sweet and savory sauce and tender chicken, this dish is popular for a reason.

So why not take that beloved dish and turn it into a tasty bowl with tons of fresh veggies and whole grains? Serve it family style and let everyone build their own teriyaki bowls or make these for meal prep.

Why We Love Teriyaki Chicken Bowls

• Easy: Even with the homemade sauce, this dish is ready in less than 30 minutes. Swap in store-bought sauce, packaged Asian vegetables, or precooked rice and you could make it in under 15 minutes.
• Great for meal prep: This dish reheats well making it perfect for meal prep.
• Versatile: This recipe can be made with any combination of protein and veggies you like. Use what you have on hand.

Teriyaki lovers will want to make this bowl with teriyaki salmon, teriyaki shrimp, or teriyaki chicken thighs. It's also o good with some of these Crispy Asian Brussels Sprouts on top.

Ingredients and Easy Substitutions

Here is everything you need to make this bowl.

• Chicken: Boneless skinless chicken breast is what I use the most often but this recipe works with boneless skinless thighs as well. Feel free to swap in rotisserie chicken, shrimp, or thinly sliced pork tenderloin.
• Teriyaki sauce: This homemade sauce uses soy sauce, pineapple juice, honey, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, chili paste, and cornstarch. You can swap in chicken broth for the pineapple juice, tamari or coconut aminos for the soy sauce, and arrowroot powder for the cornstarch. Use honey, maple syrup, or brown sugar as the sweetener. Or simply use your favorite store-bought sauce or homemade stir fry sauce.
• Vegetables: Use any combination of vegetables you like. The recipe calls for sugar snap peas, carrots, and red bell pepper. Consider trying it with broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, onion, spinach, zucchini, cabbage, or bok choy.
• Quinoa: For the base of this bowl, I used quinoa which has a bit more protein than rice. Swap in brown rice, white rice, cauliflower rice, or greens.

How to Make Teriyaki Chicken Bowls

Follow these simple instructions to make these tasty bowls.

1. Choose your sauce: This recipe can be made with homemade teriyaki sauce or store-bought. For the homemade sauce, simply add all the ingredients to a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Immediately turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for 3-5 minutes until it has thickened. If you don’t want to dirty another pan, you can make the sauce right in the skillet after browning the chicken and cooking the vegetables. Then just add the chicken and vegetables right to the sauce in the same pan.
2. Prepare the base and toppings: Before you start cooking the chicken and vegetables, get the base of your bowl ready. This could be quinoa, rice, or greens. These bowls are really good with sushi rice as well, like these easy sushi bowls. Chop any additional toppings like fresh cilantro, red cabbage, green onions, or cashews.
3. Brown the chicken: The most important thing when cooking the chicken is to cook it in a single layer. When the pan is overcrowded, the chicken will steam and can get rubbery. Also, make sure not to overcook the chicken. It should be just cooked through.
4. Saute the vegetables: In stir-fry style dishes, the vegetables should be tender-crisp, not mushy. Add them to the pan and cook them over high heat, stirring often, until they are just becoming tender.
5. Add the sauce: Add the sauce to the pan and let everything cook together for 1-2 minutes. Do not cook the chicken and vegetables in the sauce any longer since the chicken can overcook and the vegetables will get soggy. It can also cause the sauce to over-reduce.
6. Assemble the teriyaki bowls: Now it’s time to build your teriyaki chicken bowls. Add the quinoa (or rice/greens), layer in the chicken and vegetables, and add any additional toppings. Sprinkle with sesame seeds or green onions if you like.

Variations and Recipe Ideas

There are so many different ways to customize this recipe and make it your own.

• Change up the protein: Make this with chicken breasts, chicken thighs, ground meat, thinly sliced pork, or thinly sliced beef. It also works with seafood like shrimp and fish. It's also great with ground beef like this Korean Ground Beef Bowl.
• Use different vegetables: These teriyaki chicken bowls work great with pretty much any combination of vegetables you like. Consider using broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, green beans, cabbage, bok choy, carrots, onions, and any other veggies you like.
• Make it low carb: Use a low-carb sweetener like monk fruit to make the teriyaki sauce and make the bowl with cauliflower rice, greens, or spaghetti squash.
• Add toppings: Consider adding edamame for extra protein. Add some raw cabbage for crunch. Finish the dish with chopped cashews or sesame seeds. Use fresh herbs like cilantro, basil, or green onions for the most flavor.
• Vegetarian option: Make this bowl with tofu, tempeh, or simply add edamame to the vegetable mixture. With edamame and quinoa, it still has a good amount of protein.

Kitchen Shortcuts

Need to save time? Try these shortcuts.

• Frozen vegetables: This recipe will work with frozen vegetables, just make sure not to cook them too long or they can get really soggy. They will only need a couple of minutes in the pan.
• Teriyaki sauce: Instead of making your own sauce, grab your favorite store brand of teriyaki sauce.
• Precooked chicken: Use leftover or rotisserie chicken instead of fresh. Just chop it and toss it in when you add the teriyaki sauce.
• Precooked rice or quinoa: Instead of making your own grains, start with precooked or frozen rice or quinoa to save time.

Meal Prep and Storing Leftovers

This recipe stores well in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Make sure to let it cool fully before placing it in the fridge.

To mix things up if you are making this for meal prep, serve it in different ways. Make a teriyaki rice bowl, teriyaki chicken lettuce wraps, and Asian-style tacos.

Is chicken teriyaki healthy?

Teriyaki chicken can be healthy depending on how it is prepared. When made with lean chicken, lots of veggies, and a lower-sugar teriyaki sauce, it is a nutritious dish.

The three main things that can make it unhealthy are saturated fat from the oil used to cook the dish. The second is sodium soy sauce. The third is the sugar used in the teriyaki sauce.

When making this at home, you can control all of these ingredients and make a much healthier version.

he bowls with cooked quinoa and teriyaki chicken and vegetables. Add any additional toppings or vegetables including sliced green onions, sesame seeds, cooked edamame, red cabbage, or cilantro.