Teriyaki Stir Fry
If you are craving restaurant-quality teriyaki but don’t want to leave the comfort of home, this chicken and veggie teriyaki stir-fry is the next best thing. Scratch that… It’s even better! The colorful veggies, tender chicken, and delicious homemade teriyaki sauce come together in only 30 minutes to make a perfect weeknight meal! It's even faster than take-out!
Why we love this teriyaki stir-fry recipe
Who doesn’t love stir-fry recipes for their speed and convenience? We sure do! Plus the fact that they can be made with healthy ingredients (lean protein and extra veggies) all tossed together with a super tasty sauce and served over whole grains (brown rice is our favorite.) What’s not to love? Make sure to check out our chicken and veggie stir-fry and this sweet and savory pineapple shrimp stirfry, too!
We love the fact that you can use pretty much any combination of vegetables in this stir-fry. We’ve chosen a blend of broccoli, bell pepper, and snap peas today. But don’t let that stop you from adding the vegetables you happen to have on hand. It works just as well with other veggies like zucchini, finely sliced carrots, or even asparagus tips!
For our protein, we chose chicken breasts, but you could also make this with chicken thigh meat, pork tenderloin, or even beef if you prefer!
And before we get into the details of how to make this chicken teriyaki stir-fry, can we just say how amazing this sauce is… the combination of sweet and acidic pineapple juice, plus mirin and brown sugar paired with soy sauce, garlic, and ginger is utterly irresistible! We cannot wait to hear what you think of it. Oh, and if you love teriyaki, you'll love our honey teriyaki salmon, too!
Ingredients for this chicken and veggie teriyaki stir-fry
- Pineapple juice: We used pineapple juice as the “base” of the sauce. Since you will only need ½ cup for the recipe, we recommend buying it in the small cans.
- Soy sauce: You can use regular soy sauce, low sodium soy sauce, or wheat-free tamari to make this gluten-free.
- Mirin: This is a mild Japanese rice wine and a traditional ingredient in teriyaki sauce. It adds a sweet and mellow flavor to the sauce. Find it in the Asian section of large supermarkets. If you cannot find it, you can substitute Marsala or half the amount of seasoned rice vinegar.
- Brown sugar or maple syrup: Teriyaki sauce is on the sweet side. Use either brown sugar or maple syrup depending on your preference.
- Red pepper flake: For a bit of heat, you’ll need a touch of red pepper flake. If you prefer, you can skip this.
- Neutral cooking oil: For a stir-fry, choose a high-heat neutral cooking oil such as grapeseed oil or avocado oil.
- Chicken breast: Our protein of choice is chicken breast here. As we mentioned in the intro, feel free to use beef or pork tenderloin. Boneless skinless chicken thighs are also great in stir-frys.
- Snap peas: For a convenient veggie, we like to buy bagged “stringless” sugar snap peas. They can be tossed right into the skillet or wok!
- Broccoli florets: If you are in a rush, buy broccoli cut into florets with the other prepared veggies in the produce section.
- Red bell pepper: We love the color red bell pepper adds to this meal. If you prefer another color of pepper, feel free to swap in whichever you like.
- Garlic and Ginger: For great teriyaki taste we use a combination of fresh garlic and minced ginger root.
- Water and corn starch: To thicken the sauce we use a cornstarch slurry. This is naturally gluten-free!
- Sliced scallions (green onions) and sesame seeds: These are an optional (but recommended!) garnish for the teriyaki stir-fry.
Step By Step Instructions For This Recipe
- Start by stiring the teriyaki sauce ingredients in one bowl and the cornstarch slurry ingredients in another bowl.
- Next, stir-fry the chicken until lightly brown and cooked through then remove it from the pan.
- You'll cook the veggies next until the snap peas and broccoli are bright green.
- Then stir in the teriyaki sauce and pop the lid on to steam the veggies for 2 minutes.
- Thicken the sauce by pouring the cornstarch slurry over the stir-fry and stirring it for a minute or two.
- Finally, sprinkle some chopped scalloins (green onions) and sesame seeds over the top of your teriyaki stir-fry and dig in!
The full recipe is in the recipe card below.
FAQs and Expert Tips
This stirfry is best served immediately, but it can be prepped several days in advance. Prepare the sauce and cornstarch slurry and store them in sealed jars. Cut the vegetables and store them in a resealable container. The chicken can also be cut in advance. With everything prepped ahead, it will only take 10 minutes to cook the entire meal!
We like to serve this with brown rice, white rice, cauliflower rice, or cooked noodles.
If you happen to have leftovers, heat them in the microwave on high power for about 2 minutes per portion, or until steaming hot. You can also reheat the stir-fry in a small saucepan or skillet on the stovetop over medium-low heat. You may need to add a couple of tablespoons of water, broth, or pineapple juice to thin the sauce.
More gealthy chicken recipes to try
- If you are looking for more healthy chicken recipes, you'll love the best chicken marinade with flavors of the Carribean.
- Try our buffalo chicken tacos. They are ready in only 20 minutes!
- Feeling like soup? This Thai inspired chicken meatball soup will hit the spot!
- Our Italian dressing chicken is probably the easiest chicken recipe you'll ever try! And it is delicious to boot!
- If you are craving BBQ, but it's too cold to grill, try our baked BBQ chicken.
- This creamy and spicy Cajun chicken is another winner-winner-chicken-dinner to add to your menu plan.
Thanks so much for reading. If you make this recipe, please come back and let me know by leaving a star rating and review. Happy Cooking! ~Katie
Teriyaki Stir-Fry
If you love this recipe as much as we do, let us know with a 5-star rating!
Ingredients
- ½ cup pineapple juice
- ¼ cup soy sauce, can be gluten-free
- 3 tablespoons mirin
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar or maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flake
- 2 tablespoons water
- 4 teaspoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil or neutral cooking oil, divided
- 1 pound chicken breast, cut into cubes
- 3 cups snap peas, strings removed
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
- Sliced scallions and sesame seeds for garnish, optional
Instructions
- To make the teriyaki sauce, add the pineapple juice, soy sauce, mirin, brown sugar, and red pepper flake to a small bowl. Stir the water and cornstarch in another small dish to make the cornstarch slurry.½ cup pineapple juice, ¼ cup soy sauce, 3 tablespoons mirin, 3 tablespoons brown sugar or maple syrup, ¼ teaspoon red pepper flake, 2 tablespoons water, 4 teaspoons cornstarch
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the chicken in one layer and allow them to cook undisturbed until browned on the bottom, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn then over and then cook, stirring every minute or two, until it is cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove the chicken from the skillet with a slotted spoon or spatula and keep warm on a plate covered with aluminum foil.1 pound chicken breast
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Add the snap peas, broccoli, and pepper and stir-fry for 3 minutes, or until the snap peas and broccoli are bright green and take on brown color in spots. Stir in the garlic and ginger and stir fry until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute.3 cups snap peas, 2 cups broccoli florets, 1 red bell pepper, 2 cloves garlic, 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
- Stir the teriyaki sauce then add it to the stir-fry and stir to coat the vegetables. Cover the skillet and steam for two minutes.
- Uncover the skillet. Stir the cornstarch slurry then drizzle it over the stir fry while stirring constantly. Add the chicken to the skillet and any accumulated juices from the plate. Cook stirring until the sauce is thickened and coating the stirfry, 2-3 minutes. Serve hot with scallions and sesame seeds on top.Sliced scallions and sesame seeds for garnish
Hello, This recipe is pictured served over rice, but I don’t see rice in the ingredient list. Does the nutritional information include rice? Thanks!
It doesn’t include the rice. Just the listed ingredients. Hope you enjoy!