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Slow Cooker Chicken Teriyaki

by Judith Hannemann

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Slow Cooker Chicken Teryaki | bakeatmidnite.com | #slowcooker #crockpot #teryakichicken
Slow Cooker Chicken Teryaki

A slow cooker gourmet meal that’s fit for company.

Another adventure in crock pot cooking!

This is one of the best ones I’ve made yet.  Yes, I know it has 2 more steps than “throw it in, set it, forget it,” but these steps are well worth the effort.

Browning the chicken gives it that glorious “caramel-y” taste that can’t be achieved in a slow cooker.  Deglazing the pan for the juice is another step that adds extra flavor.

Slow Cooker Chicken Teryaki | bakeatmidnite.com | #slowcooker #crockpot #teryakichicken
Marvelous infused flavor

OK the broiler part is probably cosmetic, but it makes it look fantastic.

Basically here the slow cooker is used to infuse the flavor throughout the meat.  This could probably be achieved with marinating, but this process is much quicker than the 12 hour marinating time!  And that wonderful teryaki flavor is infused right down to the bone.

This is also a beautiful looking meal.  One that’s good enough to serve to company! I suggest jasmine rice as an accompaniment but any rice will do.  Steamed baby bok choi on the side would be an added yum.

If you can’t find dark sesame oil in your local store, try this link:

 

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Slow Cooker Chicken Teriyaki

This recipe for chicken teriyaki makes a slow cooker gourmet meal that’s fit for company.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time5 hours
Total Time5 hours 15 minutes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Asian, Japanese
Keyword: Asian chicken recipe, chicken teriyaki
Servings: 4 -6
Calories: 582kcal
Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs chicken thighs may use skinless
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger or 1/2 tsp ground dry ginger
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/3 cup soy sauce
  • 3 tbsp honey
  • 2 tbsp molasses
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1/4 cup sherry apple juice may be substituted
  • 4 green onions sliced
  • 1/2 tsp dark sesame oil

To Thicken:

  • 2 tbs cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup water

Instructions

  • Spray or line (with a slow cooker bag) a 5-6 quart slow cooker.
  • In a heavy large skillet, heat the oil and brown chicken very well on both sides. Place browned chicken in slow cooker.
  • Saute garlic and ginger in the same pan you browned the chicken for about 1 minute. Add the 1/4 cup water, scraping up all the browned bits at the bottom of the pan. Add the soy sauce, honey, sherry, molasses and vinegar. Stir well and pour over chicken in slow cooker.
  • Cover slow cooker and cook on HI for 4-5 hours (or until chicken is done).
  • Remove the chicken from the slow cooker. Add the sesame oil to the remaining slow cooker juices. Mix cornstarch with 1/4 cup water. With slow cooker set to HI, slowly add the cornstarch mixture and stir until sauce is thickened. Let bubble about 1 minute to swell and cook the cornstarch.
  • NOTE: You may want to remove the juice to another pan if you used skin-on chicken as there will be fat. It will be easier to skim the fat if you remove to another pan.
  • Preheat broiler to high. Place chicken on a broiler pan. Broil about 3 minutes each side or until chicken surface is slightly caramelized and bubbly.
  • Place chicken on serving tray and pour sauce over chicken. Garnish with sliced green onions.

Nutrition

Serving: 6oz | Calories: 582kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 189mg | Sodium: 1238mg | Potassium: 626mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 270IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 51mg | Iron: 2mg
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Slow Cooker Chicken Teryaki | bakeatmidnite.com | #slowcooker #crockpot #teryakichicken
Slow Cooker Chicken Teryaki

 

Slow Cooker Chicken Teryaki | bakeatmidnite.com | #slowcooker #crockpot #teryakichicken
Slow Cooker Chicken Teryaki
 

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Comments

  1. Mandy says

    I live in a small town. I have never heard of rice vinegar. How does it differ? I have only normal white vinegar and apple cider vinegar.

    Also, is there any substitute for dark sesame oil? We have no sesame oil of any kind here.

  2. Judith Hanneman says

    Hi Mandy–you can substitute either of those vinegars for the rice vinegar. I'd personally choose the apple cider though.

    If you can't get sesame oil in the store, I've added a link to Amazon where you can purchase it. It really is necessary for flavor. You can leave it out, but I *highly* recommend getting some if you can. You can use it in so many things–not just this.

  4. Judith Hanneman says

    Michelle–what I'd do then is marinate it in the sauce ingredients for about 8 hours or so, I'd also use a meat tenderizer to pucture the meat in a few places so the flavor infused. Then I'd just bake it at 350-375 for about 30-50 minutes–short time for boneless, more time for bone-in chicken.

  5. Judy Goldin says

    Hello. I'm new here. I live in Israel and although we no longer live in tents! There are some things we can't get for some absurd reason or another.
    No slow cooker. With anything that says slow cooking how long and on what heat should it be.
    Had to stop for a moment. One of my cats demanded strokes.
    I used sesame oil to fry with and it didn't work – I thought it was good for frying – and the smell was yukky. I chucked it and the date was good.
    What can I use instead of molasses?

  6. Judith Hanneman says

    LOL Judy–your comment really made me smile!!! Oh, I know you guys don't live in tents…I have some friends in Tel A'Viv…live a lot more modern than I do…but onto the slow cooker–it's really weird that you can't get one there, but in a comment above I gave a method for doing this sans slow cooker. Basically marinate it and bake it. That should produce good results. Can you get treacle or golden syrup? They would be decent substitutes, even though not flavored like molasses, it's pretty similar in sweetness and texture. OMG…don't fry with sesame oil!!! That's used like a condiment –a few drops is all that's necessary. Too much will make the food taste gross!!!

  9. Judy Goldin says

    Thanks for your lovely reply. I haven't really looked seriously for a slow cooker.
    I'm going to be. 70 next year :-[ and we didn't use them in the olden days. Oh my I thought you could fry with sesame oil. Dah. No golden syrup :'( Iuused to eat it by the spoonful in England in my youth and skinny days.
    No treacle either. I don't think I've ever tasted it.
    I had a big break in cooking when the kids were in the army and I got divorced so I stopped cooking and I've lost it. I used to cook bake make jams granola all sorts of things and now I'm sort of starting out again. My 15 year old granddaughter didn't know I could bake till her mum said I used to make wonderful cakes. My mum was good in the kitchen and she said I was better. Soooo. That's my story. I do make a good chicken curry and mushroom Alfredo.
    Sorry. This isn't really a chatting blog is it. 🙂

  11. Judith Hanneman says

    Personally I wouldn't Anne because slow cooking (to me) tends to make boneless, skinless breasts dry and stringy. If you prefer to use breasts, I'd marinate them for about 8 hrs in the sauce I give above and either bake or broil them.

  12. Katie Burl says

    I prefer to use my electric pressure cooker that has a browning setting whenever possible over a slow cooker. Do you think this recipe would translate well? I haven't put chicken thighs in before.

    Thank you for you wonderful recipes!

  13. Judith Hanneman says

    It's worth a try Katie. But I would use a low pressure to cook it. Maybe 5 psi to 7 psi. Depending on your model. I have a Wolfgang Puck one (the digital) and I'd use "Vegetable" or "rice") and maybe cook for 7 min then check.

  14. Tina Lkwd says

    Hello! This recipe sounds delicious! My question is that I have a son who is allergic to corn – is there any alternative to the corn starch in the last steps to thicken the sauce? Thanks so much for all of your wonderful recipes!! 🙂

  15. Judith Hanneman says

    Hi Tina–you could use any thickening agent. Arrowroot may be a good choice here but even good old instant potatoes work in a pinch. Only thing is, the sauce will not be clear but that's just a visual thing. It will taste the same no matter what you use to thicken.

  17. Judy Goldin says

    I've never used my pressure cooker nor do I have a slow cooker. If I can get one here I don't know if it's worthwhile at my age 70 in August! What do you think Judith. Regards Judy. 🙂

  18. Judith Hanneman says

    The gelatine made me think of tapioca–which Rival used to recommend for thickening with their original recipes! So Tina, you can add about 1-2 tbs instant tapioca at the *beginning* of cooking! Thanks for the memory nudge Judy!

  19. Judith Hanneman says

    Judy, I just turned 60 and took a 15 yr subscription to a magazine, so yep, I'd buy a slow cooker. 60 is the new 30 and 70 is the new 40 (my sister will be 70 next year LOL).

  20. Judy Goldin says

    40 was a terrible birthday for some reason. 70 doesn't bother me. It's just the number sounds sooooo old. I certainly don't look it. I'd send you a picture but I don't know how on my phone. Mazal tov to you – 60 and your sister 70.
    🙂

  22. Judy Goldin says

    Just had a thought tick tock
    Instead of the molasses could I use the stuff made from dated the name of which I have conveniently forgotten or goodness forgotten that in English. Fruit with hard peel and luscious pink seeds inside. Bet your sister doesn't suffer from this. In the middle of sentences I forget what I'm talking about!
    🙁

  23. Judith Hanneman says

    Pomagranates? Oh, sure that happens to us!!! And right in the middle of talking about something too. "What was I talking about," is an often-used phrase with either of us!

  24. Judy Goldin says

    Pomegranate. Thank you. Easier to remember in Hebrew. Rimon which is also the word for hand grenade!
    You didn't tell me if I could use it or the fig one. Wait starts with an S.
    Silan. Do you know what that is?

  32. Judith Hanneman says

    I would try to use 2 slow cookers if I was going to do this for that many people Christine. If you are having a buffet with another choice of food, I'd substitute wings then you can pack the slow cooker.

  36. Judith Hanneman says

    Chicken breast (especially if you mean boneless skinless) would probably come out very dry and I wouldn't recommend that.

    You can try Spark People to estimate a caloric count as they have a calorie counter on the site. You can try fit people (I think that's the name) however, many of these apps are highly inaccurate, so proceed with caution.

  37. AzIrish says

    Coupla comments. Maybe HI settings differ on slow cookers. I made this last night and the chicken thighs looked close to done at the two hour mark. I turned it down to medium at that point, and at four hours, the chicken fell from the bone entirely, making the transfer to a broiler more of a pulled-chicken affair–not something that could be plated separately as in the photos. The other point/recommendation: DO NOT SUBSTITUTE POMEGRANATE MOLASSES for regular molasses, it turned out tasting very strange, needing a flavor-overpowering mask of hawaiian sweet rolls, regular bbq sauce and sweet cole slaw

  38. Judith Hanneman says

    Absolutely–they all cook differently and if you have an older one–like from 10 yrs ago, it cooks at a lower temp. Times really are only "recommended" times because of this. I use just plain old Rival crock pots (newer iterations), but always check after a minimum time–maybe 3 hrs if you cook on HI.

  40. One-eyed Jack says

    Made this tonight and loved it. I didn't have any honey so substituted corn syrup and it still came out good. My crockpot cooks on the high side, too, so they were done at the 2 hour mark. This would be excellent with pineapple and veggies in the sauce. I'm going to try that next time.

  41. Judith Hanneman says

    The pineapple sounds wonderful Jack! Corn syrup is always great to have around–never goes bad, never crystalizes and doubles well for honey in a pinch–as you know 😉 That's fast cooking, even for high–unless it's a Ninja. I find mine cooks in 2/3 of the time as a conventional slow cooker.