Ditch the Japanese takeout tonight for your very own even tastier and healthier Teriyaki Chicken Bowl. Juicy chicken thighs are seared and simmered with homemade teriyaki sauce and served on a bed of tender broccoli and sugar snap peas for a burst of unforgettable flavor in every nutritious bite.
Why You’ll Love Teriyaki Chicken Bowls
Homemade chicken teriyaki over heart-healthy green veggies on fluffy rice and cabbage is an easy and delicious weeknight dinner that is ready to serve in under 30 minutes. The homemade teriyaki sauce made with ginger, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, honey, and garlic is lip-smackingly good on anything, but as a simmer sauce for the chicken, it’s the best.
I used boneless skinless chicken thighs because I knew I would go heavy on the veggies. My husband is very vocal about his preference for chicken thighs, and with all the veggies, I knew the chicken would make him extra happy. Chicken breasts would taste just as great.
For the salad, I blanched broccoli florets, sugar snap peas (my fav!), and regular peas- this results in perfectly tender veggies without the raw taste. I steamed some cauliflower rice, mixed it up with regular rice, and built my bowl on top of a bed of cabbage.
Of course, these are merely suggestions. Feel free to swap out the cauliflower rice and cabbage and mix them with some noodles instead.
Is Blanching the Same as Boiling?
Kind of, but not exactly. They are related cooking techniques that involve cooking food in hot water, but they are not the same.
Blanching is a brief cooking process in which food is quickly immersed in boiling water for a short period, typically 30 seconds to a few minutes. After blanching, the food is then transferred to an ice bath (a bowl filled with ice and water) to stop the cooking process and preserve its color, texture, and nutritional value. This technique is often used for vegetables, fruits, and nuts.
How to Make Teriyaki Chicken Bowl
Blend the ginger, garlic, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, water, and cornstarch in a blender or food processor until smooth. Reserve about 3 tbsp of the sauce in the blender and transfer the rest to a bowl.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat add the oil and chicken thighs and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 4-6 minutes on each side until golden brown. Add the sauce from the bowl, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook until the chicken is fully cooked. Set aside.
Prepare the teriyaki dressing in the blender by combining the reserved sauce with sesame oil, chili, honey, and rice vinegar.
Meanwhile, blanch the peas, broccoli, and sugar snap peas in boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.
In a large bowl, mix the veggies, cabbage, green onion, and teriyaki dressing and top with sliced chicken. Serve with steamed rice and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Leftovers and Storage
Keep leftovers stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Leftovers may be served cold or reheated in the microwave until warmed through.
More Delicious Chicken Recipes
- Air Fryer Whole Chicken
- Butter Chicken Recipe (Murgh Makhani)
- Kalbi (Korean BBQ Beef Short Ribs)
- Korean Fried Chicken
- Air Fryer Chicken Legs
- Chicken Gnocchi Soup
If you try making this Teriyaki Chicken Bowl Recipe, please leave me a comment and let me know! I always love to hear your thoughts.
Teriyaki Chicken Bowl
Ingredients
Terikaki Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger - minced (or grated on a microplane)
- 4 cloves garlic - minced
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 teaspoon corn starch
For the Chicken:
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- salt + pepper - to taste
- 2 teaspoon olive oil
For the Teriyaki Dressing:
- 3 tablespoon teriyaki sauce
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil - add more if desired
- ½ serrano or jalapeno chili pepper - finely chopped (optional)
- 1 heaping tablespoon honey
- ⅓ cup rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoon water
For the Salad:
- 1 cup green peas
- 12 ounces fresh broccoli florets
- 10 ounces sugar snap peas
- 1 head nappa cabbage - shredded
- ½ cup green onions - chopped
- Sesame seeds - for garnish
Instructions
- In the bowl of a blender blend together the ginger, garlic, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, water and corn starch. Process until fully combined and creamy. Reserve 3 tablespoons of the sauce in the blender; meanwhile transfer remaining sauce to a small bowl and set aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat (this usually takes a while. The water should be boiling by the time the dressing has been made).
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. When the skillet is hot add the oil and then carefully add the chicken thighs. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook the chicken on each side for approximately 4-6 minutes, or until each side is nicely golden brown and chicken is nearly cooked. Add the bowl of sauce to the skillet and reduce heat to medium low, cooking until chicken is cooked through. Remove from heat and set aside to rest.
- Prepare the teriyaki dressing- in the same blender that contains the leftover 3 tablespoons of teriyaki sauce, add the sesame oil, chili, honey, rice vinegar and water. Taste and add any additions necessary. Set aside.
- By now the large pot of water should be boiling- blanch the green peas, broccoli florets and sugar snap peas in the water for 2-3 minutes, or just until they start to soften (you don’t want them to get too cooked and mushy). When ready, carefully drain the boiling water and rinse with cold water for 1-2 minutes to slow down further cooking.
- In a large bowl toss together the blanched veggies, chopped cabbage, green onion and teriyaki dressing. Slice the cooked chicken into small strips and add to the salad. Serve with steamed rice or cauliflower rice. Garnish with sesame seeds.
Jessica’s Notes
Nutritional Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)
A successful recipe although was a bit confused at first with your description between Teriyaki Dressing and Teriyaki Sauce: it’s almost the same. Is it meant to be a warm salad? In your beginning description you listed Apple Cider Vinegar but later listed Rice Wine Vinegar. I chose the latter because that makes better culinary sense.
The only changes I made because my partner is allergic to MSG which is in Soy Sauce. I substituted Tamari which does not have MSG. She is also allergic to cornstarch so I used ArrowRoot
All in all a good recipe.
Thanks, Timothy 🙂
Yes, the sauce uses rice wine vinegar. The sauce is for the chicken, and the dressing for the bowl uses a bit of the original sauce 😉