They always say that weddings come in waves, right?
I’ll say.
Last night, Barclay and I attended our fifth — that’s right, fifth — wedding in the month of May. It’s been a whirlwind of showers, and ceremonies, and receptions, and toasts, and dances, and me-making-Barclay-pose-for-fancy-selfies (and caricatures!), to be sure. But it has been such a fun month. I always get so dang excited seeing people I love finding people they love, especially many of these friends who have been waiting for this season for years and years. And I love seeing all of the beautiful and unique ways our friends choose to celebrate. And I love getting to be there to celebrate with them! ♥
Without a doubt, last night was the perfect celebration to wrap up the month. My friends, Kevin and Stacey (who I mentioned a few years ago in this post), tied the knot out in the middle of a field on a stunning spring evening. It was my first time attending a full-on Egyptian Orthodox ceremony, and the liturgy and music and traditions were so beautiful and moving. As was, of course, seeing my radiant friend and her sweet daughter walk down the aisle together to become a family of three with this incredible man we all love. And then afterwards?! (I may have freaked out just the tiniest bit.) Guys, they had a nacho bar!!! Oh my goodness, I could not begin to imagine a more perfect dinner for a wedding, and the perfect fuel for the evening of dancing the night away in the setting spring sun. Yet one more reason why I love these friends, and why I loved this night.
Well, before we made our way out to the edge of town for this wedding, I was buzzing around trying to get 101 things done before the end of the weekend. And as the perfect fuel for my afternoon of errands, and bills, and all of the not-so-fun-jobs that needed to be done, I decided to use some leftovers in the fridge to whip up some simple teriyaki chicken. I had randomly been craving teriyaki this week, and already had some rice and broccoli in the house to serve up as sides. So I stir-fried up a quick batch, and within 20 minutes, this deliciousness was on the table.
Too good and too easy not to share with you!
20-Minute Teriyaki Chicken Recipe | 1-Minute Video
Many of you have probably tried out my recipe for Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken, which has been one of the most-viewed recipes on the blog for years. And also happens to be one of my favs.
But if you ever have the craving for chicken teriyaki and want it now — or, you know, like 20 minutes from now — then this quick and easy version may be for you.
Simply cut up some boneless skinless chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces, and start sauteing them in a skillet. Then while they’re cooking, whisk together this simple teriyaki sauce shown above. (I also multitasked and popped some rice in my rice cooker, and steamed some broccoli while getting everything else ready, which I highly recommend. YUM.)
Then once the chicken is cooked and ready to go, just stir in the teriyaki sauce. And within about a minute, it will start to simmer and get nice and thick.
Then it’ll be ready to go!!
Feel free to serve it with any of your favorite sides. Or you’re also welcome to saute some veggies in there along with the chicken, and toss everything together in the sauce. (<– Although if you add tons of veggies, I’d recommend making a little extra sauce.)
Definitely a classic meal that’s always a crowd pleaser. And all the better when made in a snap!
Enjoy!
20-Minute Teriyaki Chicken
Ingredients
20-Minute Teriyaki Chicken Ingredients:
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
- salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil (or any cooking oil)
- 1 batch teriyaki sauce (see below)
- optional toppings: toasted sesame seeds, thinly-sliced green onions
Teriyaki Sauce Ingredients:
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons mirin (sweet rice wine)
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Instructions
To Make The 20-Minute Teriyaki Chicken:
- Season the chicken with a few generous pinches of salt and pepper. Set aside.
- In a large saute pan or wok, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and saute, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink on the inside.
- Meanwhile, as the chicken is cooking, prepare your teriyaki sauce.
- Once the chicken is ready to go, pour the teriyaki sauce over it, then toss to combine until the chicken is evenly coated. Continue cooking until the sauce reaches a simmer and thickens.
- Remove from heat, and serve immediately, garnished with optional toppings if desired.
To Make The Teriyaki Sauce:
- Whisk all ingredients together until combined.
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
What do you mean by a batch of teriyaki sauce ?
Hello! We list ingredients for the teriyaki sauce in the recipe. We hope you enjoy!
Brilliant fast recipe. I used fresh ginger (because I had it) and boneless chicken thighs (because my kids prefer dark meat) and it worked beautifully. The ratios in the sauce are perfect. Actually tastes as good as the teriyaki chicken I get at our local Japanese restaurant… but different looking, because the sauce is cloudy. I don’t know how the restaurant makes the sauce sticky, but clear? Not that this matters to the kids. :)
I just followed the recipe the taste is good but sesame oil have very dominant taste I am worried nobody will like..
Hi Amina! We’re sorry about that, we’ve never thought it to be overpowering in this recipe.
Thanks for the recipe! I made it and reviewed it on my blog.
We appreciate your honest review and are sorry you didn’t care for this!
I have been making 4 meals for the week every Sunday for the past month. It has saved me a lot of time and effort on cooking throughout the week, so I eat out less. I came across a chicken teriyaki stir fry type recipe to make ahead for 4 days of meals (Monday-Thursday) but many of the comments said it was not very good, since the “sauce” was just soy sauce and honey. Anyways, my question is do you think this would last all week if I made it on Sunday? I wasn’t sure if the other recipe intentionally cut things out to make it last longer during the week as far as taste and texture go. Thanks!
Hi Brittany! The sauce will definitely last through the week if you make it on Sunday and store it in the fridge. We hope you enjoy the recipe!
Made it today, really easy and tasty! This with rice and green onions was enough for me and my husband. Will make it again!
We’re so glad you guys enjoyed it, Monika!
Wow. You really had zero time to cook. I am going to try this out tonight.
We hope you enjoyed it!
This recipe looks amazing and I’m so excited to try it tonight! I can’t have any alcohol in my diet, do you have a recommendation for a substitute for the mirin?
Thanks, Sommer, we hope you enjoy it! As for a substitute for the mirin, you could use white vinegar.
This recipe is really good and very easy. Delicious leftovers!
Thanks, Linda — we’re glad to hear you enjoy it!
This recipe was fantastic! I loved that it used honey instead of sugar for those of us who are watching our sugar intake. At least with the honey, the sweetness isn’t metabolized like sugar. Great job!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Dawn!