Are you ready to simplify dinners with this salty, sweet & sticky teriyaki chicken marinade that’s made with just 4 ingredients and works equally well with chicken breasts and chicken thighs? It’s such an easy recipe to effortlessly whip up for grilled or oven baked teriyaki chicken!

Side angle close up shot of spooning brown sauce on top of sliced, grilled chicken topped with sliced green onions on top of white rice in a large white bowl.

5 star review

“I’m ashamed to admit that I had NO CLUE how easy and quick it is to make teriyaki sauce, but I’m so glad Robyn tackled this simple, staple recipe for us here! Easily whipped up with just a few accessible ingredients that I always have on hand, I’ll honestly never choose those vaguely synthetic tasting store-bought teriyaki sauces again. I often skip over sauce and marinade recipes that I can purchase bottled- but I won’t keep making this same mistake! Try this one, you’ll be so glad you did.”

– Jenny
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A Homemade Teriyaki Marinade That’s Perfect for Chicken

My secret to saving time in the kitchen and having delicious meals on hand is to throw chicken into a zip top bag with marinade and stow away in the freezer for another day. This strategy has significantly simplified my life as a healthy habits expert, and I find it especially helpful as part of my weekly protein meal prep! Packed with umami flavor, teriyaki chicken marinade is a new favorite to add to my marinade arsenal for effortless dinners especially because there’s no chopping and so few ingredients! Featuring 4 easy-to-find and flavor-packed ingredients – soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, and garlic – the marinade creates a sticky glaze when cooked that is irresistible. And side note, ginger would be a great addition here too! I just left it out for simplicity’s sake.

The key to getting that delicious glaze is the brown sugar which also helps tenderize the meat and gives the chicken beautiful browning when it’s cooked. And if you’re baking in the oven, be mindful of pouring the extra marinade in the pan as it has a tendency burn around the edges. To make this easy main dish, simply whisk up all the marinade ingredients, add chicken to half of the marinade and either marinate for 30 minutes and grill or bake or throw it in the freezer right away for another time. Bonus: If you’re obsessed with sweet and savory Asian-inspired sauces like this one, make sure to try my garlic soy slow cooker chicken.

Welcome to My Kitchen! Let’s Make an Easy Chicken Marinade

Jump to Recipe Instructions
Overhead shot of the following ingredients: raw chicken thighs, water, soy sauce, garlic cloves, brown sugar.
Gather ingredients.
Overhead shot of whisking a brown sauce in a glass bowl.
Whisk marinade ingredients.
Overhead shot of a glass bowl with brown sauce and a hand pouring water into a glass measuring cup of brown sauce.
Add water to half of marinade.
Overhead shot of pouring a brown sauce into a white baking dish filled with raw chicken thighs.
Pour marinade with water over chicken.
Overhead shot of a white baking dish with raw chicken thighs on top of a brown sauce.
Toss to coat & marinate.
Overhead shot of a wooden cutting board with grilled chicken thighs. Cutting board is surrounded by bowls of sliced green onion and sesame seeds.
Grill the chicken and allow to rest.
Overhead shot of a wooden cutting board with sliced, grilled chicken thighs and a jar with brown sauce. Cutting board is surrounded by bowls of sliced green onion and sesame seeds and a striped towel.
Slice chicken & serve with remaining sauce.
Close up overhead shot of a large white bowl with sliced, grilled chicken topped with sliced green onions on top of white rice. Bowl is surrounded by bowls of sesame seeds and sliced green onion, and a striped towel.
Add desired toppings.

Testing Note: Teriyaki Sauce without Mirin

While authentic teriyaki sauce is made with soy sauce, mirin (rice wine), and sugar, I had trouble finding mirin at several grocery stores near me, so I wanted to create a teriyaki-like marinade using ingredients I had readily available. I used rice vinegar in place of mirin, but if you have or can find mirin, use that in place of the vinegar.

Overhead shot of a wooden cutting board with sliced, grilled chicken thighs. Cutting board is surrounded by bowls of sliced green onion and sesame seeds.

Key Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

  • Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce: You can use regular soy sauce, however since so much goes into the marinade, I chose to use reduced sodium. For gluten free, use reduced sodium or regular tamari.
  • Rice Vinegar: You can use seasoned rice vinegar or mirin as well.
  • Brown Sugar: I love the depth of flavor brown sugar adds to this marinade, but you can use white sugar or coconut sugar. Since the sugar is key to the marinade consistency and stickiness, I do not recommend reducing the amount. If you want a similar flavor with a little less sugar, try this honey soy marinade.
  • Fresh Garlic: Traditional teriyaki does not have garlic, so you can leave it out, but I love the flavor it adds to this marinade.
  • Chicken: Boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts work well in this recipe, but I found that thighs hold up especially well to the strong flavors of the marinade.
Overhead shot of a large white bowl with sliced, grilled chicken topped with sliced green onions on top of white rice. Bowl is surrounded by bowls of sesame seeds, sliced green onion, and brown sauce, and a striped towel.

This Recipe Is…

Side angle close up shot of spooning brown sauce on top of sliced, grilled chicken topped with sliced green onions on top of white rice in a large white bowl.
4.80 stars (5 ratings)

Easy Teriyaki Chicken Marinade (for Grilling & Oven)

Developed and tested by A woman with long blonde hair, smiling, holds and pours a bottle of oil in a modern kitchen setting.Robyn Conley Downs
Servings: 8 servings
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Marinade Time: 30 minutes
Total: 45 minutes
Are you ready to simplify dinners with this salty, sweet & sticky teriyaki chicken marinade that’s made with just 4 ingredients? It’s such an easy recipe to effortlessly whip up for grilled or oven baked teriyaki chicken, plus it can be thrown in the freezer for future meals.
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Ingredients

  • ⅓ cup reduced sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • ⅓ cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs (or breasts)

Equipment

Instructions 

Grilling Instructions

  • Whisk the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, and garlic in a small bowl until the sugar is completely dissolved.
  • Pour half of the marinade along with 2 tablespoons of water and the chicken into a 1-gallon zip-top bag or baking dish. Set the remaining half of the marinade aside.
  • Toss the chicken to coat, then press as much air out of the bag (if using) as possible, or cover with plastic wrap (if using a baking dish). Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 60 minutes, flipping every 15 minutes.
  • When ready to grill, heat a grill to medium high. Allow to preheat for 15 minutes. Remove the chicken from the marinade, shake off any excess, and discard any remaining marinade from the bag or dish.
  • Grill, with the cover down, until chicken thighs register 170F or chicken breasts register 165F.
  • Remove to a cutting board and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Slice against the grain into ½ inch slices, and serve drizzled with reserved marinade.

Oven Baked Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 425°F. Set aside half of the marinade, then add the chicken and the remaining marinade into a small baking dish. If you have a large baking dish or rimmed sheet pan, omit the marinade as it will spread and possibly burn. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until or until chicken thighs register 170F or chicken breasts register 165F.
  • Optional: If you want a dark, caramelized color you can run the chicken under the broiler for 2-3 minutes at the end of the baking time. Note you'll need to use a broiler safe pan and watch the chicken carefully, as it will burn exceptionally easily.
  • Remove to a cutting board and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Slice against the grain into ½ inch slices and serve, drizzled with reserved marinade.

Notes

  • If oven baking, note that the color and caramelization will not match the photos, which show the chicken grilled. For a closer match to the photos, use the optional broiling step included in the instructions.
  • Marinade makes a little more than ½ cup.
  • Use tamari in place of soy sauce for gluten-free.
Course: Marinade
Cuisine: Asian

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 1 (of 8), Calories: 172kcal, Carbohydrates: 10g, Protein: 25g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 73mg, Sodium: 417mg, Potassium: 472mg, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 34IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 18mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition disclaimer
Did you make this recipe?If you do, be sure to share it on Instagram and tag me at @realfoodwholelife so I can see!

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