Healthy teriyaki chicken is a classic Japanese favorite that consists of juicy chicken coated in a sweet and umami teriyaki sauce, made healthier. It's simplicity and tastiness makes it an easy dish to make at home.
While teriyaki chicken is definitely delicious, is teriyaki chicken healthy?
Teriyaki chicken can be a very healthy dish given that it predominantly consists of protein from the chicken and a manageable amount of carbs from the sauce ingredients – a serving of this healthy teriyaki chicken is only 321 calories with 45 grams of protein, 20 grams of fat, and 13 grams of carbs, following the recipe and portioning below.
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✅ Why This Recipe Works
Simple to make – No hours of prep needed. All you need is 20 minutes to finish this recipe from start to end.
Flavorful and well-balanced – By utilizing expert cooking techniques to make the umami teriyaki sauce and glazing it onto the chicken, we're able to make a delicious meal from the comfort at home.
Low in calories and packed with protein – This recipe was specially developed to be high–protein and low-calorie, so you can enjoy a healthy Japanese recipe that is satisfying to the senses
🍎 Calories and Nutrition – Is It Healthy
Teriyaki chicken can easily be made to be a high–calorie and high–fat dish if the ingredients are not portioned correctly. However, it’s easy to make a healthier version — this recipe will show you how to achieve this.
In this recipe, I used portioning and mindful ingredient choices to make it lower in calories. Here are some key tweaks I made:
- Use a lean protein source – Used 8 ounces of boneless skinless chicken thigh for a lean protein source
- Portioned the sauce ingredients – Following the traditional Japanese style recipe using Just One Cookbook's formula while omitting the sake. Following the portioning below, the sauce ingredients come out to be only 60 calories
- Portion the amount of rice used – I used exactly 1 serving of rice, which is only 150 calories.
- Serve with vegetables – Pair the healthy teriyaki chicken for a well-rounded meal. Whether it be broccoli, brussel sprouts, or cucumbers, vegetables make a great side dish to teriyaki chicken without adding a significant amount of calories.
For a detailed breakdown of each ingredients, their portioning, and how they make up the nutrition profile of this healthy teriyaki chicken recipe, you may refer to the table below:
📋 Ingredient Notes
- Chicken thigh, boneless skinless – This is typically used to make chicken teriyaki. Be sure to cut off the excess fat.
- Soy sauce – A key umami ingredient used as the base of the teriyaki sauce.
- Mirin – Mirin is a sweet rice wine that is often used in Japanese cooking to add a layer of complexity to the flavor. You can get this at most Asian grocery stores or online.
- Sugar – This gives the teriyaki sauce that sweet and savory balanced taste.
- Ginger – Essential aromatic used in creating the teriyaki sauce.
See my recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
📖 Substitutions and Variations
Protein substitutes – Teriyaki is also delicious with other types of protein including shrimp, beef, and salmon. For the purposes of keeping of keeping calorie count of the dish low, it's best to opt for shrimp or chicken.
Vegetable options – Broccoli is a popular vegetable side for this healthy teriyaki chicken. Other great options include roasted brussels sprouts (my personal favorite), cucumbers, or some stir fried vegetable medley of carrots, mushrooms, and onions.
🔪 Step by Step Instructions
Mince the aromatics – Begin by mincing the ginger and yellow onion into fine, small pieces. Mix them together in a small bowl alongside with the remaining teriyaki sauce ingredients.
Prepare the chicken – Begin to cut the chicken thigh into small, bite-sized pieces, removing any excess fat in the process. Use a food scale to weigh the chicken pieces and cut up enough chicken until you get 8 ounces, or whichever portion size you'd prefer. Cutting off the excess fat removes a decent amount of weight so be sure you are weighing the chicken post-cutting!
Season the chicken – Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper and mix thoroughly. [Photo 1]
Cook the chicken – Spray a skillet with cooking spray and add the chicken pieces onto the pan in a single layer. Cook for about 3-4 minutes on each side, or until the chicken is cooked and slightly browned. [Photo 2]
Add the sauce to the chicken – Pour in the teriyaki sauce and let the chicken cook in the sauce – the pan will begin to sizzle and the sauce will begin to reduce. Cook for about 1-2 minutes and flip the chicken onto the other side. The sauce will begin the glaze on to the chicken pieces.
Garnish and serve – Turn the heat off and toss in the chopped scallions and furikake. Serve with vegetables and rice, or a la carte and enjoy your delicious and healthy chicken teriyaki!
💡Expert Tips
Reduce the sauce – Let the sauce fully simmer together - this will result in a sweet, sticky sauce that will naturally glaze onto the chicken.
Serve with rice and vegetable – For a well-balanced, satiating meal, serve the healthy teriyaki chicken with a side of rice and greens.
💭 Recipe FAQs
Traditionally, chicken teriyaki sauce is made of soy sauce, mirin and sugar. Many recipes also add in cornstarch, honey, or fruit juices to enhance the flavor and thicken the sauce. For the purposes of keeping calories low, I've stuck with the traditional recipe for the sauce. By cooking the chicken in the sauce, I've found that the sauce will naturally glaze onto the chicken, creating a delicious flavor.
You can but you don't have to, especially if you're like me and like to decide what to eat last minute. In fact, the traditional Japanese cooking method has you cook the chicken first before glazing on the sauce and it tastes just as good, if not better. The recipe below will walk you through how to do this.
You can store this recipe in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 to 4 days.
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🍳 Recipe
Healthy Teriyaki Chicken
Ingredients
Teriyaki Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Water
- ½ tablespoon Mirin
- ½ tablespoon Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Ginger (Grated)
- 1 tablespoon Yellow onion (Grated)
Teriyaki Chicken
- 8 oz Chicken thigh (Boneless, skinless)
- 1 clove Garlic
- Salt and pepper
- Sesame seeds, scallions (For garnish)
Instructions
- Begin by mincing the ginger and yellow onion into fine, small pieces. Mix them together in a small bowl alongside with the remaining teriyaki sauce ingredients.
- Begin to cut the chicken thigh into small, bite-sized pieces, removing any excess fat in the process. Use a food scale to weigh the chicken pieces and cut up enough chicken until you get 8 ounces, or whichever portion size you'd prefer. Cutting off the excess fat removes a decent amount of weight so be sure you are weighing the chicken post-cutting!
- Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper and mix thoroughly.
- Spray a skillet with cooking spray and add the chicken pieces onto the pan in a single layer. Cook for about 3-4 minutes on each side, or until the chicken is cooked and slightly browned.
- Pour in the teriyaki sauce and let the chicken cook in the sauce -- the pan will begin to sizzle and the sauce will begin to reduce. Cook for about 1-2 minutes and flip the chicken onto the other side. The sauce will begin the glaze on to the chicken pieces.
- Turn the heat off and toss in the chopped scallions and furikake. Serve with vegetables and rice, or a la carte and enjoy your delicious and healthy chicken teriyaki!
Sarah
Healthy and delicious - love it!