Everyone loves a slow cooker meal for how easy they are to prepare, cook, and clean up after. For those busy weeknight dinners, slow cooker meals are key to pleasing the whole family: this recipe is no exception! This healthy slow cooker teriyaki chicken is made with minimal ingredients, and ready when you are. Simply slow cook chicken breasts in a few ingredients, and then shred the chicken once done, coating it in the flavorful sauce. Serve with rice and a vegetable, or in a wrap, or however you please!
Made in the slow cooker
The best part of this recipe is that it is made entirely in the slow cooker! There is nothing better than using a slow cooker to prep dinner, whether you are snowed in, or have a busy day ahead of you. Dinner is ready when you are!
There is no prep work required here whatsoever, aside from throwing everything into the slow cooker and letting it do it’s thing. No pre-cooking or pan-searing; this is the ultimate easy recipe. All of the ingredients get dumped into the crockpot and simmers away to become flavorful and delicious. This is the perfect meal for a cold day, or for a busy weeknight meal for the whole family to enjoy. This also makes an easy meal prep for four days, no real “work” in the kitchen involved!
What you will need to make healthy slow cooker teriyaki chicken
When it comes to recreating the flavor profile of the deliciously sweet teriyaki sauce we all love, it can be difficult to keep the calories and sugar content lower, without sacrificing flavor. This was the issue I ran into time and time again when I tried testing this recipe (this was my third go-around with this recipe test). It’s all about finding the delicate balance between sweet and savory flavors when it comes to teriyaki.
Here are the ingredients you will need to make this healthy slow cooker teriyaki chicken:
- chicken breast
- fresh garlic cloves
- low sodium soy sauce
- It is important to use low sodium soy sauce here, because the dish will be overly salty if you use regular soy sauce.
- Regular soy sauce (rather than low sodium soy sauce) will overpower the flavor of this dish.
- maple syrup
- I use maple syrup as the sweetening agent for this dish. It works really well here! Trust me on this one.
- rice wine vinegar
- Rice wine vinegar helps round out the dish and balance the sweet and salty flavors. It also adds depth of flavor. Make sure to get the zero calorie one.
- ginger (fresh ginger root, or the squeeze tube ginger)
- I love using the squeeze tube ginger. It is easy to keep on hand in the fridge for all Asian-inspired meals.
- I find the squeeze tube in the produce aisle of my grocery store, by the fresh herbs.
- sriracha
- scallions
- sesame seeds
For serving:
I recommend serving this dish alongside rice or noodles, and a vegetable like steamed broccoli or string beans. It makes for a well-rounded meal. You can also serve this chicken on a wrap, with a crunchy slaw or lettuce for contrast of texture, and some extra sriracha.
You can also make these side dishes to pair with slow cooker teriyaki chicken:
How to make slow cooker teriyaki chicken
As I mentioned above, this recipe is beyond easy to make. Simply combine the sauce ingredients together at the bottom of your slow cooker (the soy sauce, maple syrup, rice wine vinegar, ginger, garlic, and sriracha). Whisk the ingredients together to combine thoroughly. Then, add the chicken breast to the crock pot and toss the chicken to coat on all sides.
Cook for 2 hours on HIGH or 4 hours on low. Remove the chicken from the slow cooker, shred it, and add it back to the slow cooker to coat the chicken in the sauce. Garnish with the chopped scallions and sesame seeds.
Healthy Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken
Equipment
- slow cooker or crock pot
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breast
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp ginger, fresh ginger root or squeeze ginger
- 1 tsp sriracha
- scallions and sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
- Combine the soy sauce, maple syrup, rice wine vinegar, ginger, garlic, and sriracha on the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Whisk together to combine.
- Add the chicken breast to the slow cooker and toss it in the sauce.
- Cook on HIGH for 2 hours, or LOW for 4 hours.
- Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and shred it with two forks.
- Add the shredded chicken to the slow cooker with the sauce, and toss to coat.
- Garnish with sesame seeds and chopped scallions. Drizzle with more sriracha, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
If you enjoy this recipe, you might also enjoy these other recipes:
The perfect slow cooker beef for burritos, tacos, and quesadilla filling:
Fakeout-takeout at home, another few healthy chicken dishes:
Healthy Slow Cooker General Tsos Chicken
Lightened-Up Sweet and Sour Chicken
Shantel says
Can you use frozen chicken breasts and how long would you cook when using frozen
Jady says
Did you try it with frozen chicken? If so, how long did you cook it?
Thanks!
Katie says
We loved it! Great flavor and super easy to prepare. I love not using a bottled sauce. I had all the ingredients already too which was a bonus!
Sharon B says
I made this tonight. I used sugar free Maple Syrup to reduce points since I have fewer than 20 points. Since I hate rice (what can I say) I put it over whole grain ramen noodles. I really made this bc my BF enjoys chicken teriyaki. Me not so much. But this was excellent. Super low WW points. Definitely going into my rotation. Id like to try throwing in some pineapple chunks next time. I mentioned that to my BF. He said “no. It’s just right the way it is”. He also said “it would be like White Castle adding lettuce and tomato. Sometimes less is more.” 😀
Acadia says
Whole grain ramen noodles? What brand do you use? I’m intrigued! Are they good?
Kami says
Made this tonight and it was delicious. My whole family liked it. Thanks for the recipe!
Jo says
My family loves this – which includes 2 picky boys. Thanks, Steph for another I can add to the meal rotation!
Anne says
Hi Steph I’m cooking this recipe above , my liquid in crockpot pot is a bit watery not sure why
Tara says
This was so easy and delicious. My whole family enjoyed it.
Rachel says
I made this recipe last night, my family loved it! Thanks for another great recipe, I will be making it again!
Steph E. says
I made this for my lunch meal prep this week. It was easy and is delicious, filling and healthy!
Danni says
Delicious! I used a Dutch oven at 325 for 1 hour. Meal came out great!
Jen says
I have tried so many of your recipes and my family loves them all! If I double this recipe do I double the cooking time in the slow cooker?
Leslie says
Flavorful and so easy. My husband I ate the whole thing!
Maricela says
Woyld you know how much longer it would need to cook for 2 lbs of chicken? Im assuming double the time but I’m not much of a crockpot user.
Denise Galli says
Fabulous! Family loves it!!!
Diane says
Made it this weekend and it’s spectacular! Serving it with some steamed rice that I cooked and added some frozen assorted vegetables too. The teriyaki sauce is so flavorful it makes the entire dish absolutely delicious.
Evelyn says
I just finished making this and I already know it’s gonna be a hit! So easy to make and very flavorful. Will make cucumber salad and shishito peppers on the side as well!
Lauren says
I really like this recipe but my sauce is always much thinner than what shows in pic and I follow measurements exactly. Any tips? Sauce is so watery.
Erica says
add a little bit of cornstarch
Melissa says
This was my second recipe from Steph that I made for a weekly meal prep/ food swap…easy and delicious! I paired it with her green bean recipe for a side, it was perfect!
Mia Engel says
Super easy and full of flavor. I make a lot of Steph’s recipes so I almost always have all of these ingredients on hand. i love that it’s not a bottled sauce too. Perfect for a busy weeknight, especially when my son has practice and I’m out driving him around while my crockpot does the work!
Sharon says
I wasn’t sure if the garlic should have been minced or not since the recipe didn’t say one way or the other. I minced it and it made it a bit too strong. Chicken was done at 3 hours.
Martha says
Delicious and easy to make
Angie says
If you double the recipe would you cook longer? I do your crockpot salsa chicken all the time and love it!
Tonya says
Do you mince or chop the garlic?