This super tasty Teriyaki Chicken Marinade combines soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, brown sugar, garlic, and green onions for a wonderfully flavorful chicken! All of the sweet and savory flavors combine to make this a family favorite dinner that everyone loves!
This super-simple teriyaki chicken marinade is easy to put together and is always raved about (between delighted bites of chicken)!
Teriyaki Chicken Marinade Recipe
Teriyaki has always been a kid-safe flavor in our home. It is one of those flavors that everyone agrees on as a family!
My teriyaki chicken marinade is easy to whip up, bag the chicken, and let it marinate. This leaves time to wash and slice veggies, make some rice, or fry some tasty noodles!
Ingredients You'll Need
All you need are these six staple ingredients to make this quick and easy marinade! Grab a ziploc plastic storage bag or a freezer storage bag to really help the marinade cling to your chicken and work its magic!
- Soy Sauce - has that salty, umami flavor that is such a tasty marinade component! You can swap out low-sodium soy sauce if desired.
- Rice Vinegar - adds a mild and slightly sweet flavor that is a wonderful addition to any Asian cooking! If you don't have rice vinegar on hand, the best substitute to use is apple cider vinegar. White wine vinegar and sherry vinegar are also good rice vinegar alternatives.
- Brown Sugar - to add some sweetness and depth of flavor in this fabulous teriyaki marinade!
- Ginger - has such a fantastic warm flavor that it's another must-have in all of our Asian cooking! If you only have ground ginger on hand, remember to reduce the amount. Use 1 teaspoon dried or ground ginger for each tablespoon of fresh ginger or ginger paste.
- Garlic - just a touch of garlic to really highlight all of the amazing flavors in the marinade. Again, use 1 teaspoon of garlic powder if you need to swap it out for the fresh, minced garlic.
- Green Onion - some fresh, chopped green onions add their unique flavor and some texture to the marinade. The green onions are optional but highly recommended!
How To Make Teriyaki Chicken Marinade
This simple 6-ingredient marinade can be mixed in a bowl, or simply squish it all together directly in your plastic storage bag. Either way, it's going to be one of the easiest dinners you've ever prepared!
- In a small bowl add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, and chopped green onions. Mix until well combined and the brown sugar is dissolved.
- Transfer the marinade into your ziploc plastic storage bag or freezer storage bag, then add the chicken. Seal the bag securely while squeezing out any excess air.
- Massage the marinade into the meat by squishing the marinade throughout the bag.
- Place the marinating chicken into the refrigerator for 4 hours to overnight for best results. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Your chicken needs to marinate for at least 20 minutes before cooking. The longer you can let the chicken marinate, the more flavorful it will be!
I would usually recommend at least 4 hours, or overnight ( 8 hours ) for optimal marinating. However, you can marinate the chicken for up to 2 days refrigerated. This is the maximum amount of time that I would marinate the chicken in a soy sauce-based marinade.
While frozen chicken pieces can usually be stored in the freezer for 6 months or more, I recommend a maximum of three months. Allow the frozen marinated chicken to thaw while refrigerated overnight.
The marinade will slowly seep into your chicken while it thaws, making it just delicious!
Can I Use My Teriyaki Marinade as a Sauce?
Yes! It will need to be reduced down to a more concentrated sauce, so taste while it reduces. Once the reduction reaches your desired consistency and flavor, remove it from heat. *Do not TASTE until the marinade ( that was with your raw chicken ) has cooked!
If you need to thicken the sauce, but you're happy with the flavor, add a cornstarch slurry. Combine 1 tablespoon each of cornstarch and cold water, and mix thoroughly.
Whisk your slurry into the sauce while still warm. Remove from heat when the sauce has thickened.
This is one of my favorite marinades for making skewers or kabobs with! Go ahead and cut your boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs up into chunks. This will REALLY let the marinade soak into the tasty bite-sized pieces of chicken!
Check out all of my super tasty and oh-so-easy chicken marinades in one place! The marinades are absolutely perfect for grilled, pan-fried, or oven-baked chicken breasts, thighs, wings, skewers, and more!
Teriyaki Chicken Marinade
Ingredients
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp ginger (fresh, peeled, and chopped - or ginger paste - or use 1 tsp dried or ground ginger)
- 1 Tbsp garlic (fresh, minced garlic clove - or use 1 tsp garlic powder)
- 2 Tbsp green onion (chopped - optional)
Instructions
- In a small bowl whisk soy sauce, rice vinegar, green onion, ginger paste, brown sugar, and garlic together until well combined.
- Transfer the marinade to your plastic storage bag then add the chicken. Seal the bag securely while squeezing out all of the air.
- Massage the chicken pieces and marinade through the sealed bag until well coated.
- Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
Nutrition
Angela is an at home chef that developed a passion for all things cooking and baking at a young age in her Grandma's kitchen. After many years in the food service industry, she now enjoys sharing all of her family favorite recipes and creating tasty dinner and amazing dessert recipes here at Bake It With Love!
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