A tender, Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken recipe that takes under 10 minutes to prep! This easy teriyaki chicken recipe is sweetened with honey to give you a sweet but healthy teriyaki sauce. Use this slow cooker recipe for a busy weeknight dinner or easy meal prep for gluten-free lunches.
"This one was a huge hit! Everybody devoured it and I loved that I could throw it together mid-morning and it was ready when we got home, served it with some white rice and broccoli, definitely keeping this one!" -Wendie
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- ⏲️Ready In: 10 minutes prep time and 6 hours cooking
- 👪Serves: 3
- 🍽 Calories and Protein: 453 kcals and 49 grams of protein
- 📋Main Ingredients: Chicken breasts, tamari, garlic, ground ginger, and honey.
- 📖 Dietary Notes: Dairy-free, gluten-free, and can be made paleo.
- ⭐ Why You'll Love It: Sweet, savory, and incredibly easy to prep for a hands-off dinner.
SUMMARIZE & SAVE THIS CONTENT ON
I save time cooking dinner while still keeping the focus on healthy by making use of this slow cooker teriyaki chicken (and things like this slow cooker beef and broccoli). Prep and pour all the ingredients into the slow cooker in under ten minutes. Then, cook on low and let the sweet flavors infuse while you’re at work.
High protein slow cooker meals are easily one of my favorites because they keep busy nights simple. Learn more about choosing a slow cooker and choosing the best one for your family (and how to use it!).
Jump To
- A Quick Look At The Recipe
- 💭Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Ingredients and Substitutions
- Flavor Variations
- How To Make Slow Cooker Gluten-Free Teriyaki Chicken
- Expert Tips To Make It
- How To Serve It
- Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken FAQs
- More Healthy Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes You'll Love
- Gluten-Free Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken Recipe
💭Why You'll Love This Recipe
Healthy: This teriyaki chicken is sweetened with honey only, a natural sweetener, to keep this recipe healthy.
Meal prep: The shredded chicken is even more delicious the next day with root vegetable medley or mixed with your favorite noodles.
Texture: Tender and super juicy, this chicken is anything but dry.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Chicken Breasts: You want quality, thick, boneless chicken breasts for this slow cooker teriyaki chicken so that the flavor has time to infuse into the bite-sized pieces (just like this crockpot green chili chicken).
- Honey: The gluten-free teriyaki sauce is naturally sweetened with honey. If you love a sweet honey flavor, you'll also enjoy these honey-based, gluten-free baked chicken thighs, too.
- Gluten-Free Soy Sauce (or Tamari): Make sure to use a gluten-free soy sauce to keep the teriyaki chicken allergy-friendly. Or, opt for tamari, which is an alternative to soy sauce (but tastes the same). I do this for chicken teriyaki skewers, too.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Flavor Variations
- Spicy: If you want a punch of heat, add half to one teaspoon of red pepper flakes to the teriyaki sauce. I do this with slow cooker chicken alfredo sometimes as well.
- Sweet chili heat: Sometimes, for a twist, we'll add a splash (1-2 tablespoons) of sweet chili paste to the teriyaki sauce.
- Chicken thighs: Though you can use chicken thighs for this slow cooker recipe, they do release a ton of juice, so your sauce will be a bit more watery. To counter this, use 1-2 teaspoons more arrowroot powder.
How To Make Slow Cooker Gluten-Free Teriyaki Chicken
Step 1: Coat chicken breasts in arrowroot powder and place in the slow cooker.
Step 2: Whisk together the gluten-free teriyaki sauce.
Step 3: Pour the sauce over the chicken.
Step 4: Stir and cook for six hours.
Expert Tips To Make It
Once the slow cooker teriyaki chicken is cooked, much of the sauce will be absorbed into the chicken to create super juicy pieces.
The remaining sauce is delicious as is, but it’s not “sticky”. If you’re looking for a sticky sauce, before serving, add in ½ teaspoon of additional arrowroot powder. Mix well and cook on high for 20 additional minutes, which creates a stickier sauce.
Use two forks to shred the chicken and give it a stir. If you let it cook for another 15 minutes, everything is even juicier.
Store leftover shredded chicken once cooled in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat it with the sauce and a splash of water in a small pot on the stove over low heat.
How To Serve It
If you need to keep the recipe paleo, serve the teriyaki chicken on top of spaghetti squash, Whole30 cauliflower rice, or lots of veggies.
If you only need to keep the chicken gluten-free, you can pop it on top of rice or mix it into a pasta dish with additional veggies and then top it with some green onions for added flavor.
Our favorite way to enjoy it is on top of rice with steamed broccoli or roasted cauliflower on the side (hubby tops his with extra soy sauce!).
Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken FAQs
So long as you're cooking the chicken for an extended period of time (4-6 hours), you can put raw chicken in the slow cooker. The fewer ingredients you put into the slow cooker with the chicken (and the smaller the pieces of chicken) the less time it will take to cook fully.
It’s better to cook chicken on low in a crock pot and use a lot of liquid. This ensures that the chicken will come out juicy and tender. It also prevents the chance that it will overcook, rendering it dry.
You can definitely overcook chicken in a slow cooker. One way to avoid overcooking the chicken breasts is to ensure there is a lot of liquid in the crock pot for the chicken to absorb.
Yes, you can freeze gluten-free teriyaki chicken once cooled. Portion it into a freezer-safe bag with the juices and freeze it flat for up to 3 months. Let it thaw overnight and then reheat it on the stove over low heat.
More Healthy Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes You'll Love
If you tried this Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken Recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes!
Gluten-Free Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken Recipe
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 chicken breasts cut into bite-sized chunks
- ⅛ cup arrowroot powder
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ teaspoon Ground ginger
- ⅛ cup honey
- ¼ cup tamari gluten-free soy sauce
- 2 tbs avocado oil
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 tbs apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- In a large plastic baggie, coat the chicken bites in arrowroot powder.
- Add them to the slow cooker.
- Whisk together the remaining ingredients to make the gluten-free teriyaki sauce.
- Pour the sauce over the chicken and stir.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook for 6 hours on low.
- Once cooked through, use two forks to shred the chicken.
- Serve on a side of rice, spaghetti squash or noodles, and veggies.
Notes
- The remaining sauce in the slow cooker is delicious as is, but it’s not “sticky”. If you’re looking for a sticky teriyaki sauce, before serving, add in ½ teaspoon of additional arrowroot powder. Mix well and cook on high for 20 additional minutes.
- If it’s possible to stir the crock pot teriyaki chicken while it’s cooking, do it. This ensures all the chicken breast pieces are coated. However, it’s not fully necessary.
- You can top the teriyaki chicken after serving with either green onions or sesame seeds.
- The sauce will absorb quickly, so once you shred the chicken, don't let it cook for longer than another 15 minutes.
Disclaimer:
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data"
Wendie says
This one was a huge hit! Everybody devoured it and I loved that I could throw it together mid morning and it was ready when we got home, served it with some white rice and broccoli, definitely keeping this one!
Traci says
Quick and simple ingredients, just tossed everything in. Served over rice - so good! Family loved it, and the slow cooker did the work! Perfect for those days when I am too tired to cook!
fitasamamabear says
Simple is key!
Czyrah says
The chicken was moist and flavorful. And I love that the sauce was a little sticky and sweet. Served it on top of salads and it was soooo good. This homemade sauce is way better than anything you can buy in a bottle!
fitasamamabear says
The sauce is my favorite too lol
Faith says
I used chicken breasts instead of thighs and they soaked up all the delicious flavor from the teriyaki sauce and stayed juicy. The combination of garlic, ginger, and honey really elevated the flavor.
fitasamamabear says
Mmm amazing!
Erin says
This was just the kind of easy recipe I was looking for. Easy and delicious. I especially loved the sticky sauce at the end!
fitasamamabear says
So happy you liked it!
Shruthi says
Loved this recipe - made it so easy to assemble a dinner after a busy day and it was really healthy too!
fitasamamabear says
Slow cookers save sanity!
Angela Pagliarello says
Delicious Teriyaki Chicke! This recipe It has becomea family favorite. I add shredded carrots and serve it with cauliflower and broccoli.
fitasamamabear says
Omg the carrots in there sound soooo good!
Jess says
When would you add the shredded carrots?
fitasamamabear says
If you're going to add shredded carrot I'd just add it about 30 minutes before serving as you only really need to heat it.
Gina says
Made a double batch of this to have for the week and it's been the best for quick and easy lunches! Just as great on salad as it is with rice.
fitasamamabear says
I personally love it on salads too!
Janice says
I LOVE this recipe! Every bite was worth it. I also love how easy it is to make. Always a hit at every family dinner!
fitasamamabear says
Easy is key hehe glad you liked it!
Sharon says
This is such an easy recipe--literally couldn't be easier to make--and the flavor is excellent. Will be making this again for sure
fitasamamabear says
Happy to hear it!
Sharina says
No one in our family can resist this easy slow cooker teriyaki chicken recipe! It was perfectly cooked and seasoned. Even the kids can't get enough of it.
fitasamamabear says
My kiddos love it too, it's the best!
Madison says
I always struggle with slow cooker recipes, but this one turned out perfect!
fitasamamabear says
The slow cooker saves my sanity lol glad it turned out for you!
Gen says
I can’t believe how easy this recipe is for how delicious it turned out! My household gives it 5 stars. Can’t wait to make it again!
fitasamamabear says
Glad everyone loved it!
GRETA says
This was so quick to prepare and the result is just fabulous. It was a hit today
fitasamamabear says
Comfort meal for sure.
Kris says
This was such a joy to come home to. So tender and flavorful! Will make again!
fitasamamabear says
Happy to hear it!