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"
Liz says
I love finding new ways to use my crockpot! Thanks for the tasty recipe, my husband liked it too!
Yang says
This is a pretty creative way to make teriyaki chicken! I like that you let the slow cooker do the work, so good for busy families.
fitasamamabear says
Haha simplicity is key in my house 😀
jennifer says
This was amazing and perfect to come home to on the night we had evening boot camp (and then I did leftovers for the next post- boot camp meal!) YAY, so delicious and easy.
Stacey Crawford says
I love how fast and simple the prep for this is, and the sauce is so delish! Definitely a keeper recipe for the slow cooker!
fitasamamabear says
Slow cooker meals save sanity!
ChihYu says
So delicious! Love the gluten free sauce - that's what makes this so perfectly yummy! And, it's so easy to make too!
fitasamamabear says
Easy is crucial in this house!
Glenda says
Delicious! I'm so glad to have a gluten-free teriyaki recipe that is so simple to make. My family didn't even realize it was a gluten free meal. That's a win for me!
fitasamamabear says
Definitely a win!!
Raquel says
A perfect dinner for a busy day! Love making this in my crock pot!
fitasamamabear says
Yes! It's nice to come home to!
Donny says
Love the bit of honey in there - the sauce is so good! I want to put it on everything, lol.
fitasamamabear says
Haha I DO put it on everything!
Laura says
Last Christmas I bought a slow cooker as a present for my father. I'm going to let him know this amazing teriyaki chicken recipe from your blog. I think it will be a success for sure.
fitasamamabear says
You are the best gifter! Lol my slow cooker saves my sanity!
Jen says
I'm just trying this- you mention ginger in the description but I don't see a measurement in the recipe?
fitasamamabear says
Thanks for the catch! Not sure how I missed that one, I use 1/4 tsp ginger. I'll get that updated now. Appreciate it!
laura says
SO delicious!! I love having a dinner I can come home to!
fitasamamabear says
Haha it saves your sanity on weekdays!
Tessa says
This looks so delicious and soooooo easy, especially for a long day ahead. I love slow cooker meals.
fitasamamabear says
Right? It's so nice to come home to something already done!
Allyssa says
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe! Will surely have this again! It's really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly recommended!
fitasamamabear says
Thank you!!
tina says
I just recently whipped out my slow cooker to make chili - the perfect time to make this delicious slow cooker chicken teriyaki! 😀
fitasamamabear says
Yes! Slow cookers kick butt!
Paula says
gosh, this was so easy to make. I may make it weekly from now on!
fitasamamabear says
We've had it on rotation for a bit now, it's so versatile!
Jennifer says
Oooh the sauce in this is so good! I'm in love with how easy and tasty this dish is!
fitasamamabear says
Thanks! Simplicity is what fuels my life haha