Teriyaki Chicken Bowl
Updated Sep 28, 2026
Chicken teriyaki bowl with broccoli served over rice easy homemade teriyaki sauce. A fast weeknight bowl ready in about 25 minutes with no bottled sauce.
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2026 has apparently been the year of the rice bowl for me. I know rice bowls are not new, but I’ve been making some version of one constantly, and this teriyaki chicken bowl has become one of the repeats. Mine is usually chicken, rice, broccoli, and homemade teriyaki sauce. I’ve used bottled sauce plenty of times, but most of it is sweeter than I like, and once I realized the homemade version takes me about two minutes to mix together, I stopped buying it. Really, I keep my teriyaki chicken bowls pretty simple, and I haven’t gotten tired of it yet!
Recipe Testing Notes
For the past 10 years, I’ve tested every recipe before sharing it with you! These notes give you a peek into the process of developing this Teriyaki Chicken Bowl recipe.
I made the teriyaki sauce once without cornstarch, and it tasted fine, but most of it ended up at the bottom of the pan instead of coating the chicken. Adding a little cornstarch fixed that, so now I always use it. The sauce thickens in the last couple of minutes and actually clings to the chicken instead of running off.
I’ve changed the amount of brown sugar a few times too. A lot of bottled teriyaki sauces are sweeter than I like, and I didn’t want this one going in that direction. I kept cutting the sugar back until it still had that sweetness I wanted without tasting syrupy. The sriracha stayed too. It doesn’t make the sauce very spicy, but I miss it when I leave it out.
I used to add the sauce to the chicken earlier, and the chicken would cook, but it never got much color because it was basically steaming in the sauce. Now I brown the chicken first and leave the sauce out of the pan until the end. It only needs a couple of minutes at that point to thicken and coat everything.
Happy Cooking!
– Yumna
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Chicken Teriyaki Bowl Ingredients
- Chicken: I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Cut them into even 1-inch cubes so the pieces cook at about the same rate. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs also work. Use 1 pound and cut them into similar-sized pieces.
- Teriyaki sauce: Soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, ginger, garlic, cornstarch, water, and Sriracha make up the homemade sauce for this chicken teriyaki bowl. To make it gluten-free, substitute soy sauce for Tamari or coconut aminos. If using ground ginger instead of the 1-inch knob of fresh ginger, start with about ½ teaspoon.
- Broccoli: Cut the head into fairly even, bite-sized florets so they steam at the same rate. Frozen broccoli can also work, but it may release more water and will have a softer texture. You can add any vegetables you like, like bell peppers or carrots.
- For serving: I make the bowls with brown rice, but you can also use white rice, quinoa, or cauliflower rice. And I top them with scallions and toasted sesame seeds!
How to Make Teriyaki Chicken Bowls
These step-by-step photos walk you through how to make chicken teriyaki bowls. For the full ingredient list and detailed instructions, head to the recipe card below, or skip straight to the → Chicken Teriyaki Rice Bowl Recipe
1. Brown the chicken
Heat the avocado oil in a large skillet, then add the chicken in an even layer. Toss as it cooks so the pieces brown on all sides and cook through.
2. Make the teriyaki sauce
Combine the soy sauce, brown sugar, water, rice vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, cornstarch, and Sriracha. Keep whisking until the cornstarch dissolves and the mixture looks smooth.
3. Add the sauce to the chicken
Pour the mixture into the skillet with the cooked chicken. Stir to coat the chicken evenly as the sauce starts to simmer. Continue cooking and stirring until the sauce reduces enough to cling to the chicken.
4. Make Teriyaki chicken Bowl
Divide the rice, teriyaki chicken, and steamed broccoli between bowls, then finish with scallions and sesame seeds.
Full teriyaki chicken rice bowl Recipe
Teriyaki Chicken Bowl Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons water divided
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 fresh ginger 1-inch knob, grated
- 3 garlic cloves grated
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon Sriracha
- 1 head broccoli cut into florets
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast cut into 1-inch cubes
- Brown rice for serving
- Scallions thinly sliced, for serving
- Toasted sesame seeds for serving
Instructions
- Make the sauce. In a medium bowl, whisk soy sauce, brown sugar, 2 tablespoons water, vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, cornstarch, and sriracha.
- Add broccoli to a medium, microwave-safe bowl and add remaining water. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high until lightly steamed, 2 minutes. Carefully remove plastic.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until browned on all sides and cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F, tossing frequently, 7–8 minutes total. Add sauce and cook until reduced and thickened, 2 minutes.
- Divide rice between four bowls, then divide chicken and broccoli between bowls. Top with scallions and sesame seeds and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Recipe Variations
- Add edamame: Divide 1 cup of cooked shelled edamame among the bowls for more protein.
- Add pineapple: Stir 1 cup of drained pineapple chunks into the skillet when adding the teriyaki sauce. Let them warm through as the sauce thickens.
Add cashews: Sprinkle about ¼ cup chopped roasted cashews over the finished bowls for some crunch.
Recipe Tips
- Add the chicken to a hot skillet. The chicken breasts should have the chill taken off already (let them sit out of the fridge for 15-20 minutes) when you add them to the skillet. Heat the oil before adding the chicken breasts to the pan so that they cook through evenly.
- Give the chicken room to brown. Use a large skillet and keep the chicken in a single layer. If the pan is overcrowded, the chicken releases moisture and steams instead of browning.
- Keep the broccoli separate until serving. Adding the steamed broccoli directly to the skillet can introduce extra water and thin the teriyaki sauce. Dividing it among the bowls keeps the sauce concentrated around the chicken.
Troubleshooting
Make sure the sauce reaches a simmer after it goes into the skillet. Cornstarch needs heat to thicken properly. If the cornstarch settled in the bowl before you added the sauce, some may also have been left behind, which is why it helps to whisk it again immediately before pouring.
The sauce probably reduced for a little too long. Stir in water 1 tablespoon at a time over low heat until it loosens enough to coat the chicken. Keep in mind that it will thicken a little more as it cools.
The cornstarch may not have dissolved completely before it hit the hot skillet. Whisk the sauce until completely smooth and give it another quick whisk immediately before adding it to the chicken.
Chicken breasts can dry out if you cut the pieces too small and/or cook them for too long. Keep the cubes around 1 inch and cook just until the chicken reaches 165°F before adding the sauce.
Comments
Made this today with ground chicken and rice noodles. Reduced the sriracha to 1/4 teaspoon as my kids can’t handle too much heat. Will double the sauce next time – it’s so good!!
Aww, love that!! So glad it was a hit! Thanks so much, Amira!
I cooked for my client family. It’s great, Madam & kids like it. I am a personal chef in Dubai. Thank you very much.
Aww, so happy it was a hit! Thank you!!
Wonderful recipe! Followed it word for word, except that I used chicken thigh meat because that’s what I had on hand. It turned out really good!
Yum, that sounds so good!! So happy you liked it, Q! Thank you!!
How would you adjust the recipe if using low sodium soy sauce?
I would make it exactly the same and just add salt to taste if you feel it needs it!
I make this all the time!
Yay! So happy you like it!!
This dish was delicious and simple. I didn’t have sriracha so I made a mix of ketchup and hot sauce as substitute….worked great. My husband and I loved it!
What an innovative alternative! Love that idea!
I’ve made this twice for
myself but I just made it for
my mom and she approves!
So glad to hear that you and your Mom both like it!
This is almost a weekly dish for us! So satisfying and simple! One question: does the nutrition info include the rice, or is it just the chicken mix?
Yay, so happy you love it! Thanks! The nutrition facts include all of the ingredients, including the rice.
I make this recipe all the time. I have it memorized from making it so often. I sometimes swap out the vegetables for other things like peas or green beans and I also use tofu a lot instead of chicken. Though it’s excellent no matter what is used and I most certainly like it with chicken. One of my favorite weeknight meals.
I love that so much This recipe is definitely flexible in that way. Yum!
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