Ground Chicken Teriyaki

Ground chicken teriyaki is a meal you can put together in less than 10 minutes and the results are out of this world. The thick sweet and salty sauce gives this ground chicken dish the classic teriyaki flavors you know and love in nearly no time. Put a generous amount on a bed of white rice and you’ve got yourself a well-balanced meal!

As I was making ground chicken teriyaki, I was laughing at how ridiculously easy this meal was. I was saying out loud, “how can this truly be this easy?” Lucky for all of us, it is really that easy and this meal can come together in less than 10 minutes.

If you’re a fan of teriyaki, then you know the classic umami flavors that teriyaki brings to the table. The thick glaze-like sauce is sweet and salty and has notes of garlic and ginger throughout. It’s honestly one of my favorite Asian sauces to use for weeknight meals because it satisfies everyone, even the fussiest of eaters. Teriyaki Beef and Broccoli and Air Fryer Teriyaki Salmon are a couple of my weekly repeats.

What is teriyaki sauce and what does it taste like?

Teriyaki sauce is a glaze, marinade, and sauce that originated from Japan. However, it is worth noting that in Japan, teriyaki is a style of cooking and in America it most commonly refers to the sauce.

Teriyaki sauce is a boldly flavored thick sauce that is sweet and salty and delivers an umami bomb of flavors thanks to the soy sauce base.

Why You’ll Love This

• So easy that I can actually say it’s stupid easy. If you can pour sauce into a skillet, then you can make ground chicken teriyaki.
• Ridiculously fast. Because it uses ground chicken, everything cooks really fast so if you’re especially low on time, you can have dinner on the table in about 10 minutes.
• High protein, low fat. When I cook with ground chicken, I know I am getting a significant amount of protein with a low amount of fat. This is great because higher amounts of protein at a meal keep me full longer and I don’t have as many cravings!
• Great for meal prep. This is great for meal prep as it’s easy to double or triple the original recipe and it keeps very well in the refrigerator all week long. Put into containers with rice and a roasted vegetable and you’ve got lunch covered for a whole work week!

Ingredients You’ll Need

Here is a list of ingredients you will need to make ground chicken teriyaki. Make sure to scroll down to view the full recipe for exact measurements.

• Ground chicken
• Teriyaki sauce – homemade or store-bought (for this particular recipe, I used store-bought)
• Scallions
• Sesame seeds

How To Make Ground Chicken Teriyaki

Here is a general overview of the steps involved to make this teriyaki ground chicken dish. Be sure to scroll to the bottom of this post for the full recipe.

Brown and break up ground chicken. Cook your ground chicken in a skillet over medium high heat along with the scallions. Break up the ground chicken into smaller pieces with a spatula or wooden spoon or my favorite meat breaker upper tool.

Pour in the teriyaki sauce and let simmer. Once the ground chicken is nearly cooked through and hardly any pink remains, pour in the teriyaki sauce, stir to incorporate, and let simmer for 3-5 minutes. The sauce should tighten up a bit too. Remove from heat and serve over a bed of white rice and garnish with more scallions and sesame seeds!

Substitutions and Variations

• Ground meats: you can certainly swap out the ground chicken and use ground turkey or ground beef! Keep in mind if you use ground beef, you may want to get the leaner kind (93/7) so it’s not too greasy.
• Homemade vs. store-bought teriyaki sauce: either will work in this recipe and I’m usually a huge proponent for homemade but sometimes I find a really good teriyaki at the store and it’s convenient to just have the pre-made version on hand.

Tips for Success

Even the easiest of recipes have some shortcuts and tips and tricks to share. These tips below will have you making the best ground chicken teriyaki in the neighborhood!

Drain the liquid. Ground chicken tends to cook off a lot of liquid so if you find that your ground chicken is swimming in liquid, go ahead and drain it before you add the teriyaki sauce. Otherwise, it might dilute it too much and you won’t get much flavor from the sauce.

Crisp the ground chicken. Okay, if you have time, one of my new favorite tricks is crisping up ground meats by just letting it sit in the skillet for a longer time and not touching it. This allows the pieces to get super nice and browned and crispy.

Storage and Reheating Instructions

If you find yourself with leftovers or that you meal prepped ground chicken teriyaki, you may store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To reheat, you can easily pop this in the microwave on high heat for about 45 seconds, depending on the wattage of your microwave.

What to Serve with Ground Chicken Teriyaki

Since this is primarily a meat dish served over a bed of rice, my recommendation is to serve some roasted broccoli or cauliflower with this. Or, if you’re feeling fancy and have time, these crispy spring rolls would be nice as well!

Craving more teriyaki? Here are some of my favorite teriyaki recipes!

• Teriyaki Tofu Meatballs
• Teriyaki Tofu and Broccoli Bowls
• Teriyaki Chicken and Broccoli
• Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Skewers