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A very easy Teriyaki Marinade that makes chicken, pork, beef, or fish so flavorful. You are going to love making and eating this recipe!
Update: This was originally posted in June of 2013, and has been updated to improve reader experience.
I love love LOVE having this Teriyaki Marinade in my recipe arsenal. It’s super easy to mix up and tastes way better than any store-bought marinade I’ve tried.
Bring chicken home from the grocery store and put them right in zip-lock plastic bags. Add enough marinade to cover the chicken. Then put them in the freezer and then take them out before leaving for work. As they thaw, they marinate – a great thing to have around for a really tasty dinner!
Being freezer-friendly is RIGHT up my alley, I love being able to make-ahead meals, or at least get a head start!
Bring chicken home from the grocery store and put them right in zip-lock plastic bags. Add enough marinade to cover the chicken then put them in the freezer and then take them out before leaving for work. As they thaw, they marinate – a great thing to have around for a really tasty dinner!
Love Chicken Marinades? Try this sweet and spicy Chicken Diablo, or go for these AMAZING Chicken Satay Skewers (withpeanut dipping sauce)
Why this recipe works:
- MAKE AHEAD. Make the marinade on the weekend, and keep it in the fridge til you need it. Marinate chicken in the freezer, just add chicken and marinade and freeze, it infuses flavor as it thaws!
- EASY: Simple ingredients, all of which you can pronounce.
- DELICIOUS: This goes without saying, but I’m going to say it anyway.
Kylee’s Notes & FAQs
Is Teriyaki Sauce the same as Teriyaki Marinade? Nope! Marinades and Sauces are different, with different purposes. A marinade flavors the meat by slowly absorbing over time. Sauce is more of a condiment, and can also be used in stir fries.
Try my Teriyaki Sauce if you want the condiment instead!
What temperature should chicken be cooked to? You will need to cook the chicken to 165 degrees F when tested in the thickest part.
Can I make the remaining marinade into a sauce? Yes…. and no. You MUST boil any marinade that has touched raw chicken to a rolling boil to kill all the bacteria.
Substitutions & Additions
- Use chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts – you’ll get very moist, tender grilled chicken if you prefer to use thighs! I like
- You can use freshly minced garlic in this if you’d like. I generally choose NOT to because if it ends up on the chicken when grilling, it burns. Burned garlic doesn’t taste great.
- Vinegar – any kind will do – I’ve used red wine, white wine, plain distilled white vinegar, as well as apple cider vinegar!
- This chicken marinade can be used on pork chops too!
Serving Suggestion
Sprinkle with sesame seeds and some green onions.
Side dishes for grilled chicken:
Ingredients:
Full, printable recipe below – just scroll down to the recipe card!
- SOY SAUCE
- BROWN SUGAR – dark or light brown, it doesn’t matter
- WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE
- VINEGAR – see notes above
- OIL – any kind of oil, sesame oil is great in this, but I typically just use whatever is on hand.
- ONION POWDER, GARLIC POWDER
- GINGER – I use fresh ginger in this, but powdered can be used instead.
How to make this recipe:
Full, printable recipe below – just scroll down to the recipe card!
- Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and heat gently until the sugar is completely dissolved
- Add the chicken to a dish or bag.
- Add the marinade and mix around until evenly coated.
- Marinate the chicken for 4 hours (up to 24 hours) in the refrigerator.
- Heat a grill to medium-high, and grill for a few minutes per side until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
- Devour!
Want more easy chicken recipes?
- Chicken Salad: Use greek yogurt and low-fat mayonnaise to cut calories, without sacrificing flavor!
- Chicken Piccata: Butter, lemon juice and capers make the delicious sauce!
- ALL CHICKEN RECIPES
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Teriyaki Marinade Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup soy sauce ( )
- 1 cup water
- 3/4 cup dark brown sugar (see notes)
- 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 3 Tbs vinegar (see notes)
- 3 Tbs vegetable oil (see notes)
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp garlic powder (see notes)
- 2 tsp ginger (grated fresh )
- 4 chicken breasts
Directions
- Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and heat gently until sugar is completely dissolved. Do not boil.
- Add the chicken to a dish or bag. Add the marinade and mix around until evenly coated.
- Marinate the chicken for 4 hours (up to 24 hours) in the refrigerator.
- Heat a grill to medium-high, and grill for a few minutes per side until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
- Devour!
Notes
- What temperature should chicken be cooked to? You will need to cook the chicken to 165 degrees F when tested in the thickest part.
- OIL – any kind of oil, sesame oil is great in this, but I typically just use whatever is on hand.
- Use chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts – you’ll get very moist, tender grilled chicken if you prefer to use thighs! I like
- You can use freshly minced garlic in this if you’d like. I generally choose NOT to because if it ends up on the chicken when grilling, it burns. Burned garlic doesn’t taste great.
- Vinegar – any kind will do – I’ve used red wine, white wine, plain distilled white vinegar, as well as apple cider vinegar!
- This chicken marinade can be used on pork chops too!
Nutrition Facts
Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Ayosh says
Great idea! I get into such a rut with grilling chkcein – almost always marinate in Italian dressing – so this will really help. We’re on the road right now (visiting/meetings in TX this week then back to cool IL until we finally move down here) – but will print this up when I’m back home and saying “Hmmm…what about dinner??”
That Girl says
I'm with Caroline – such fantastic multitasking!
Caroline {TheBarbeeHousewife} says
I love the idea of freezing them in the marinade! This looks delicious!
Joelen Tan says
This looks great and I love the color too! It definitely beats the already prepared version and I can make this with pantry staples!