What better way to embrace the winter chill than by busting out the trusty ol’ slow cooker? Slow cookers can really do it all, from pulled pork to applesauce to soup, and now, pulled chicken teriyaki.
Yesterday I returned home from a blogging retreat in Deer Valley, Utah, where the plunging temperatures left me hankering for a bowl of something warm to cozy up to. I realize that living in southern California means I can’t complain about the cold, but I have endured four Chicago winters and six New York City winters, so I am quite familiar with all things freezing, slushy and windy. And the answer to that cold often lies in the bottom of the slow cooker.
I was craving some type of takeout food last week. And while Mongolian beef and fried rice are often the answer, I decided it was time for the first slow cooked meal of the season. And this one couldn’t be easier. After loading the chicken breasts into the slow cooker, you whip up a marinade that does double duty as a sauce starring soy sauce, pineapple juice, brown sugar and tons of fresh garlic and ginger.
The result is moist pulled chicken tossed in a sticky sweet homemade teriyaki sauce. Add rice or noodles to the bottom of your bowl, pile the pulled chicken teriyaki on top and dinner (plus plenty of leftovers) is served.
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Ingredients
- 4 large bone-in, skinless chicken breasts (See Kelly's Note)
- 1 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 3/4 cup chicken stock
- 1/2 cup pineapple juice
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons cornstarch
Equipment:
- 6- quart slow cooker
Instructions
- Place the chicken breasts in a single layer in the slow cooker.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, chicken stock, pineapple juice, brown sugar, olive oil, minced garlic and ginger until the sugar is dissolved. Pour the mixture over the chicken breasts, cover the slow cooker and set it to LOW for 4 hours until the chicken is fully cooked.
- Using tongs, remove the chicken breasts and discard the bones. Using two forks, shred the chicken breasts and place them in a large bowl.
- Pour half of the remaining sauce from the slow cooker in a medium saucepot and discard the other half. Bring the sauce to a boil.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch with 3 tablespoons water to make a slurry. While the sauce is boiling, whisk in the slurry and continue to boil the sauce until it has thickened and is the consistency of syrup. Pour the sauce over the shredded chicken and toss to combine. Serve the chicken over rice or noodles.
Kelly's Note:
- Using bone-in chicken breasts, rather than boneless chicken breasts, is key to guaranteeing moist, tender shredded chicken. But if you can't find bone-in chicken breasts, you can still use boneless chicken breasts.
- ★ Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below!
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Recipe by Kelly Senyei of Just a Taste. Please do not reprint this recipe without my permission. If you'd like to feature this recipe on your site, please rewrite the method of preparation and link to this post as the original source.
Hi there! I would like to cook this for 20 people can you give me the exact amount with the ingredients.
Hi there! You’d have to gauge how hungry your group may be in order to determine the amount of meat you’d need.
It would be kinder and better if you gave us a recipe and not just a list of ingredients. Thanks.
Hi there! The recipe instructions are listed above, underneath the ingredient list. :)
How long can I keep this in refrigerator if we don’t eat it all.
Hi Barbara! This will last up to 4 days when stored in an airtight container in the fridge. :)
I’m going to try it tonight with some chicken thighs and put it on some toasted Hawaiian rolls! Can’t wait! Thanks for sharing.
You are so welcome, Jamie! I’m looking forward to hearing your results!
Hi, how do you prepare the rice?
Hi there, Francisca! My best recommendation is to follow the directions on the packaging :)
I am trying to read reviews for the pulled chicken teriyaki but the reviews attached are all for granola bars?
Hi Jessie! My apologies. We were experiencing a glitch but all comments should be showing now. Please let me know if you still have any issues!
This recipe is phenomenal. We ate ours over quinoa, which was delicious!
YUM! So thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Patti!
As usual I am in a rush to out together this delicious recipe. I accidently added cornstarch to the liquid mix. Shall I just pour it all in the pot or do I need to dump liquid mix and start over?
Hi Lisa! I’ve never added the cornstarch to the slow cooker so I’m not certain what effect this may have. Generally, cornstarch has to boil in order to act as a thickening agent so it may still be OK but it’s just hard to tell!
Superb recipe we thoroughly enjoyed our first Just a Taste recipe and look forward to more slow-cook recipes
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Colleen!
Hey Kelly,
loved this recipe. Did it in a slowcooker and it came out perfectly!
Now i’m on the go and don’t have the slowcooker on me. Any suggestions how to substitute it for a oven or s.th. else?
Thank you so much for sharing the recipe!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Chris! I’ve never tried this recipe in the oven, so unfortunately I can’t tell you a specific oven temp or cooking time. Let me know if you give it a shot!
Hi Kelly, just wondering, since I’m gone all day at work, if I could put this on in the morning and leave it on low for 8ish hours. I do have a timer on my crockpot so I could set it to turn off after 4 hours, but then it’d be sitting there all afternoon just waiting for us to eat it.
Hi Julie! I have never tried having the meat sit for that long with the cooker off (or on “warm”) so I’m not certain what the result would be like.
Sounds phenomenal. I’m making it right now actually just turned on slow cooker
Awesome! I hope you enjoyed it!
Chicken teriyaki is one of my favorite things, and I’ve never made it in the slow cooker. I think I’m going to have to try this. Thanks for the recipe!!
I hope you enjoy it!
Love this recipe, will be trying it soon…is there a reason you discarded half of the juice from the crockpot?
Hi Johnie! There is a lot of liquid in the slow cooker to ensure the chicken is very moist and flavorful, and you’d have way too much sauce if you reduced all of it down, so that’s why I discard half of it. I suppose you could reduce all of it then just save the extra teriyaki for another use :)
LOVED meeting you this weekend Kelly! You are such a sweetheart, and I admire your incredible work ethic so, so much!!!
Also, I just got a slow cooker for my wedding last year and I can’t wait to make this. I haven’t had homemade teriyaki in ages.
Loved, loved, LOVED meeting you, Laura! I am so excited for your new journey :) Looking forward to staying in touch!
I made this tonight and it’s not sweet or light in colour like yours. Would it be because I used bottled pineapple juice and not pineapple juice from a can?
Hi Jenel! Did you use all of the other ingredients listed?