This Grilled Teriyaki Chicken on a Stick is an easy recipe packed with flavor. Chicken tenders are covered in a sticky homemade teriyaki sauce and then grilled to perfection in under 30 minutes.
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I love making kabobs on the grill, but I don't love the time it takes to add the cubes to the wooden skewers. With this easy grilling recipe, you can slice chicken into a thin fillet and thread it onto a skewer. It is so fast!
Serve the chicken skewers with white rice and grilled veggies for an easy weeknight meal.
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Why I Love These Easy Teriyaki Chicken Skewers
- Super Simple and Delicious: This grilled chicken skewer recipe is easy to make and uses a simple marinade that doubles as a delicious sauce.
- Crowd Pleaser: Perfect for any occasion, you can easily scale the recipe for large gatherings.
- Fun and Flavorful: The combination of sweet, savory, and umami flavors in the homemade sticky sauce is delicious. Plus, eating off a stick is just plain fun!
Ingredients
- Chicken Breasts. You can use boneless skinless chicken breasts, boneless skinless chicken thighs, or even pre-packaged chicken tenders for convenience.
- Soy sauce. I used low sodium soy sauce, but alternatives like Tamari, which is gluten-free, coconut aminos, which is soy-free, and liquid aminos are excellent substitutes.
- Flavor Enhancers: Swap ground ginger for freshly grated ginger, garlic powder for fresh minced garlic, and onion powder for fresh minced onion.
- Sweetener: I used brown sugar, but you can also use alternatives like maple syrup, raw sugar, cane sugar, honey, or coconut sugar.
- Acidic Ingredients: Rice wine vinegar is my go-to, but apple cider vinegar, white wine vinegar, red wine vinegar, or even a splash of lemon or lime juice are great substitutes.
- Liquid Base: I used water, but using chicken or vegetable broth can enhance the flavor.
- Thickeners: I used cornstarch, but you can use arrowroot powder instead.
- Garnishes: Sesame seeds and green onion are optional but add a nice pop of color.
Quick Tip: While I used homemade teriyaki marinade, you can use a store-bought teriyaki sauce like Bachan's Original Japanese Barbecue Sauce or La Choy Teriyaki Marinade for even quicker prep.
How To Make Grilled Teriyaki Chicken On A Stick
This is an overview showing step-by-step photos. Jump to the full recipe card for exact instructions or watch the video below.
Prepare The Chicken
- Make chicken marinade: Combine soy sauce, ground ginger, garlic powder, onion powder, rice wine vinegar, and brown sugar in a small bowl with a whisk. Remove ¾ cup of this marinade and set it aside for later.
- Cut into strips: Cut the chicken into long strips about 1 inch wide. Place the chicken strips into a large Ziplock bag. Add the marinade, seal the bag, and marinate the chicken for 30-60 minutes.
- Thread the chicken: Grab a skewer and a chicken strip, and thread strips of chicken onto the skewers. My skewers were long, so I was able to add two chicken tenders onto each skewer. Do over a large baking sheet covered with parchment paper for easy cleanup. Place the skewer onto the baking sheet. Continue until all of the chicken is threaded on the skewers.
If using bamboo skewers, soak them in cold water while the chicken is marinating.
Grill The Chicken
- Preheat and Grill: Preheat your grill to medium heat (350-375 degrees F). Place chicken skewers directly on the grill with some space between them. Grill for 30 minutes, flipping every 5-10 minutes for even cooking.
- Prepare Sauce: While the chicken is grilling, heat the reserved marinade in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in a mixture of water and cornstarch until hot and thick. Thin with pineapple juice if needed.
- Baste Chicken: During the last 20 minutes of grilling, brush the chicken with the teriyaki sauce every 5-10 minutes.
- Check Doneness: The chicken teriyaki skewers are ready when they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Use a meat thermometer to check.
- Serve: Remove the skewers from the grill and serve them with the remaining sauce and garnish with chopped green onion.
Tips & Variations
- Spice It Up: Add red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper.
- Keto Version: Substitute sugar with your preferred keto-friendly sweetener.
- Teriyaki Bowls: Create hearty teriyaki bowls with steamed veggies, Instant Pot Rice, or quinoa.
Related Recipe: Try our Air Fryer Chicken Skewers for a quick and easy option.
Serving Suggestions
I like to serve these Chinese chicken skewers with smoked pineapple spears, Hawaiian Macaroni Salad, Red Skin Potato Salad, and Creamy Coleslaw With Mayo.
It also goes great with Smoked Corn On The Cob In Foil, Smoked Baked Potatoes, and Broccoli Crunch Salad With Bacon.
🍽 Equipment
To make this recipe, you will need 10-12 bamboo skewers or metal skewers, tongs for turning the chicken, and a grill for cooking it. A baking sheet is helpful for carrying the chicken to the grill.
You can make this easy recipe using any grill, including an electric smoker, pellet grill, or gas grill. I used a pellet smoker, which added a delicious smoky flavor.
🌡️ Storage Tips & Reheating
Fridge: If you're lucky enough to have leftover teriyaki chicken kabobs, remove the chicken from the skewers and store it in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Freezer: You can also wrap the leftover chicken in plastic wrap, place it in a freezer bag, and freeze for up to 2 months.
Reheat: You can reheat leftovers in the oven, microwave, or air fryer.
Recipe FAQs
Absolutely! Just trim the meat off of the bone and continue with the recipe.
No worries! You can cook the skewers on a stovetop grill pan or even bake them in the oven.
Yes. Marinade the chicken, thread it onto skewers, then place the chicken on a baking sheet, cover it with plastic wrap, and put it in the fridge until you are ready to grill it.
🍗 More Delicious Chicken Recipes
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Printable Recipe
Grilled Teriyaki Chicken On A Stick
Equipment
- Indoor or Outdoor Grill
- 10-12 Wooden or Metal Skewers
- Baking Sheet
- Tongs
- Basting brush
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breasts cut into 1-inch wide slices or chicken thighs
Teriyaki Marinade
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 6 tablespoon brown sugar
- 4 tablespoon water
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- sesame seeds for garnish optional
- sliced green onions for garnish optional
Instructions
- Prepare Marinade: In a bowl, whisk together soy sauce, ground ginger, garlic powder, onion powder, rice wine vinegar, and brown sugar. Reserve ¾ cup of marinade for later use.
- Marinate Chicken: Place chicken strips in a large Ziplock bag, pour in the marinade, seal, and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes.
- Thread Chicken: Thread chicken strips onto skewers. Arrange on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
- Grill Chicken: Preheat grill to medium heat (350-375℉). Place skewers on the grill, leaving space between them. Grill for 30 minutes, flipping every 5-10 minutes.
- Prepare Sauce: Heat reserved marinade in a small saucepan over medium heat. Combine the water and cornstarch, then whisk it into the sauce to thicken. If the sauce is too thick, thin with pineapple juice.
- Baste Chicken: During the last 20 minutes of grilling, baste the chicken with the teriyaki sauce every 5-10 minutes. The chicken is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165℉.
- Serve: Remove skewers from the grill, serve with extra teriyaki sauce, and garnish with sesame seeds or green onion if desired.
Video
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Notes
- Soak skewers in cold water for 30 minutes if using bamboo skewers.
- Add red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper to the marinade to make it spicy.
- Substitute sugar with your preferred keto-friendly sweetener for low-carb.
- Make hearty teriyaki bowls with steamed veggies, rice, and grilled veggies.
Nutrition
The provided nutrition information is automatically calculated. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
**This post was originally published in August 2022. It has been recently updated with more information and helpful tips, but the recipe remains the same.
About Jeri Walker
Jeri Walker is the founder and CEO of Winding Creek Ranch. She is a self-taught home cook who specializes in easy family-friendly recipes. Jeri is also a food writer who regularly writes articles for MSN. Read about Jeri's journey and connect with her on your favorite social media channels!
Amy Liu Dong says
Such a good and tasty dish to make for everyone for tonight's dinner, yum!