This Healthy Teriyaki Chicken is a quick and easy weeknight meal, on the table in under 20 minutes. The chicken is juicy and tender and the homemade teriyaki sauce is sweet, spicy, savoury and sticky all in one. It’s also a great recipe for meal prep and tastes just as good the day after.
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Teriyaki chicken has long been one of my favourite things to eat for lunch and dinner, but buying it pre-made from a shop or using a store bought jar of teriyaki sauce as a base often means its loaded with sugar and calories.
This chicken dinner is under 500 calories and it has everything you would expect form a thick and rich teriyaki sauce with a garlic and ginger base and its sugar free. I also make Teriyaki Salmon Bowls regularly where I also make the sauce from scratch - these are great for meal prep lunches.
Making sugar free stirfry sauces at home isn’t hard once you know how and making dishes like this Lemon Chicken Stir fry is a breeze. I also created this Low Calorie General Tso Chicken recipe with a sugar free General Tso sauce and it is delish!
Why Make This Recipe
- You can make it from scratch in under 20 minutes
- Its made with homemade teriyaki sauce that’s sugar free
- The sauce is thick and punchy and coats the chicken all over
- It’s a One Pot Dinner!
- It’s perfect for low calorie meal prepping and work lunches
- Make it with or without veges, or use whatever you have on hand
- Delicious with either rice or noodles
Ingredients
Making dinners under 500 calories is my specialty, with many of my most popular being low calorie chicken recipes, low calorie meal prepping recipes and low calorie slow cooker recipes.
Ingredient Notes
Soy Sauce: Light Soy Sauce is what I used, however you could also use a low sodium version, or even Tamari. Avoid using Dark Soy Sauce as its too strong.
Cooking Sake: This is sold in Woolworths and Coles in Australia in the Asian food aisle. Alternatively you could use the same amount of Chinese Cooking Wine – also called Shaoxing Wine (available in supermarkets in the Asian aisle). Chinese Cooking Wine is a little heavier than the Cooking Sake but will give a beautiful flavour and depth to the sauce. Another option is to use Dry Sherry – it will work in a similar way to the Cooking Sake, imparting nice complexity and flavour.
Sugar Free Maple Syrup: I used Lakanto Maple Syrup. Alternatively, any brand of sugar free maple syrup would work, or you could even substitute with regular Pure Maple Syrup or Pure Honey.
Granulated Sweetener: I used Lakanto Gold Granulated Sweetener to add sweetness and balance the salt in the soy sauce. If you can't find it, you can use Natvia Gold or Lakanto Classic (white granulated sweetener). I also use it in my Chicken with Black Pepper Sauce!
Garlic: I like a lot of garlic in my teriyaki sauce, but if you prefer less, just cut the amount in half. For convenience I tend to use the garlic that comes in a jar, but if you’ve got fresh, use that.
Ginger: Ginger is a must in any teriyaki sauce. There’s not as much ginger as there is garlic, but it definitely creates that little bit of tangy sweetness.
How To Make
- Make the Sauce: Add all the ingredients for the sauce into a jug, whisk together, and set aside.
- Prepare Chicken: Chop chicken into 1 inch pieces.
- Cook Chicken: Heat a non stick pan or wok on medium/high heat, add chicken and cook through for a few minutes, until its cooked through.
- Add Veges and Sauce: Add the capsicums to the pan and stir through for 1 minute. Add ⅓ of the sauce to the pan and sir through.
- Add Thickener: Add the cornflour and water to the teriyaki sauce and whisk. Pour over chicken and stir through. It will thicken quickly with the heat.
Serving Ideas
- Steamed Jasmine Rice: Add the rice to the bottom of a bowl, spoon the chicken saucy chicken on top. Garnish with sesame seeds and fresh diced shallots.
- Precooked noodles: Grab some pre cooked noodles like Udon, ramen, or Singapore noodles, break them up, stir through until heated and coated in sauce
- Low Carb with Cauliflower Rice: I love using the frozen cauliflower rice that you zap in the microwave. Its quick, convenient and tastes great. Its also the perfect side for this low calorie chicken recipe!
Check out this Chicken Broccoli and Mushroom in Brown Sauce for another quick and easy mid week meal idea!
Expert Tips
- Chicken: I chose to use skinless chicken thigh for this recipe as I like the tenderness and juiciness of the thigh meat. However if you prefer to use chicken breast, I suggest that you reduce the cooking time, as breast cooks quicker.
- Vegetables to add: anything green works a treat, like baby spinach, diced broccoli, beans, even asparagus. Be careful not to add to many veges as they will suck up all your sauce. Stick to two cups of veges.
- Extras to Add: Water chestnuts for a little crunch, diced shallots or spring onions
- Make it spicy: Add a little bit of fresh diced red chilli on top to serve, or alternatively, as ¼ teaspoon dried red chilli flakes to the sauce.
- Storage: This dish can be stored in the fridge in an air tight container with secure lid for 2 to 3 days.
- Freezing: Store in the freezer for upto 2 months. Make sure you date and label the container so you know what’s in it
- Reheating: If frozen, put it into the fridge overnight to let it defrost first before reheating. Once thawed, it should only take around 2 to 3 minutes in the microwave, or you can reheat it gently on the stove.
- Which pan to use: I use a non stick wok so I don’t need any oil, however any pot or pan will do. If you don’t have a non-stick one, add a tablespoon of whatever oil you have on hand to stop the meat from sticking.
This lightened up sugar free healthy Teriyaki Chicken is sure to become a favourite for its simplicity to make, and the satisfying authentic flavours. It’s hard to go wrong with this recipe. Its quick, easy to spice up, saucy, sticky, sweet and savoury all in one.
Instead of rice, why not try Vege Yaki Udon Noodles with Teriyaki Chicken for something different!
More Quick Asian Takeout Recipes
- Healthy Cashew Nut Chicken
- Healthy Sweet and Sour Fish
- Delicious Thai Basil Chicken Stirfry
- Quick and Easy Salmon Noodles
- Healthy and Low Carb Szechuan Style Beef and Greens
Healthy Teriyaki Chicken
Ingredients
- 500 grams Skinless, boneless chicken thigh
- 2 cups Roughly chopped capsicums – or bell peppers in the US - red/yellow/green
Sauce
- 5 tablespoons Light Soy Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Cooking sake
- 1 tablespoon Sugar Free maple syrup
- 1 ½ tablespoons Granulated sweetener
- 1 tablespoon Crushed garlic
- ½ tablespoon Grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon Cornflour
- 2 tablespoons Water
Other
- 2 cups Steamed Jasmine rice
- 1 tablespoon Sesame Seeds
- ¼ cup Fresh diced shallots/scallions
Instructions
- Add 5 tablespoons Light Soy Sauce, 1 tablespoon Cooking sake, 1 tablespoon Sugar Free maple syrup, 1 ½ tablespoons Granulated sweetener, 1 tablespoon Crushed garlic, ½ tablespoon Grated ginger, into a jug, whisk together, and set aside.
- Chop 500 grams Skinless, boneless chicken thigh into 1 inch pieces.
- Heat a non stick pan or wok on medium/high heat, add chicken pieces and cook through for a few minutes, until its cooked through.
- Add 2 cups Roughly chopped capsicums – or bell peppers in the US to the pan and stir through for 1 minute.
- Add ⅓ of the sauce to the pan and sir through.
- Add 1 tablespoon Cornflour, 2 tablespoons Water to the teriyaki sauce and whisk until lumps disappear. Pour over chicken and stir through. It will thicken quickly with the heat.
- Serve with 2 cups Steamed Jasmine rice. Divide rice between 4 bowls and garnish with 1 tablespoon Sesame Seeds sprinkled on top with ¼ cup Fresh diced shallots/scallions loosely scattered.
Notes
- Soy Sauce: Light Soy Sauce is what I used, however you could also use a low sodium version, or even Tamari. Avoid using Dark Soy Sauce as its too strong.
- Cooking Sake: This is sold in Woolworths and Coles in Australia in the Asian food aisle. Alternatively you could use the same amount of Chinese Cooking Wine – also called Shaoxing Wine (available in supermarkets in the Asian aisle). Chinese Cooking Wine is a little heavier than the Cooking Sake but will give a beautiful flavour and depth to the sauce. Another option is to use Dry Sherry – it will work in a similar way to the Cooking Sake, imparting nice complexity and flavour.
- Sugar Free Maple Syrup: I used Lakanto Maple Syrup.
- Granulated Sweetener: I used Lakanto Gold Granulated Sweetener and adds sweetness and counteracts the salt in the soy sauce.
- Garlic: I like a lot of garlic in my teriyaki sauce, but if you prefer less, just cut the amount in half. For convenience I tend to use the garlic that comes in a jar, but if you’ve got fresh, use that.
- Ginger: Ginger is a must in any teriyaki sauce. There’s not as much ginger as there is garlic, but it definitely creates that little bit of tangy sweetness.
- Nutritional Information: Calories/nutritional information does not include rice or noodles. This would be extra.
Nutrition
Note: Sugars contained in this recipe are from naturally occurring sugars in fruits, vegetables or other natural sweeteners. Calories have been calculated for your convenience using My Fitness Pal and are based on the ingredients listed in the recipe card.
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