This Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken is so tender and the homemade teriyaki sauce practically soaks through the chicken for an intense teriyaki flavor!
I’ve been making this super easy Slow Cooker Chicken for years and it’s still one of my family’s all time favorite recipes.
Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken Recipe:
- This recipe starts off with bone-in, skin-on chicken legs. The number one reason I use chicken legs is because they’re super affordable and my kids LOVE to eat with their hands, so it’s always a slam dunk at dinner time.
- CAN I USE CHICKEN BREAST? – Yes, you definitely can substitute the chicken legs for chicken breasts. You can even use chicken thighs!
- If you do use boneless, skinless chicken breasts, you can skip the step of broiling the chicken in the beginning. The chicken you will get when you are done will be a shredded teriyaki chicken, which is still fantastic.
By broiling the chicken legs before cooking them in the slow cooker, it’ll help keep the chicken legs together. Otherwise you’ll end up with shredded chicken and lots of bones in your crock pot.
Once they’re broiled for just a few minutes toss them into the slow cooker and pour the simple homemade teriyaki sauce over the top.
Slow Cooker Chicken Legs
With this super simple recipe, the chicken is cooked in the sauce slowly for hours, penetrating the chicken with flavor.
Then, just before you are ready to eat, take the chicken out of the crock pot, place it on a baking sheet and pour the sauce from the crock pot into a small pot. You’ll add just a bit of cornstarch to thicken the sauce and baste the chicken with it.
A minute or two under the broiler of your oven and you’re left with finger-lickin’ good teriyaki chicken!
You can serve this delicious teriyaki chicken with a side of rice and steamed broccoli (my family’s favorite), or sometimes I whip up my Hawaiian Macaroni Salad to go along with it for a fun treat.
I know you’re going to LOVE this super easy and mega delicious Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken Recipe!
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Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 lbs. chicken bone-in drumsticks, skin on*
For the Teriyaki Sauce:
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup dry sherry, or chicken broth
- 1 tbsp honey
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 2 tbsp corn starch
Garnish:
- sesame seeds
- sliced green onions
Instructions
- Arrange the top rack of the oven to be about 5 inches from the top heating element, preheat oven to broil. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- Place the chicken on the baking sheet and broil for 5 minutes on each side. Place the chicken in the slow cooker in an even layer. In a medium bowl whisk together the brown sugar, soy sauce, dry sherry, honey, ginger, garlic powder and onion powder. Pour over the chicken and cook on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours, LOW for 6 to 8 hours. Rotate the chicken halfway through, to make sure all are coated in the sauce.
- Once chicken is done turn broiler on again. Place chicken on a foil lined baking sheet in an even layer.
- Pour the sauce from the slow cooker into a small pot and bring it to a low boil. In a small dish combine the 2 tbsp corn starch and 2 tbsp water, stirring until smooth. Pour into the sauce in the pot and stir until sauce thickens. Brush the chicken with the sauce and broil for 2 minutes, flip chicken, brush with more sauce, and broil an additional 2 minutes.
- Sprinkle with sesame seeds and sliced green onions for garnish. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
PIN THIS IMAGE TO SAVE THE RECIPE:
Cheesy BBQ Pork Calzones
Jim
Shawn,
A question about the sodium level in the recipe. Did you use full-sodium soy sauce in the teriyaki sauce?
For an old fart like me, 2400+mg of sodium is stroke-out territory!
Thanks!
Shawn
It looks like the recipe was calculating the sodium based off of full sodium soy sauce. I’ve corrected this to reflect low sodium. You could also reduce the amount of soy sauce a little to get it even lower. Hope that helps!
Jim
Thank you!
Lynda Hertel
Can you do this in a Dutch oven if you’re short on time?
Shawn
I’m sure that would work!
Beth Byrd
Can u do bone in pork chops with this recipe will that and taste good with chops instead of chicken.
Shawn
I’ve never tried this recipe with pork chops, but I’m thinking it would work. Although, you might find that the bones in the pork chops might come out when cooked in the slow cooker if they’re pretty thin chops.
Karyl
Can you make this in the Instant Pot?
Shawn
I haven’t tested this recipe in an instant pot.
Katya
To be honest, I never use my slow cooker as often as I should. This looks great and delicious!
Shawn
You’ll love it!
Anna Ksiazewski
Can the skin on legs and thighs be removed?
Shawn
Yes, definitely!
Chelsea
Made this and it was amazing! I have a work potluck coming up. Do you think I can make this the night before, put in fridge, and warm back up in the crockpot next day??
Shawn
Definitely! I wouldn’t try to add any liquid to the crock pot after it’s already been broiled with the sauce though. I would just use the crock pot on the low setting (and I would most likely line it with foil cause less dishes). Hope your work buddies enjoy it!
Easy Chicken Recipes
Great post!
Dear Shawn Syphus, it’s very beautiful to see. I like your explanation. thank u
GiGi
Hello, I love this site, everything Ive made has been easy and delish.
Question: May I use bone in chicken thighs AND legs? Any necessary adjustments?
Shawn
You can definitely use bone-in thighs and legs! No need to adjust any times. 🙂
GiGi
I don’t have an oven with a top element. Meaning that I cannot broil from the top down, any work arounds for this recipe or is this not a recipe for me?
Lori Radcliff
I didn’t want to turn the broiler on so I fried the legs first and I didn’t have honey so I used molasses, and OMG!
Cynthia Hoffman
Going to try several of these recipes. So easy.
instagonline
I have never tried chicken teriyaki at home. Thank you for sharing the recipe! Gonna try it soon.
Shawn
You’re going to love it!
Katherine Menez
Just curious can you use chicken breasts for this recipe?
Shawn
This recipe works best with bone-in and skin on chicken. You could also try my Grilled Chicken Teriyaki Recipe that uses boneless skinless chicken breasts!
Sue Hahn
I cooked my chicken on low for 5 hours and it was so over done that it fell off the bone and I couldn’t broil them. Maybe I’ll try baking them next time for 1 1/2 hours. The flavor was really good.
karen
Hi! Just found your blog and loving it!!! Have you ever thrown the drumsticks on the grill after basting? I didn’t know if that would be awesome….or a mess 🙂 thank you!
Mandi
I love this chicken!! Looks fabulous!
Amie
Hi! Just came across this recipe and it sounds delicious! When you say ground ginger, are you talking about out of a jar or fresh? just checking before I ruin it! Haha
Thank you…and I appreciate your sense of humor!
Shawn
You can either use the ground ginger that you find in the spice aisle or you can use real ginger that is minced. If using real ginger, double the quantity! 🙂
Valerie
This was fabulous! I will say that I cooked it on high… checked chicken at 1/5 hours and they were done…so dinner was a bit early LOL
I will be keeping and sharing this recipe! So good! (I used chicken stock since it’s what I had on hand vs the Dry sherry)
Valerie
That should be 1.5 hours …not 1/5 hours! 😀
Amanda
Can this recipe be made ahead of time and then frozen?
Lucy love
I super love how you took the live video thing. You joke and reflect on it in such good spirits but I am reading that probably there were tons of ill spirited comments on how you did things. Bravo for your recovery and throw back.
Now, I am going to prepare the teriyaki goodness for my freezer stash, but first, Im gonna put on my surgeon gloves and hair net, as I always do too!
Shawn
Haha! Thanks Lucy! I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Karly
You never fail to crack me up every time I stop by! Oh, and make me drool. Somehow I’m always drooling, too. This chicken looks SO good!
Starla
To be honest, I never use my slow cooker as often as I should. This looks great- I love teriyaki anything!
Roxana
I love my slow cooker in the summer and those chicken pieces look delicious!
Shawn
Thanks Roxana! The slow cooker is great in the summer to reduce the heat in the kitchen!