Sous Vide Teriyaki Chicken

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This Sous Vide Teriyaki Chicken is easy to make with a simple homemade teriyaki sauce and chicken thighs. The sauce is sweet, tangy and sticky and the sous vide chicken is perfectly tender and juicy!

You guys know we love to cook chicken using the sous vide method! From this sous vide chicken breast to a sous vide whole chicken, the controlled temperature of the water bath helps chicken stay moist and juicy.

A teriyaki chicken thigh being cut with a fork and knife on a plate.

And, since we’re slightly addicted to teriyaki chicken, I thought it was about time I tried making it sous vide style!

This recipe is inspired by my slow cooker teriyaki chicken thighs. They're just as simple to make and equally as tasty!

You’ll love this sous vide teriyaki chicken recipe because it comes together so easily. It’s perfect to make ahead for busy weeknights and it’s delicious paired with coconut jasmine rice and some air fryer broccoli!

And guys, if you're a fan of this, you've got to try this juicy, flavor packed air fryer chicken karaage!

Why this recipe works

This teriyaki chicken is made with boneless, skinless chicken thighs, which tend to be more flavorful than chicken breasts.
The sous vide is a foolproof way to cook chicken since the slow cooking method breaks down connective tissues and creates juicy results.
The homemade teriyaki sauce is better than store-bought and it’s super easy to make with ingredients you already have in your pantry.
The chicken thighs are marinated and cooked with the teriyaki sauce ingredients, so the chicken is infused with a sweet and tangy flavor.

Side view of sous vide teriyaki chicken on a plate and topped with chopped green onion.

What is Sous Vide?

Sous vide is basically a method of cooking using what is called an immersion circulator. This immersion circulator circulates water in a temperature controlled water bath at a certain temperature to perfectly cook your food every time.

Because the temperature doesn't change, and it keeps your meat (or dessert, veggies, etc.) at the same temperature, your risk of overcooking becomes very minimal.

To learn even more about sous vide cooking, head over and read "what is sous vide cooking."

What is the Water Displacement Method?

The displacement method is where you slowly submerge a ziplock bag in water pushing the air out of the top of the bag (the bag should be slightly open at the top to allow air to escape).

Use a clip (I use binder clips) to clip the bag to the side to keep it from floating and getting air and/or water inside.

Tools Used

More sous vide chicken recipes

What is teriyaki sauce?

Teriyaki sauce is a sweet and tangy sauce with a soy sauce base and packed with umami flavor. The texture is thick and sticky, and it goes well with chicken, pork, salmon and even lamb (like these teriyaki marinated grilled lamb chops)!

Authentic Japanese teriyaki sauce is usually made with soy sauce, sugar, mirin and sake. The sauce recipe I’m using is a twist on a traditional teriyaki sauce since we’re leaving out the mirin and sake and adding garlic, ginger and sesame oil.

Ingredients

For the full list of ingredients and quantities, please see the recipe card below.

You’ll need 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs for this recipe. You can use bone-in and skin-on if you prefer, but I would remove the skin before marinating and cooking. You may also need to adjust the cooking time as bone-in takes longer to cook.

For the marinade, which turns into the sauce, the recipe calls for ¼ cup chicken stock, ½ cup of brown sugar, ½ cup of soy sauce, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon of sesame oil, 1 teaspoon of ginger paste and 1 teaspoon of onion powder.

The brown sugar is the sweetener for the teriyaki sauce. I don’t recommend substituting granulated sugar as it won’t produce the same flavor.

Soy sauce is a key ingredient. While I used regular soy sauce, you can substitute low sodium soy sauce if you prefer.

Sesame oil is an oil made from sesame seeds and it has a deep, nutty flavor. While we’re only using a small amount in the sauce, a little goes a long way. Since it has a unique flavor, please don’t substitute it with another type of oil.

To thicken the teriyaki sauce, you’ll need a cornstarch slurry, which is just 1 tablespoon of cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon of water. It’s gradually stirred into the sauce until it thickens.

Step by step instructions

Combine the chicken stock, brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil, ginger and onion powder in a bowl and mix together.

Teriyaki marinade mixed together in a glass bowl with a spoon.

Place the chicken thighs with the sauce in a vacuum seal bag and seal. Let marinate overnight in the fridge.

Marinated chicken thighs sealed in a bag.

Heat a sous vide water bath to 155F degrees.

Teriyaki chicken cooking in a sous vide water bath.

Place the bag in the water bath and cook for 2 hours.

Remove and pour the sauce into a saucepan, setting the thighs aside.

Bring to a simmer and slowly whisk in the cornstarch slurry. Simmer 1-2 minutes, until the sauce is slightly thickened.

Serve chicken drizzled with sauce over steamed rice and garnished with green onions.

**Leftovers are amazing used in this chicken congee!

Expert tips

To ensure the chicken thighs cook evenly, make sure they are sealed in the bag in a single layer.
You’ll also want to make sure the marinade evenly coats all of the chicken thighs.
To keep bacteria out of the sealed bag, make sure the bag has the air properly removed.
You’ll want to make sure the bag doesn’t float in the water bath. If it does, you can just open it, let the excess air out and reseal it.
To prevent floating you can also use a sous vide sinker weight to weigh it down.
If you want a thicker teriyaki sauce, let it simmer longer or use a little more cornstarch slurry. If it’s too thick for you, stir in a little water or broth.
I prefer to serve the chicken thighs whole, but you can cut them into bite size pieces before combining them with the sauce.
If you only have bone-in and skin-on chicken thighs, you’ll want to remove the skin before marinating and cooking. You'll also need to increase the cooking time.

Overhead view of a sous vide teriyaki chicken thigh on a plate with rice.

Common questions

How long do you need to marinate teriyaki chicken?

I normally marinate the chicken overnight, or at least 8 hours. Marinating is important as it helps infuse the chicken thighs with flavor. If you’re short on time, you can marinate for as little as 30 minutes.

What temperature should you sous vide teriyaki chicken?

For tender and juicy teriyaki chicken, I recommend setting the temperature of your sous vide water bath to 155F degrees.

Is it safe to consume chicken cooked at 155F degrees?

Yes, it is. According to Cook's Illustrated, when chicken is brought to 155F degrees, it takes just 50 seconds to pasteurize it and kill salmonella. The USDA recommends an internal temperature of 165F degrees, but this is just for traditional ways of cooking chicken.

How long does it take to sous vide teriyaki chicken?

At 155F degrees, it takes just 2 hours to cook teriyaki chicken in a sous vide water bath.

Can you use boneless, skinless chicken breasts for this recipe?

I prefer using chicken thighs as the dark meat is more tender and flavorful. If you only have chicken breasts, you can use them but you’ll need to adjust the cooking time and temperature of the water bath.

Can you use frozen chicken thighs for this recipe?

Yes, you can cook frozen chicken thighs just by adding another hour to the cooking time in the water bath. Since we’re marinating the chicken thighs, however, I prefer to defrost them first. You can also marinate the chicken as it thaws in the fridge.

Storage and reheating

If you have leftover teriyaki chicken, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.

To reheat, you can use the microwave or warm the chicken and the sauce in a casserole dish in the oven or on the stove top.

You can also freeze teriyaki chicken in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Just defrost in the fridge overnight before reheating.

Close up view of a piece of sous vide teriyaki chicken.

Serving options

Here are some of our favorite side dishes for teriyaki chicken:

Did you make this recipe? Leave a comment below and let me know how it turned out!