These simple chicken teriyaki bowls are sure to be a crowd-pleaser and come together with just a few simple ingredients – including the tastiest gluten-free teriyaki sauce!
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These chicken teriyaki bowls are one of my go-to dinners in my household! They take almost no time at all to assemble, especially if you already have shredded chicken or a rotisserie chicken on hand, and they’re topped with my favorite sticky-sweet teriyaki-inspired sauce that I could truly eat on anything. Even better, they are totally kid-friendly!
Ingredients Needed
Here’s what you’ll need to make these delicious teriyaki bowls!
For the Bowls
- Teriyaki Sauce – we’ll share our easy teriyaki sauce recipe here, but if you’d rather take a shortcut, you’ll need 2 cups of store-bought teriyaki sauce.
- Shredded Chicken – you’ll need 3 cups of shredded chicken here. I recommend grabbing a rotisserie chicken or making 1 ½ pounds of shredded chicken from chicken breasts or thighs. You can find a full how-to in our shredded chicken recipe
- Rice – we recommend about 4 cups of cooked rice to serve 4 people. White rice, brown rice, and cauliflower rice all work great here!
- Broccoli – finally, you’ll need about 2 heads of broccoli, or about 1 pound of broccoli florets to finish off this meal!
For the Teriyaki Sauce
- Coconut Aminos – to make this recipe gluten and soy-free, we are relying on coconut aminos! Coconut aminos come from the sap of the coconut tree and are both sweet and salty. You cannot replace the coconut aminos in this recipe with soy sauce, as it is too salty when boiled down!
- Rice Vinegar – we opted for rice wine vinegar to add an acidic element to the sauce.
- Sesame Oil – one teaspoon of sesame oil adds another layer of flavor to the sauce.
- Fish Sauce – this one is optional, but I urge you to try it! Fish sauce is known for adding umami (savoriness) to dishes.
- Ginger and Garlic – fresh or dried ginger and garlic help round out the flavor.
- Red Pepper Flakes – crushed red pepper flakes add just a touch of heat. You can easily leave them out if you prefer no spice!
How to Make
Since we’re using pre-cooked shredded chicken here, assembling these bowls is super simple! Here’s how you’ll do it.
- Make the rice – make the rice according to package instructions, or follow our cauliflower rice recipe for a grain-free option.
- Make the sauce – next, you’ll make the teriyaki sauce. Whisk together all of the ingredients in a bowl, then pour them into a skillet over medium heat. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, then remove from heat.
- Steam the broccoli – while the sauce cooks down, steam the broccoli either via a quick microwave method or on the stovetop.
- Toss the chicken with the sauce – add the chicken to the skillet with the teriyaki sauce and toss it to coat.
- Assemble – finally, you’ll assemble your bowls: place the rice in each bowl, then top with the teriyaki-coated chicken and steamed broccoli.
Frequently Asked Questions
Traditional teriyaki sauce has just three components: soy sauce, sugar, and sake (or mirin for a lower-alcohol option). It can also have additional flavors like ginger, and it is often used as a marinade but can also be boiled down to create a delicious, syrupy sauce.
This recipe takes inspiration from the flavors of teriyaki sauce (salty, sweet, and slightly acidic), but uses a base of coconut aminos that allows us to make it both gluten and soy-free!
If you don’t want to use rice for your bowls, here are a few options!
Noodles – rice noodles, ramen noodles, zucchini noodles, or even kelp noodles
Cauliflower Rice
Stir-Fried Vegetables – you could turn this into a full stir-fry dish with veggies like cabbage, carrots, and bell peppers.
You can make teriyaki chicken ahead of time by prepping all or some of these components in advance! That way, when dinner time hits, all you have to do is assemble the final bowl.
On its own, the teriyaki sauce is good for about 1-2 weeks in an airtight container in the refrigerator (we recommend a small mason jar). For the teriyaki chicken bowls, you can store them in a container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days.
Video
More Favorite Asian-Inspired Recipes
Easy Chicken Teriyaki Bowl Recipe
Ingredients
For the Teriyaki Sauce:
- 16 ounces coconut aminos
- 1 teaspoon dried ginger
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 4 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
For the bowls:
- 3 cups shredded chicken from a rotisserie chicken or about 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice may also use brown rice or cauliflower rice
- 2 heads broccoli or about 1 pound broccoli florets
- Sesame seeds for garnish
- Cilantro for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Cook the rice according to package instructions.
- For the sauce, add all the coconut aminos to a large skillet over medium heat. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until it thickens to coat the back of a spoon. Then, remove from heat and whisk in the ginger, garlic, vinegar, sesame oil, and fish sauce.
- Steam the broccoli using one of the following methods:Microwave Method: Place the broccoli florets into a large glass bowl with about ¼ cup water. Affix with either a microwave-safe lid or seal with plastic wrap. Microwave on high for 5 minutes, until the florets are bright green and easily pierced with a fork. Drain the water from the broccoli and set aside.Stovetop Method: Place the broccoli florets into a medium-sized pot with ¼ cup water. Place the lid on and let simmer for 10 minutes, until the florets are bright green and easily pierced with a fork. Drain the water from the broccoli and set aside.
- Assemble the bowls: toss the chicken with the teriyaki sauce, then spoon the rice into each bowl, top with the teriyaki chicken and broccoli, then garnish with cilantro and sesame seeds and serve!
Recipe Notes
- If you’d prefer, you can use 1/2 cup store-bought teriyaki in this recipe instead of making your own!
- The coconut aminos cannot be replaced with soy sauce in this recipe – it will be too salty.
Nutrition
Does the nutrition information account for the rice? How much rice is in your serving?
Yes, the nutrition info accounts for the rice! There are 4 servings in the recipe, and the nutrition facts are for one of those servings. I hope that helps!
My family loved this! Delicious flavors, moist chicken, simple, clean
Wahoo! We’re so glad to hear that, Courtney!! Thank you so much for letting us know!
Why is my sauce so salty? I used coconut aminos like the recipe called for?
Teriyaki sauce in general tends to be pretty salty, Nichole! We haven’t experienced it being too salty with coconut aminos, though, so I’m not sure what went wrong!
I am having a hard time finding the coconut aminos since it has become popular! And when I find it, it is pricey…do you think I could sub 1/4 cup soy sauce with 3/4 cup water? I’m not soy or gluten free…thanks
That wouldn’t be quite the same, Vickie! Coconut aminos works so well because it has a sweetness to it, but soy sauce is really just salty. We’d recommend buying a pre-made teriyaki sauce if you can’t find coconut aminos!
Is there a sub for th fish sauce? It’s so incredibly expensive and I don’t even know if my family of fish allergies can handle it. Also, I am allergic to teriyaki sauce; thinking if I make it — knowing exactly what I put in it — I could tolerate it.
Just leave the fish sauce out, Barbara! No need to sub it with anything else!
Question: how does this meal freeze? And separately or all put together. Putting together go to meals for my pregnant daughter and her husband and want them delicious
We recommend waiting to cook the rice + steam the broccoli until they’re ready to eat, but the teriyaki chicken itself freezes in an airtight container like a dream! Congratulations on your soon-to-be grandchild, Kelly!
Just a note that teriyaki is a Japanese dish, not Chinese.
This was so good! I love that it was a simple, quick, healthy recipe to make. My only tip is to season the chicken if you’re working with plain shredded chicken to add flavor. I will definitely make this again!
Is it too late to ask a question about the rice thing? Omg I’m STRUGGLING hard with IBS and sometimes the only thing my stomach can handle without major bloating and discomfort is white rice (and even toast, which is a whole separate issue- like, toast is one of the only things that doesn’t hurt my tummy but Inread so often that grains are so bad for IBS). I still want to cut carbs but not for a fact I don’t tolerate cauliflower (or sweet potato). Is there any other substitute for something with this dish? And any thoughts on why I can handle rice and toast but not some veggies (mainly cruciferous)? Thank you so much in advance! Long time reader and listener. You’re podcast is just the best to listen to on my way to work 🙂
Hi Stefanie! It’s NEVER too late! Cruciferous veggies can be difficult to digest for many, you’re not alone. It’s possible that the polished white rice has less (personal to you) irritants than those other veggies. I think it’s totally fine to stick with white rice, gluten-free toast (canyon gf is my personal favorite), and other root veggies (carrots, parsnips, beets, etc.). I hope that helps!
This looks great. What about using quinoa instead of cauliflower rice? Any thoughts on that?
Hi Linda! If you can tolerate quinoa, I don’t see why it wouldn’t be a perfectly fine substitute. It will add a little nuttiness to the dish.
This has been on my radar for awhile and I finally made it last night. Very tasty and super easy to assemble since most of the components were already made!
Awesome! I’m glad you liked it, Michelle!
p.s. I love your take on brown rice. I read recently (wish I could remember where) that a lot of ancient food traditions, like Indian and Japanese, use white rice to jump-start digestion since the grain is often paired with things that are more challenging to digest, like vegetables or beans. I have always used white because it just feels better in my stomach. But so many nutritionists are against white rice. I’m so happy to hear someone else talking about white rice being the better option. (Though I also love the cauliflower rice and use that, too!)
In the recipe it says 1.5 cup of white rice – in the description you say 4 cups of cooked rice. Which is it?
Hi Amy! 1.5 cups of dried rice, which is about 4 cups of cooked rice. I hope that helps!
Hi – thanks for all the great recipes! I love how you weave things together in a weekly approach. Just signed up for your newsletter and am really excited! I have a question about the teriyaki sauce. I am not gluten-free, but would prefer to make my own sauce. So I’ll use soy sauce and most of the other ingredients you mention, but I’m wondering what I can use for a thickener that I’m more likely to have on hand, rather than going out specifically for the potato starch thickener. Thanks!!
Hi Sarah! Thanks so much for the great question and comments! Other thickeners can include: arrowroot flour, tapioca flour, or even corn starch (as long as you can tolerate corn). I hope you love the dish 🙂
This was awesome! I love the sauce. My kids liked it too!
Awesome, Michelle! Thanks for the note!
This is so perfect! I’ve got a bunch of cooked chicken and since I didn’t meal plan for this week since I was lazy, I’m looking for ways to use it and this sounds yummy! Thanks 🙂
Of course, my dear! I hope you love it!