These grilled teriyaki chicken sandwiches have simple ingredients with lots of flavors! The sandwiches feature perfectly grilled chicken thighs basted in a homemade teriyaki sauce made of soy sauce, rice vinegar, fresh ginger, and garlic. The chicken thighs are piled high onto a toasted bun topped with lettuce, tomato, and red onions.
David first made these grilled teriyaki chicken sandwiches many moons ago when we were “courting.” He wanted to make me something special one night for supper. How sweet was he for making me something so special to eat for supper?
Those grilled teriyaki chicken sandwiches made a special memory, and we have been making them ever since.
We’ve improved these sandwiches over the years because we make them from scratch. Back then, we didn’t do a lot of kitchen experiments. Sometimes we could hardly afford to eat, much less experiment with food. So we made meals that were fast and economical. But, unfortunately, that meant eating a lot of processed junk.
These sandwiches are better today than they were all those years ago, and they are better for us, with no artificial preservatives. Best of all, we can control sodium, which is always important to watch in your diet, and they are still cheap to make!
What You’ll Need To Make The Sandwiches
The main ingredients of these sandwiches are the chicken, the teriyaki sauce, and the buns. Or course, there are additional toppings. A full description of ingredients and measurements can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post. Let’s talk about each.
The Chicken
We’ve tried this recipe with all the different parts of the chicken. We are partial to boneless skinless chicken thighs and use thighs most often. However, this teriyaki chicken recipe will work with boneless skinless breasts, so if you like them better, go for it!
Boneless Skinless Chicken:
We do not recommend using chicken with the skin on. The skin can get rubbery, making it almost impossible for the teriyaki to season the meat.
Meat Thickness:
Every piece of chicken needs to be uniform in thickness. Therefore, it may be necessary to pound the chicken with a mallet. Especially skinless chicken breasts. Pounding the breasts with a mallet to make them thinner will reduce cooking time.
Seasoning the Chicken:
Low-sodium soy sauce still has a lot of sodium, so keep that in mind when seasoning the chicken before putting it on the grill. A little bit of salt and pepper goes a long way with this recipe!
The Teriyaki Sauce Ingredients
- Soy Sauce: Use low-sodium soy sauce to control the amount of sodium.
- Rice Vinegar: This vinegar is made of fermented rice. It has a mild, slightly sweet flavor that is not as harsh as white vinegar. The best substitution would be white wine vinegar.
- Sugar: I use white sugar the most. I have made this teriyaki sauce with brown sugar and honey. Both of these sweeteners are good options. I really cannot tell much difference when using one versus the other.
- Garlic: for best results, use a Microplane to mince up the garlic to disperse better in the sauce.
- Ginger: always use fresh ginger. It grates better if you freeze it before grating it.
- Black Pepper: freshly cracked black pepper adds some spice to the sauce.
Thicken the Sauce – A Cornstarch Slurry
A cornstarch slurry is a 2:1 ratio of cornstarch and water that helps thicken the sauce. In addition, the slurry helps the teriyaki sauce tack up on the chicken when grilling and keeps the sauce from running off into the bottom of the grill, which reduces flare-ups on the grill.
Spice Lover?
To really spice up the teriyaki sauce, omit the black pepper and use Sriracha Sauce, Sambal Sauce, or red pepper flakes. But, of course, it’s up to you and your tastebuds on just how much you want to use.
The Buns
We have found that smaller buns work better than large buns. This is because they don’t require as much chicken, and you won’t end up with a handful of bun without any meat.
Toasting the Buns
With a potentially sloppy sandwich, always toast the bun! Toasting the bun adds a little extra grill flavor, provides some nice texture, and makes the bun a little more durable to stand up to the sauces and juices from the meat.
Use caution when toasting buns on the grill. It can take less than a minute on a really hot grill.
Sandwich Toppings (optional)
For these sandwiches, we keep it simple so that the teriyaki stands out. The toppings we suggest are listed below but feel free to substitute or use anything you desire.
- Mayonnaise
- Romaine Lettuce
- Sliced Tomato
- Thinly Sliced Red Onion
- Grilled Pineapple slices (optional) – grill for 2 to 3 minutes per side until heated through.
How to Make Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Sandwiches
These sandwiches are easy to make. Just make the teriyaki sauce, grill the chicken, baste, build the sandwich and eat! Detailed instructions can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Make the Teriyaki Sauce:
- Whisk together teriyaki sauce ingredients in a small saucepan. Then whisk in the cornstarch slurry. Whisk it into the saucepan with the other ingredients over medium-high heat.
- Bring the teriyaki sauce to a rapid boil. Allow the sauce to boil for one minute.
- Turn off the heat.
Grill the Chicken Thighs
- Set up the coals for a two-zone fire for indirect heat—Preheat to 350 degrees F.
- Place the chicken thighs over direct heat on a clean and oiled grate. Grill until golden brown with a slight char on them, about 3 to 5 minutes (depending on size), then flip the chicken thighs and char the other side for an additional 3 to 5 minutes.
- When both sides of the thighs are seared, move them over to the grill’s cooler (indirect) side. Baste with warm teriyaki sauce and allow the sauce to caramelize on the chicken. Flip the chicken and baste until all of the teriyaki sauce is gone.
- The chicken thighs are done when the internal temperature of the chicken reads 165 degrees with an instant-read thermometer.
- Remove the chicken from the grill and allow the chicken to rest for at least 5 minutes while toasting the buns.
Assemble the Sandwiches
- Split buns and lay them cut side down on top of the grill over direct heat for about a minute or until crisp and golden brown. Then make the sandwiches.
- Assemble each sandwich. Start by spreading mayonnaise (optional); add lettuce on top of the bottom bun. Next, add two to three teriyaki chicken thighs; top with a little more lettuce, tomato, and red onion, and place the bun on top.
Grilling Tips:
- Charcoal Grilling: Set up the grill for a two-zone fire with direct and indirect heat. The chicken will sear on the hot side and then transfer to the indirect (cool) side to finish cooking and basting with teriyaki sauce.
- Grill Temperature: Grill the chicken thighs between 350 and 400 degrees F.
- Reduce Flare-Ups: You may need to put the lid on the grill and adjust the grill vents to maintain temperature and stall out flare-ups.
- Digital Instant-Read Thermometer: As always, pay more attention to temperature than the amount of time it takes to cook the meat. Chicken is done at 165 degrees F. Use a digital instant-read thermometer to help determine when the chicken is ready to eat.
- Sugar burns! Teriyaki can over-caramelize and burn quickly! Add the sauce to the chicken over indirect heat to avoid unwanted flare-ups. Keep a close eye on it, and don’t let the heat get out of control.
- Rest The Meat: Like any other meat, chicken needs to rest after cooking. So allow the chicken to rest for at least 5 to 10 minutes while toasting your buns.
Recipe FAQs
We used to, but one day we were in a time crunch, so we decided to grill the chicken and baste it with teriyaki sauce instead of marinating it. It was amazing how much more flavor the chicken was when we did not marinade it. We feel like we’ve been doing it wrong all along! We not only save hours marinating the chicken, but we get more flavor. It’s a win-win!
Absolutely. Place the chicken on a baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake in a preheated 400-degree oven until the internal temp reads 155 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Baste with sauce every 5 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven.
What goes with Teriyaki Chicken Sandwiches
- POTATO CHIPS
- GRILLED POTATO WEDGES
- PARMESAN SMASHED POTATOES
- FRENCH FRIES
- COLESLAW
We hope you’ll make these grilled teriyaki chicken sandwiches. But most of all, we hope you make special memories with that special someone in your life.
Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Sandwiches
Useful Equipment:
Ingredients
For The Sandwiches
- 2 boneless skinless chicken thighs or your choice of chicken meat
- Teriyaki Sauce (recipe to follow)
- 4 Buns
Recommended Toppings
- mayonnaise
- lettuce romaine works best
- tomato sliced
- red onion thinly sliced
- grilled pineapple slices (optional)
Teriyaki Sauce
- ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- ⅛ cup sugar
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1 ½ teaspoons ginger freshly grated
- black pepper freshly cracked
Slurry To Thicken Teriyaki Sauce
- 2 teaspoons water
- 1 teaspoons corn starch
Instructions
Make the Teriyaki Sauce
- In a small saucepan whisk together the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger and season with freshly cracked black pepper.
- In a small measuring cup or bowl, whisk together the cornstarch slurry of water and cornstarch. Whisk it into the saucepan with the other ingredients over medium-high heat. Bring the teriyaki sauce to a rapid boil. Allow the sauce to boil for one minute.Stir the teriyaki sauce with a spoon. Run your finger across the sauce on the back of the spoon. If the line remains visible, the sauce is thick enough; if it doesn't, it needs to cook a little longer. Turn off the heat when the sauce is done.
Grill the Chicken Thighs
- Light a chimney full of charcoal. When the coals are lit and gray with ash, pour the coals into the grill and set up the coals for a two-zone fire for indirect heat. —Preheat the grill to 350 degrees F.
- Place the chicken thighs over direct heat on a clean and oiled grate. Grill until golden brown with a slight char on them, about 3 to 5 minutes (depending on size), then flip the chicken thighs and char the other side for an additional 3 to 5 minutes. You may need to put the lid on the grill and adjust the vents of the grill to maintain temperature and stall out flare ups.
- When both sides of the thighs are seared, move them to the cooler (indirect) side. Baste with warm teriyaki sauce and allow the sauce to caramelize on the chicken. It's important to pay close attention not to let the chicken get too charred and black. Flip the chicken and baste until all of the teriyaki sauce is gone.
- The chicken thighs are done when the internal temperature of the chicken reads 165 degrees with an instant-read thermometer. Continue to baste with sauce until all of the teriyaki sauce is gone.Remove the chicken from the grill and allow the chicken to rest for at least 5 minutes while toasting the buns.
Assemble the Sandwiches
- Split buns and lay them cut side down on top of the grill over direct heat for about a minute or until crisp and golden brown. Then make the sandwiches.
- Assemble each sandwich. Start by spreading mayonnaise (optional); add lettuce on top of the bottom bun. Next, add two to three teriyaki chicken thighs; top with a little more lettuce, tomato, and red onion, and place the bun on top.
Notes
- The Chicken: Every piece of the chicken needs to be thickly uniform. Therefore, it may be necessary to pound the chicken with a mallet. Especially chicken breasts. Pounding the breasts with a mallet to make them thinner will reduce cooking time.
- Charcoal Grilling: Set up the grill for a two-zone fire with direct and indirect heat. The chicken will sear on the hot side and then transfer to the indirect (cool) side to finish cooking and basting with teriyaki sauce.
- Grill Temperature: Grill the chicken thighs between 350 and 400 degrees F.
- Digital Instant-Read Thermometer: As always, pay more attention to temperature than the amount of time it takes to cook the meat. Chicken is done at 165 degrees F. Use a digital instant-read thermometer to help determine when the chicken is ready to eat.
- Sugar burns! Teriyaki can over-caramelize and burn quickly! Ensure you add the sauce to the chicken over indirect heat to avoid unwanted flare-ups. Keep a close eye on it, and don’t let the heat get out of control.
- Rest The Meat: Like any other meat, chicken needs to rest after cooking. So allow the chicken to rest for at least 5 to 10 minutes while toasting your buns.
- Grilled Pineapple Slices: If you opt for the grilled pineapple slices, grill for 2 to 3 minutes per side until heated through.
- Baking Instructions: Place the chicken on a baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake in a preheated 400-degree oven until the internal temp reads 155 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Baste with sauce every 5 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven.
Nancy says
Ahh… that view… that chicken… fabulous!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Thanks, Nancy. I hope you’ll give these sandwiches a try. They are pretty tasty! Have a great weekend. Happy FF!
Donna says
I love teriyaki sauce and that chicken looks great. And how lucky are you that David likes to cook for you!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Thanks, Donna. He’s a great cook a messy one, but I don’t care while I’m shoving food into my mouth…lol! 🙂
Have a great weekend!
Debbie
Debbie says
I’m drooling – this looks amazing!! Like you, I no longer use processed foods. It truly is amazing what we once put into our bodies, isn’t it? Pinning – this is going to happen WITH the grilled pineapples and yes, of course mayo!!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Debbie, these are so good! I hope you and your sweetie can enjoy them on your deck! Have a great weekend!
Annie says
Alright, well once again you made me drool early in the morning – and since I can’t easily pop over for one of these, I just ordered a chicken sandwich for lunch! 🙂
The Mountain Kitchen says
Thanks, Annie. You and Dave really should try this on your grill. YUM!! Enjoy your chicken sandwich wanna be…lol! 😉
Ronit says
The chicken looks just perfect! I wouldn’t mind having this sandwich right now. 🙂
The Mountain Kitchen says
Thanks, Ronit. I would make you one of these, if I could. Hope you have a great weekend!
Suchitra says
Your story of your journey touched my heart. It is brave of you to share it with us. What is even more commendable is that you guys decided to journey down the path of clean eating. Most people don’t realize the importance of it and take the easy way out. Love the Teriyaki Chicken Burger. Thanks for sharing the recipe of the Teriyaki sauce with all of us here at the Fiesta Friday! Saving the recipe!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Such kind words Suchitra. I appreciate them very much. Yes, clean eating is not as easy as eating the junk, but it is so much better for you. Once you cut out the junk you really can’t eat like that any more. Your whole pallet changes. I hope you enjoy the teriyaki. Have a great weekend and Happy FF!
~ Debbie
Judi Graber says
I always enjoy a good, grilled chicken sandwich especially one smothered in a teriyaki sauce!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Judi, this chicken is amazing! I hope you’ll try it!
Julie says
This is my kind of cooking! We’ve made the same trek with food as you. Real ingredients taste so much better! I pinned and shared and will be making these babies. Congrats to Mr griller. They were cooked to perfection!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Thanks, Julie. Once you take all that processed crap out, it is amazing how good food really is! Enjoy the chicken sammitches, they’re scrumptious! 🙂
Petra says
I love teriyaki and making your own always tastes better! Your chicken sandwiches looks delicious! 🙂
The Mountain Kitchen says
Thank you Petra!