What about dry, flavorless chickens and long marinating times? Friends, those days are over. These quick marinating grilled Teriyaki Chicken Skewers are full of umami, salty-sweet perfection and are delicious!
These skewers are great with noodles or stir-fries. They also go well with grilled vegetables, rice, and steamed broccoli! Bonus? Nine ingredients that you most likely have on hand are all it takes to make them. We’ll show you exactly how to do it!
How to make Grilled Teriyaki chicken skewers
The flavorful skewers begin with a quick marinade inspired by teriyaki, made from tamari, coconut sugar, rice vinegar, and toasted sesame oils. The marinade is packed with umami and infuses the chicken with flavor after just 30 minutes of marinating.
The same ingredients can be thickened by adding a small amount of arrowroot + water slurry. This glaze is then used to brush on the final product.
Then, arrange the chicken marinated between red onion squares, which will add natural sweetness to every bite.
Grill the chicken (either on a grill pan or BBQ) until it is cooked through with charred edges.
Finally, brush the teriyaki sauce on and get ready for your dinner guests. What’s.. next?
Ingredients
SKEWERS
- Use 1/3 cup of soy sauce (or tamari) to ensure gluten-free.
- Coconut sugar, 1/4 cup (or brown sugar)
- Garlic powder 1/4 tsp
- 1 1/2 tsp rice vinegar
- 3/4 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 1/4 lb. Boneless, skinless chicken legs*, trimmed off excess fat and cut into 1-inch pieces (organic or pasture-raised whenever possible).
- 1/2 tsp arrowroot powder
- One medium red onion cut into 1-inch pieces.
- Avocado oil for greasing the grill pan
Optional FOR SERVING
- Sesame seeds
- Green onion thinly sliced
Instructions
- To prevent burning, soak bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes or more before grilling. We prefer metal skewers.
- Whisk together the soy sauce, tamari or coconut sugar, rice vinegar, and sesame oils in a shallow, wide glass container. Reserve about 1/3 of marinade (21/2 Tbsp if you are making the default amount of servings).
- Cut chicken thighs into pieces of 1″ thickness. Add the chicken thighs to the container, coat them well with the marinade and cover. Let sit for 30 minutes at room temperature to marinate. You can marinate the chicken in the fridge for up to 12 hours and then let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before grilling. This will take the chill out and stop the chicken from getting burned on the outside.
- In a small pan, combine the arrowroot and water, then add the marinade. Stirring frequently, bring to a simmer, and cook for about 2 minutes. Add a bit of water to thin if it becomes too thick. If the mixture is too light, add more arrowroot and water to it, then cook until thickened.
- After the chicken is finished marinating for at least 30 minutes, lightly oil either a grill pan (or grill grates) and heat to medium-high. Thread the cubed red onion and chicken onto skewers. Alternately, place a red onion between every 2 or 3 pieces of chicken.
- Grill the meat, turning it every 3-4 seconds, until it is browned and beginning to char on some spots. The internal temperature should reach 165 F (75 C), which takes about 10-15 minutes.
- The skewers are delicious served with rice and broccoli or our a href=”https://minimalistbaker.com/instant-pot-white-rice – fast, tender, fluffy/”>Creamy Sesame Noodle Salad/a>. These skewers go well with rice, steamed broccoli, or our Creamy Sesame Noodle Salad.
- The leftover grilled chicken can be stored in the fridge for up to 2-3 days.