Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken (Paleo, AIP, Whole30, Pressure Cooker Option)
This slow cooker chicken teriyaki makes dinner easy! Serve it with some veggie sides, and you have a flavorful meal. It’s made without soy sauce and is paleo, AIP, and whole30 compliant.
I often share on the blog and on social media how I rarely ate animal protein before I went paleo/AIP. I hated the texture, the flavor, and just everything about it. The only way I would eat chicken was if it was chicken nuggets (hence my crispy chicken nugget and sweet potato chicken popper recipes) and chicken teriyaki! Chicken teriyaki is so flavorful, and when cooked right, the chicken is tender and delicious. You can easily make chicken teriyaki on a stove top, but why not make it easier with a slow cooker?
Why I love this slow cooker chicken teriyaki
I love making slow cooker meals for simple weeknight meals, or easy meal prep. It’s less time consuming than standing around cooking something on the stove top, and it makes for a tender and delicious meal! This chicken teriyaki is a slow cooker staple that I’ve been adding to my weekly rotation.
On top of being easy, it’s also filling and healthy! It’s not loaded with MSG, soy, or cane sugar like most chicken teriyaki you would find in a restaurant is, but it still tastes amazing.
What to serve it with
I serve this chicken teriyaki over a bed of cauliflower rice with the teriyaki sauce. It’s the perfect swap for white rice while adding in more veggies. Steamed or roasted broccoli is another great side dish, as well as my oven-roasted baby bok choy. Any of these sides will help to round out the dish and make it a complete meal!
The Ingredients You’ll Need For the Slow Cooker Chicken Teriyaki
Chicken Breast
You can also use thigh, but I think chicken breast is the best option for this dish.
Coconut oil
Coconut oil keeps the chicken moist. You can easily use other cooking fats as well!
Coconut aminos
This is the swap for soy sauce. You can find this online, and in most health food stores.
Honey and orange juice
Omit the honey for Whole30.
Ginger, onion, and salt
Arrowroot starch
This thickens the teriyaki sauce. I would not sub tapioca starch as it will make it a lot more gummy than arrowroot starch.
Adapting for the Instant Pot
I’m obsessed with my instant pot. It’s my favorite way to cook chicken, and this recipe can be used for either the slow cooker or the instant pot. You can either use the slow cooker function on the instant pot and follow the recipe as it, or just cook on high pressure for 15 minutes for an even faster dinner!
PrintSlow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken (Paleo, AIP, Whole30)
- Total Time: 8 hours 5 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup coconut aminos
- 1/3 cup chicken broth
- 1 tbsp honey (omit for Whole30)
- 3 tbsp fresh orange juice
- 1 tbsp arrowroot starch
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper (omit for AIP)
- 2 tsp fresh grated ginger
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
- 1 1/2 lb chicken breast
- 3 tbsp green onion, chopped (to serve)
Instructions
- Prepare the sauce by whisking together the coconut aminos, broth, orange juice, honey, arrowroot starch and seasonings in a bowl. Set aside.
- Add the chicken breast to the slow cooker and top with the coconut oil. Pour over the sauce, making sure the chicken is well coated.
- Turn the slow cooker on low and cook for 6-8 hours. The Interneal temperature should read 165 F.
- Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and either shred with two forks, or slice with a knife (I prefer to carefully slice). Top with the remainder of the teriyaki sauce and chopped green onion.
- Serve with cauliflower rice, steamed broccoli, baby bok choy, or other side dishes of your choice!
Notes
To make in the Instant Pot, either follow the instructions and use the slow cooker function, or cook on high pressure for 15 minutes.
All nutritional information are estimations and will vary. Estimations do not include optional ingredients.
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 8 hours
- Category: slow cooker
- Method: slow cooker
- Cuisine: asian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 342
- Fat: 11.2g
- Carbohydrates: 19.1g
- Fiber: 0.3g
- Protein: 38.5g
Are you taking new clients? I’m in the Dallas area also.
Hi Jake! I’m no longer taking clients, but I have a team who does 🙂 You can find the details and get in touch here- https://unboundwellness.com/nutrition-consulting-team/
DELICIOUS! Omitted the oj and served with broccoli, green peas and brown rice for me and my kids. My AIP hubby had it with stir fry veggies, and really enjoyed such a flavorful meal!
★★★★★
Thank you so much Christin! I am so happy you liked it!
Can i substitute chicken broth for bone broth please? Thank you!
★★★★★
Yes, it should work the same! Bone broth just has more nutrients in it and yields a richer taste, which is why I prefer it!
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Do you only add in half the teriyaki sauce when you put the chicken in the slow cooker?
I add all of the sauce. Heating it helps to thicken 🙂
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The sauce was wonderful! I have a new slow cooker and set it to low for 8 hrs – it was definitely waaayy too long! The chicken was soft but definitely overcooked and looked almost burnt. I will adjust the time in the slow cooker and try again because my husband (who loves teriyaki and is not on AIP) really enjoyed this!
★★★★★
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Super delicious
★★★★★
So easy and delicious, the sauce is fantastic! Served with cauliflower Rice and broccoli and salad!
★★★★★
If you use an instant pot, do you do the quick release or the natural release?
I almost always do the quick release for chicken breast!
It was delicious!! Thank you for that detail and the great recipe!
★★★★★
How much chicken? Should it be thawed beforehand?
Thanks
★★★★★
The recipe lists all of the ingredient amounts 🙂 And yes, you’ll always want to put fully thawed ingredients in the slow cooker.
I made this in the instant pot without OJ and honey and it turned out very flavorful! I then completely emptied the pot (didn’t rinse it out) and dumped rice in to get some of the flavors left in the pot. If you can do rice, I highly recommend it! I served it with the rice and baked broccoli and it was a meal that lasted all week!
★★★★★
Yum! So glad you enjoyed!
I’ve been making this recipe regularly for a year and I’m sorry I’m just now rating and commenting. It’s literally SO good and I don’t change a thing about it. I’m not even AIP, I just want a healthier alternative to soy and other not-so-great ingredients in traditional terriyaki. Michelle is the best! Thank you!!!
★★★★★
Thank you so much!!
Delish! The whole family loves this recipe!!
★★★★★
Thank you!!