Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Thighs Recipe

Satisfy your taste buds with these juicy and flavorful grilled teriyaki chicken thighs. Marinated and cooked to perfection, this dish is a must-try!

This teriyaki chicken thighs recipe is perfect for a gas grill or charcoal grill but what makes for the most tender dark meat is the indirect heat of a smoker. This cooking method is ideal for grilling teriyaki chicken to perfection!

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This easy recipe for teriyaki chicken is a must make this grilling season. These grilled chicken thighs are full of the delicious, tangy flavour of our favorite teriyaki sauce!

How long do you grill chicken thighs?

Boneless, skinless thighs are typically grilled on medium high for 10-12 minutes while bone in chicken thighs should cook for 12-15 minutes.  Be sure to check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer.

Pair these tender chicken thighs with this easy potato salad recipe, grilled corn salad or dill pickle pasta salad for the best summer time meal you’ve had in a long time. Add this tasty recipe to your menu planning this week!

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SUPPLIES:

• Traeger 780 Pro Smoker Grill – this is our Traeger model, it’s the perfect size for families who like to entertain! Be sure to check out all of our must have Traeger products.
• Meater Thermometer – we love this wireless meat thermometer. It connects to an app that tells you exactly when your meat is done!
• BBQ tongs – these are my favorite tongs for grasping grilled meat.
• Basting brush – this one is great for coating each thigh in BBQ sauce.
• Paper towel – a must for clean up!
• Aluminum foil – used to wrap and transport the chicken.

Teriyaki Chicken Thigh Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 5 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp fresh ginger or 1 tsp ground
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp minced garlic or 1 tsp ground 
• 2 Tbsp corn starch
• 1/4 cup water
• Sesame seeds

Note: Any kind of teriyaki sauce will work but we love this easy homemade teriyaki sauce. It combines brown sugar, ginger and soy sauce in a way that our whole family loves. Use your favorite sauce or make your own teriyaki sauce with simple ingredients from the grocery store.

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl combine water, soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, ginger and garlic. Whisk together.

2. In a small bowl combine cornstarch and water.  Mix well.

3. Pour the sauce ingredients into a small saucepan and cook on medium heat (about 5 mins).

4. When the sauce begins to boil, add the cornstarch mixture and whisk continuously.

5. When the teriyaki marinade begins to thicken (about 2 mins), remove from heat.  Allow to cool to room temperature. 

6. In a dish or resealable plastic bag, coat the chicken in 3/4 of the teriyaki marinade and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

7. Place the chicken thighs on the grill, discard marinade and baste with remaining sauce.

8. Cook for 5 minutes, flip and baste with more sauce. 

9. Grill chicken thighs for an additional 5 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 170 degrees F when measured with a meat thermometer.

10. Top with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and serve.

TIPS AND TRICKS:

• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
• Add a little bit of onion powder, chili powder, garlic powder, black pepper or cayenne pepper to the coated chicken before grilling to take them up a notch.
• You could coat the boneless skinless thighs with a spice rub before basting with BBQ sauce. We make our own dry rub spice blend for all of our smoked recipes.
• Test out a variety of different teriyaki sauces to suit your tastes.
• Cook time for bone-in thighs will vary so be sure to check the internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer.

Substitutions and suggestions:

• Chicken breasts can be used instead of boneless chicken thighs.
• Serve on white rice, green beans or garlic rice.
• Top with diced green onions, red pepper flakes or chives.
• Create baked teriyaki chicken by placing the chicken in a single layer in a casserole dish or on a baking sheet and baking at 350 for 12-15 minutes.

How perfect are those grill lines?! These tender and juicy chicken thighs are seriously a must make and a great addition to any summer time meal.

Become inspired this BBQ season with these delicious chicken dishes!

More chicken recipes:

• Grilled BBQ chicken wings
• Bacon wrapped chicken tenders
• BBQ skinless chicken thighs
• Teriyaki Chicken Wings
• Huli Huli chicken recipe
• Baked chicken breasts
• BBQ chicken drumsticks
• Beer can chicken
• Traeger grilled chicken wings

If you love this grilled teriyaki chicken thighs recipe, please give it a five star review and share it on Facebook or Pinterest so that others can enjoy it too!

Teriyaki Grilled Chicken Thighs

Satisfy your taste buds with these juicy and flavorful grilled teriyaki chicken thighs. Marinated and cooked to perfection, this dish is a must-try!

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Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes minutes

Additional Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 27 minutes minutes

Author: Heather Painchaud

Servings: 8

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Ingredients

0.5x1x2x

• 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 5 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp fresh ginger or 1 tsp ground
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp minced garlic or 1 tsp ground
• 2 Tbsp corn starch
• 1/4 cup water
• Sesame seeds

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Instructions

• 1. In a large mixing bowl combine water, soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, ginger and garlic. Whisk together.
• 2. In a small bowl combine cornstarch and water.  Mix well.
• 3. Pour the first mixture into a medium saucepan and cook on medium heat (about 5 mins).
• 4. When the sauce begins to boil, add the cornstarch mixture and whisk continuously.
• 5. When the teriyaki marinade begins to thicken (about 2 mins), remove from heat.  Allow to cool to room temperature. 
• 6. In a dish or freezer bag, coat the chicken in 3/4 of the teriyaki marinade and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
• 7. Place the chicken thighs on the grill, discard marinade and baste with reserved teriyaki sauce.
• 8. Cook for 5 minutes, flip and baste with more sauce.
• 9. Grill chicken thighs for an additional 5 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 170 degrees F when measured with a meat thermometer.
• 10. Top with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and serve.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 250kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 137mg | Sodium: 640mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g

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Hello, I’m Heather!

I'm an active mom of twin boys who is always looking for opportunities to inspire creativity through fun crafts, do-it-yourself projects and delicious recipes. This blog has been an integral part of supporting my little family and I am so grateful to have you become a part of our journey! Let's create together... Read more...