This slow cooker teriyaki chicken and broccoli is a classic comfort meal made with chicken breast, a homemade Asian-style teriyaki sauce and tender broccoli all cooked in the crockpot. Served with rice for a balanced meal prep, it works just as well for a weeknight dinner or just batch-prepped to make life a little more convenient.
This is one of those recipes I come back to when life is busy and I need food that actually pulls its weight. Slow cooker recipes for me started as "throw it in and hope for the best", but I've learned how to tweak sauces to make sure they're flavour packed and when to put the veggies in to ensure they don't go to mush. I guarantee this will be the kind of recipe future-you will be thankful for.
TL;DR
- Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 6 hours low / 4 hours high
- Meal prep: The homemade teriyaki sauce clings to the shredded chicken breast keeping it tender so it reheats without drying out.
- Fridge storage: 4 days (in airtight containers).
- Freezer storage: 3-6 months (freeze chicken separate to the rice).
- Reheating: Splash of water on the chicken and rice and microwave for approx. 3 minutes.
- Customise: Adjust flavourings in teriyaki sauce or use bottled, add extra veggies.
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Why you'll love this recipe
Meal prep friendly. This dish portions well and reheats without drying out, you can even use any leftover chicken for a teriyaki chicken poke bowl or chicken cabbage salad.
Dump and bake. The slow cooker does the heavy lifting (and is not-so-secretly my new best friend). Try my slow cooker beef massaman curry or slow cooked Mexican chicken next.
Freezer friendly. If you use my tips-and-tricks in my shredded chicken post (also included here), this is a great freezer-friendly meal prep for those super busy weeknights.
Ingredients
Chicken breast. Lean and holds its structure better than thighs in long cooks. But you can use thighs if you prefer.
Brown onions and garlic. These are essential to anything made in the slow cooker as they help bring out extra flavour that can sometimes be lost during a long cook.
Teriyaki sauce. I use my own teriyaki sauce recipe (which I've adjusted to make it appropriate for the slow cooker), but you can use bottled if you prefer.
If you do use a bottled sauce, check the ingredients to make sure there's not too much sugar or extra fillers - and I do suggest adding in extra aromatics (garlic, ginger, onion) to make sure the flavour comes through.
Broccoli. These are added late and steamed during the cook. You could also do something similar with cauliflower or carrots - just adjust the cooking time slightly as they're slightly heartier than broccoli.
Please check the recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantity. See below for substitutions and variations.
Substitutions and variations
How to make slow cooker teriyaki chicken
Step 1: Brown onions in a pan or slow cooker on searing function until fragrant (approx. 2-5 minutes).
Step 2: Lightly brown the chicken breast (optional but recommended for flavour).
Step 3: Add chicken, onions and all sauce ingredients (except cornflour) to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours.
Step 4: In the final 30 minutes, shred chicken (optional) then add cornflour slurry into the chicken.
Step 5: Place broccoli on a rack or stir directly into the sauce then cover for the remaining 30 minutes.
Step 6: Serve over rice.
Lauren's Top Tips
Add broccoli late. Keeps it green and prevents mush.
Thicken at the end. Cornflour works best once cooking is finished.
Meal prep and leftovers
This slow cooker teriyaki chicken is a great meal prep option because it's balanced with protein from chicken breast, carbs from rice, and vegetables from broccoli. The flavours deepen overnight, making leftovers arguably better than day one.
Storing
Store in an airtight container with the chicken, veg and rice or separate (as pictured) to ensure the rice and veg don't go mushy.
This should last in the fridge for 4 days.
Reheating
Add a splash of water (or even soy sauce for added flavour) into the chicken and rice then reheat in the microwave on 1 minute intervals until heated through (approx. 3 minutes).
Freezing
Freeze chicken in the sauce for up to 3 months. The sauce will help keep it moist. I do this in 1 cup souper cubes (as pictured) because it helps keep them in single serve which is useful when you want a quick dinner.
I suggest only freezing the chicken - or if you need to freeze the rice as well, freeze separately (either on top of the chicken or in a different container).
If you want more meal prep information, check out my Meal Prep for Beginners post and my Meal Prep Basics E-Book.
FAQs
Sauce needs thickening at the end with cornflour once cooking is complete.
I've recommended to adding the cornflour slurry in during the last 30 minutes. If you find that it still doesn't thicken, cook for a little bit with the lid off (although, it will thicken more when storing in the fridge so take note of this if you're meal prepping).
Yes, but add it in the final 30 minutes to avoid overcooking.
Other slow cooker recipes you'll like
Or, you can have a browse through my meal prep friendly slow cooker recipes for more delicious eats.
Recipe
Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 kg (2 lb) chicken breast
- 2 brown onions
- 500 g broccoli, approx. 2 heads
- 400 g rice, yields approx. 6 cups
Teriyaki sauce (or 2 cups store-bought)
- 1 cup soy sauce
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup mirin, subs note 1
- 1 head garlic, fresh recommended
- 2 tablespoon ginger, fresh recommended
- ¼ cup maple syrup, or honey
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil, optional but recommended
- Cornflour slurry, approx. 1 tablespoon cornflour with 2 tablespoon water (at end)
Instructions
Preparing
- Dice 2 brown onions
- Mince 1 head garlic and 2 tbsp ginger
- Mix sauce: 1 cup soy sauce, ½ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup mirin, ¼ cup maple syrup and 1 tbsp sesame oil.
- Slice 500 g broccoli
Cooking
- If your slow cooker has a browning function, brown onions, garlic and ginger in a pan or slow cooker on searing function until fragrant (approx. 2-5 minutes).
- Lightly brown the 1 kg (2 lb) chicken breast (optional but recommended for flavour).
- If already in the slow cooker, add sauce. Add chicken, onions and all sauce ingredients (except cornflour) to the slow cooker.
- Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours.
- In the final 30 minutes, shred chicken (optional) then add Cornflour slurry into the chicken.
- Place broccoli on a rack or stir directly into the sauce then cover for the remaining 30 minutes.
- While waiting for the broccoli to steam through, cook 400 g rice your way or follow my tips and tricks.
- Serve over rice and season to taste.
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