Sous Vide Teriyaki Chicken

Published by Izzy

on Oct 13, 2023, Updated Nov 21, 2023

4.67 from 3 votes

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This Sous Vide Teriyaki Chicken recipe makes super juicy and tender chicken that’s coated with an easy and delicious teriyaki sauce! The chicken is sous vide cooked in a warm water bath at a precise temperature and then tossed in the sticky, sweet and savory sauce, better than your favorite Chinese take-out!

I’ve share traditional teriyaki recipes like Teriyaki Chicken Bowl on my blog, but this beats the texture and prep on any other teriyaki chicken I’ve tried. The chicken is so tender that’s impossible to achieve with traditional cooking methods. It’s also really easy to make, and guarantees the success EVERY TIME!

Why sous vide teriyaki chicken breast?

What is sous vide? It’s a French cooking technique where the food is vacuum-sealed in a bag, then cooked to a very precise temperature in a warm water bath for a long time. It means “under vacuum” in French.

Adding teriyaki sauce and chicken breasts into a zip-top bag.

There are a few benefits of cooking teriyaki chicken using the sous vide method:

For a traditional teriyaki chicken recipe, chicken breasts can be easily cooked because of their low-fat content. When cooked just a few minutes too long, they turn dry and chewy.
This recipe is more flavorful as the chicken is cooked in the teriyaki marinade. The meat soaks up all the flavor during the long cooking process.
It’s a foolproof method and you’ll get the perfect juicy and flavorful chicken every time. Totally a game changer!

In addition, it’s the healthiest teriyaki chicken recipe that comes in at 264 calories per serving!

How to make sous vide chicken teriyaki

Make the Teriyaki Sauce: Whisk together soy sauce, sugar, oil, rice vinegar, and minced garlic in a small bowl.

Sous Vide Cook the Chicken: Place the chicken into a zip-top bag and add in the teriyaki sauce. Then vacuum seal the bag using the water displacement technique (see recipe for detailed instruction). Cook the chicken in the sous vide water bath at 149°F (65°C) for 1 hour.

Vacuum-seal the chicken in a zip-top bag.

Thicken the Sauce: When the timer goes off, remove the chicken breasts from the bag and pour the liquid into a skillet. Add the mixture of water and cornstarch to the liquid, and cook for a few minutes until it thickens.

Make Teriyaki Chicken: Cut the cooked chicken into bite sized pieces. Add them to the skillet and toss with the thickened teriyaki sauce. Serve them warm with rice and veggies.

Teriyaki sauce ingredients

This has been my favorite homemade teriyaki sauce for years! It uses pantry staples that’re easily accessible in the U.S. and tastes absolutely authentic. You’ll need:

Soy sauce (use low-sodium)
Sugar (or honey)
Rice vinegar
Garlic
Oil
Cornstarch and water for thickening after the chicken is sous vide cooked.

Cooking the vacuum-sealed chicken breasts in a sous vide water bath.

Tips for sous vide teriyaki chicken

You can use chicken thighs in place of the breasts. Just increase the sous vide temp to 160°F.
Substitute rice vinegar with apple cider vinegar or lemon juice if that’s what you have.
Use darker soy sauce if you prefer a darker colored sauce.
If you don’t have a vacuum-sealer, you can seal the bag with a zip-loc bag using the the water displacement technique: just seal all but one corner of the bag, and then slowly place it into a large pot of water. Make sure everything below the zip-line is covered by water, then seal the rest of the bag.
Cut chicken into bite size pieces before mixing with the sauce for the maximum flavor.

Sous vide temp and time

I like to cook the chicken breasts to the internal temperature of 149°F (65°C), which produces super tender and juicy meat. If you’d like to try other doneness, below are the guidelines:

Temperature	Sous Vide Time	Texture
140°F / 60°C	1 ½ – 4 hours	Very soft, tender and juicy
149°F / 65°C	1 – 4 hours	Tender and juicy
165°F / 74°C	1 – 4 hours	Traditional tender and slightly chewy

Note: The chicken is cooked at 149°F, which is a safe temperature for sous vide cooking chicken. The USDA temp guide of 165°F is for traditional cooking methods. Your chicken breasts are ready after 1 hour, but you can leave them in the water bath for as long as 4 hours (The meat can get mushy if longer than that.)

This is a must-try recipe that my family loves. Steamed broccoli and rice are the best sides. Don’t forget to drizzle the extra sauce over everything in your bowl!

Other Sous Vide Chicken Recipes You’ll Love

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4.67 from 3 votes

Tender Sous Vide Teriyaki Chicken Recipe

By: Izzy

This Sous Vide Teriyaki Chicken recipe makes super juicy and tender chicken that’s coated with an easy and delicious teriyaki sauce! The chicken is sous vide cooked in a warm water bath at a precise temperature and then tossed in the sticky, sweet and savory sauce, better than your favorite Chinese take-out!

Prep: 10

Cook: 1

Total: 1 10

Servings:

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Ingredients

▢ 1 ½ lb chicken breasts, (boneless skinless, fresh or frozen*)
▢ 3 tablespoons sugar
▢ 1/4 cup soy sauce
▢ 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
▢ 2 cloves garlic, minced
▢ 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
▢ 1 tablespoon cornstarch
▢ 1 tablespoon water

Instructions

Fill a large container or pot with water. Attach the sous vide precision cooker and set the temperature to 149°F (65°C). If you’d like to try other temperatures, follow the guide in the post.
In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, sugar, rice vinegar, minced garlic and oil.
Place the chicken breasts to a zip-top bag and add in the sauce.
Arrange the breasts in one single layer and then seal the bag using the “water displacement” technique: seal all but one corner of the bag, and slowly place it in cold water. Make sure everything below the zip-line is covered by water. Then seal the rest of the bag.
Place the bath in the sous vide water bath and cook for 1 hour. (Make sure the meat is fully submerged while the seams of the bag are above water.)
When the timer goes off, remove the chicken from the bag. Don’t throw away the juices.
Pat dry the chicken with paper towels and then cut them into bite-sized pieces.
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and pour in the juices from the bag.
In a small bowl, mix together cornstarch and water. Then pour the mixture into the skillet.
Stir constantly for a few minutes until the sauce is thickened.
Remove from the heat and add in chicken pieces. Toss evenly to coat the chicken. Serve warm with your favorite sides.

Notes

If you use frozen chicken breasts, add 30 more minutes of cooking time in the sous vide water bath.

Nutrition

Nutrition information provided is an estimate only and will vary based on ingredient brands and cooking methods used.

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