Oven Baked Teriyaki Chicken Thighs with an easy homemade teriyaki marinade-turned-glaze bake to sweet-sticky perfection in about 30 minutes.
I'll show you how to use boneless, skinless or bone-in chicken thighs and my best tips for beautifully charred, crispy skin and tender, juicy chicken every time.
Serve with Crock Pot Brown Rice and Microwave Steamed Carrots for a quick, easy dinner.
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- ✅Baked Teriyaki Chicken Thighs at a Glance
- 🍗Ingredients
- 🫚Substitutions
- 🍳How to Make Oven Baked Teriyaki Chicken Thighs (Boneless or Bone-in)
- 🚩Safety First: Using Teriyaki Marinade as a Sauce
- 🪄Tips for Juicy Oven Baked Teriyaki Chicken Thighs
- 📅Make Ahead Instructions
- ♨️Storage & Reheating Instructions
- 🍲What to Serve with Oven Teriyaki Chicken Thighs
- ❓Teriyaki Chicken FAQs
- 😋More Easy Chicken Recipes
- 💌Let's Stay in Touch
- 📖 Recipe
✅Baked Teriyaki Chicken Thighs at a Glance
- Main ingredients: soy sauce, honey, brown sugar, rice vinegar, ground ginger & fresh garlic--easy and simple, no bottled teriyaki sauce needed.
- One sauce, two ways: use some for the marinade, reduce the rest for the glaze.
- Boneless, skinless or bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs: I'll show you how to do both.
- Restaurant-quality sauce: thick, glossy, and clings to the chicken
- Crispy, charred skin in 1-3 minutes under the broiler
- Ready in about 30 minutes, mostly hands-off
This recipe started with a package of boneless, skinless chicken thighs, a sudden craving for teriyaki chicken, and no teriyaki sauce in the house. A quick rifle through the pantry got me a marinade, and I reduced what I didn't use into a quick homemade teriyaki sauce.
We loved it so much that I had to try it with bone-in chicken thighs, too. So I fiddled around until I got the skin extra-crispy with just the right amount of char.
Since I just couldn't stop there, I also made an Air Fryer Teriyaki Chicken recipe.
Now I can't decide which one I love more.
🍗Ingredients
- Chicken thighs. You can use boneless skinless chicken thighs or bone-in chicken thighs. Boneless chicken thighs will cook a bit more quickly.
- Soy sauce. I always get reduced-sodium soy sauce, which is still plenty flavorful.
- Honey. Honey adds rich, warm flavor.
- Brown sugar. I like to use dark brown sugar for the deeper molasses flavor, but you can use light or dark brown sugar.
- Cornstarch. Cornstarch thickens the teriyaki marinade into a luscious sauce.
🫚Substitutions
- Garlic. If you don't have fresh garlic, I don't recommend substituting garlic powder. I tried it, and it throws off the flavor. Authentic teriyaki sauce (which this definitely isn't) doesn't include garlic anyway, so it's okay to skip it.
- Ginger. If you have fresh ginger, add 1-2 tablespoons of fresh grated ginger instead of ground.
- Rice vinegar. If you don't have rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar will also work.
🍳How to Make Oven Baked Teriyaki Chicken Thighs (Boneless or Bone-in)
Step 1: Mix the teriyaki marinade ingredients together in a small bowl.
Marinate chicken in ½ cup of marinade in a covered bowl or resealable plastic bag in the refrigerator for at least 15-30 minutes, up to overnight.
Step 2: Place unused marinade in small saucepan over medium to medium high heat. Mix cornstarch and water in a small bowl, and add to marinade when it comes to a boil. Reduce to simmer and stir 10-12 min until thickened and reduced by ⅓.
Set aside 2-3 tablespoons of sauce to brush onto the finished chicken.
Step 3: Place marinated chicken in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Discard the used marinade.
Brush chicken with homemade teriyaki sauce and bake at 375 degrees f for 12 minutes. Turn the chicken over, brush with more sauce, and bake 12 min or until cooked through. Broil 1-3 min to lightly char the sauce.
Step 4: Let the chicken rest 5 minutes. Brush or drizzle with reserved sauce and sprinkle with sesame seeds and scallions.
Make it a complete meal with white rice or mashed potatoes, a side of steamed snap peas, broccoli, or bok choy, and a fresh salad.
🚩Safety First: Using Teriyaki Marinade as a Sauce
This homemade teriyaki sauce does triple duty as a marinade, basting sauce, and finishing sauce. To safely use it for all three, keep each portion separate to avoid cross-contamination.
- Marinate the chicken in ½ cup of the marinade, then discard the used marinade.
- Simmer the remaining unused marinade until thickened and reduced. This becomes your sauce.
- Immediately set aside 2-3 tablespoons of the reduced sauce for finishing. Do not use this for basting.
- Use the rest to baste the chicken while it bakes. Discard any leftover basting sauce.
- Always use separate bowls and brushes for raw and cooked chicken.
While the USDA says used marinade can be boiled before serving, I find it simpler to keep the marinade, basting sauce, and finishing sauce separate from the start.
Pro Tip: Once the sauce is reduced, immediately portion out a few tablespoons to reserve for finishing.
🪄Tips for Juicy Oven Baked Teriyaki Chicken Thighs
- Do not marinate the chicken for any longer than 24 hours, or it can make the meat mushy.
- If your chicken thighs are very large, expect them to take longer than 30 minutes. Exact baking time will vary depending on the thickness of the chicken.
- Cook the chicken to an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees for food safety, but for the juiciest, most flavorful chicken thighs, aim for 175-195 degrees. Dark chicken meat is forgiving and hard to overcook. Just stay under 210 degrees, where it can get stringy and lose flavor.
📅Make Ahead Instructions
- Prepare the teriyaki marinade and store in a jar in the fridge for up to one week.
- Marinate the chicken thighs for up to 24 hours ahead of time.
- Boil down the portion of the marinade you'll use for basting and finishing, let it cool, then store it covered in the fridge for up to one week.
♨️Storage & Reheating Instructions
- Store leftover teriyaki chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- Reheat in the oven at 400 degrees until warmed through to 165 degrees, 10-15 minutes. To re-crisp the skin, broil for a minute or two. If desired, brush with more teriyaki sauce before reheating.
🍲What to Serve with Oven Teriyaki Chicken Thighs
Round out your meal with creamy Red Skin Mashed Potatoes or Lipton Onion Soup Roasted Potatoes, Steamed Green Beans or Sauteed Corn, or Caprese Spinach and Arugula Salad.
❓Teriyaki Chicken FAQs
Yes. You can thin some store-bought teriyaki sauce out with water or broth to create a marinade. Then use a separate portion for basting the chicken as it cooks and another portion for finishing, to avoid cross-contamination.
Both. Marinate the raw chicken in teriyaki marinade, then brush a separate portion of teriyaki sauce onto the chicken while it bakes, and reserve another portion as a finishing sauce.
You can start marinating the chicken the night before, but don't go any longer than 24 hours or the chicken can get mushy.
The best temperature is 375 degrees to ensure the chicken is fully cooked and the sauce is perfectly baked on, but not burned.
This glazed chicken thighs recipe bakes in about 25 minutes for boneless skinless chicken thighs and about 30 minutes for bone-in chicken thighs. If your chicken thighs are larger, they may take longer.
To get a nice crispy skin on your teriyaki chicken thighs, place them under the broiler for 1-3 minutes after baking, once the chicken is fully cooked through.
😋More Easy Chicken Recipes
💌Let's Stay in Touch
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📖 Recipe
Oven Baked Teriyaki Chicken Thighs (Boneless or Bone-In)
Ingredients
- 2 to 2 ½ pounds chicken thighs boneless skinless or bone-in skin on
Teriyaki Marinade and Sauce
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 clove minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- cornstarch slurry 1 teaspoon cornstarch + 1 teaspoon water
Instructions
Teriyaki Marinade & Sauce
- Combine soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, water, rice vinegar, garlic, and ginger in a small bowl. Stir until the sugar has completely dissolved.
- Place the chicken thighs and ½ cup of the marinade in a covered bowl or freezer bag in the refrigerator for at least 15-30 minutes, up to overnight. If making ahead of time, store the unused marinade in the fridge.
- Place unused marinade in a small saucepan over medium to medium high heat. Stir together 1 teaspoon each cornstarch and water in a small bowl. When the marinade comes to a boil, add the cornstarch mixture, stir, and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer and stir 10-12 minutes until thickened and reduced by about ⅓. Set aside 2-3 tablespoons of sauce in a separate bowl for brushing onto the finished chicken.
Glazed Chicken Thighs
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil for easy cleanup.
- Remove the chicken thighs from the marinade and discard the used marinade. Place the chicken thighs top side down on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the chicken with teriyaki sauce.
- For boneless skinless chicken thighs: Bake for 12 minutes. Turn, brush with more sauce, and bake for 12 minutes or until cooked through.
- For bone-in skin-on chicken thighs: Bake for 15 minutes. Turn, brush with more sauce, and bake for 15 minutes or until cooked through.
- Broil for 1-3 minutes to lightly char the sauce. Let the chicken rest for about 5 minutes. Brush with the reserved sauce. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and sliced green onions.
Video
Notes
- Avoid cross-contamination -- do not use the same sauce, bowl, or utensils for uncooked chicken and cooked chicken.
- Do not marinate the chicken for any longer than 24 hours, or it can make the meat mushy.
- Exact cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the chicken. Large chicken thighs will take longer to cook.
- Discard any used marinade or teriyaki sauce that has been in contact with raw chicken.
- Cook the chicken to an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees to ensure it's fully cooked. For the most flavorful, juicy chicken, cook to 175-195 degrees.
Gina says
This is an outstanding easy recipe! I love cooking and trying new dinner recipes but this one is certainly going to be a repeat for many occasions. The marinade/glaze is so good that I made a second batch to go with the leftovers. The sauce itself, will be so versatile! I plan on using it with my chicken meatballs, my butterfly pork chops and probably more other dishes. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Cara Lanz says
Hi, Gina, wow, what a wonderful note to wake up to! Thank you so much for trying the recipe, I'm so glad that you enjoyed it enough to make a second batch of that yummy sauce to go with your meatball and pork chop recipes. Sounds delicious, I'll have to try that, too! Thanks, again, Cara
Bobby says
I don't know if the recipe was not tested with bone-in thighs or of it was done with miniature chicken, but it took close to an hour at 400F on convection to get the chicken cooked through. ~30min at 375 like the recipe suggests would result in mostly raw chicken.
Cara Lanz says
Hi, Bobby. Thanks for the feedback. Many of the photos in this post were taken when I tested the recipe with bone-in chicken thighs. While the recipe card does note that cook time can vary based on the size and thickness of the chicken and to cook to temperature rather than strictly by time, it sounds like the thighs you purchased were much larger than the ones I tested with. I appreciate you sharing your experience, and I’ll take another look at the timing language to see if I can make it even clearer for larger bone-in thighs. Cara
Jen says
I’ve made this a few times and it is a really great recipe. The marinade only takes a few minutes to throw together and I love that it bakes in the oven. The whole thing comes together quickly and is mostly hands off. I serve it with rice and steamed broccoli and carrots. Any leftover chicken is great in a salad the next day too!
Cara Lanz says
Hi, Jen, thank you so much for the note, I'm so glad you enjoy it :). Cara
D says
Just curious about why the marinade has to be thrown away when the teriyaki sauce is going to come in contact with the raw chicken when it is brushed on before cooking. I do this but I'm genuinely curious about the reason.
Cara Lanz says
Technically, you could boil down the marinade, according to the USDA. I just like to keep things simple: the marinade is for marinating, and the sauce is made from a clean portion. That way, there’s no risk of under-boiling, I don’t have to cook raw chicken juices into the teriyaki sauce, and I can safely use the same boiled-down sauce both during baking and for finishing. I also like that this method lets me reduce the sauce ahead of time while the chicken is marinating. Hope that helps!
Scott J Lanz says
Fantastic flavor!
Cara Lanz says
It's definitely one of our favorite ways to make chicken -- my husband especially enjoys it. Oh, wait, that's you! I'm glad you love it <3.