These grilled teriyaki chicken skewers are perfect for those easy weeknight meals and summer cookouts! Glazed in a pineapple infused sweet and sticky homemade teriyaki sauce, these kabobs are not only tasty, they’re a healthy option too. Great for meal prep and freezer meals! {Dairy-free & gluten-free friendly}
Healthy Teriyaki Chicken
If you love Japanese teriyaki chicken, you’re going to love these easy teriyaki chicken skewers! The homemade teriyaki sauce is so simple to prepare and leaves the chicken incredibly juicy and tender with the most delicious flavour.
With tastes of soy sauce, honey, pineapple, ginger and garlic in every bite, the sticky marinade has just the right balance of sweet, umami and salty flavours. If you’re looking to impress, these grilled kabobs are a sure fire way to do it. They’re always a big hit with the whole family!
Chicken teriyaki on a stick is also a great addition to your summer gatherings and barbecues. Because it’s threaded onto skewers, it’s easy to cook and serve. Perfect for grilling season!
For more delicious ways to flavour up chicken, be sure to try my Healthy Orange Chicken and Healthy Chicken Marinades!
Why We Love this Chicken Teriyaki on a Stick
- A healthier option: The teriyaki sauce is made from scratch so it contains less processed ingredients and is a lot lower in sodium compared to store-bought sauces or takeout. Chicken is also a great source of lean protein, iron and B12, while being low in saturated fat.
- Easy: The chicken marinade takes only minutes to prep and the chicken kabobs can be cooked on the grill in less than 20 minutes.
- Make ahead: These teriyaki chicken kabobs are a great make ahead option for weekly meal prep, and are ideal if you’re planning to serve them as part of a bigger feast. The marinade can also be frozen for a convenient option throughout the week.
Ingredient notes
- Pineapple juice: For the healthiest option, use pure pineapple juice with no added sugar.
- Cornstarch: To thicken the sauce. Arrowroot or tapioca starch can also be used.
- Honey: Used to sweeten the sauce in addition to the pineapple juice.
- Soy sauce: Use a low sodium soy sauce to reduce the amount of salt. Tamari sauce or coconut aminos can also be used for a gluten-free option.
- Sesame oil: Oil is needed in marinades to help the flavours to penetrate the meat. Sesame oil adds a great nutty flavour, although you can use a neutral oil like canola or vegetable in a pinch.
- Rice vinegar: Mild in acid, this helps balance out the sweetness of the teriyaki sauce.
- Ginger and garlic: Use fresh ginger and garlic for the best flavours.
- Red pepper flakes: These are optional, but I love to add a few for a little heat to compliment the other flavours.
- Chicken: Cut into cubes to thread onto the skewer. This recipe uses breast meat, but thighs will work well too.
Step by step instructions
How to make chicken teriyaki marinade
- Combine pineapple juice and cornstarch in a small bowl.
- In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, add remaining marinade ingredients along with the cornstarch and pineapple juice mixture. Bring sauce to a simmer, stirring frequently.
- Once simmering, reduce heat to medium-low and cook until sauce lightly thickens. Sauce will be a dark brown colour. Once sauce has thickened up, remove from heat and allow it to cool.
- Once the sauce has cooled, place cubed chicken in a large ziplock bag (you can also use a large bowl). Pour half of the sauce over the chicken and gently massage to coat chicken.
- Let chicken marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Set the remaining sauce aside for later.
How to grill chicken on a stick
- When the chicken is done marinating, place the cubed chicken on skewers and heat a lightly oiled grill to medium heat.
- Once the grill is hot, place skewers on grill. Turn the skewers every 3-4 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees, about 16-20 minutes. During the last few turns, brush with remaining teriyaki sauce.
- Remove skewers from grill. Serve with chopped green onion and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.
Recipe Notes:
- The best chicken to use: You can use boneless skinless chicken breasts or boneless skinless chicken thighs for this recipe. It works well with either!
- Use metal skewers if possible: I find the metal skewers are better for cooking chicken on the grill. If you opt for wooden bamboo skewers, make sure that you soak them in water for 15 minutes so they don’t catch on fire.
- Evenly distribute the chicken: Place an equal amount of chicken on each skewer to ensure that they cook evenly on the barbecue. If using wooden skewers, it also prevents them from getting too heavy and breaking.
- Leftover sauce: If you have extra reserved marinade leftover after basting the chicken, you can drizzle it over the chicken when serving or use it as a dipping sauce. Just make sure it hasn’t been exposed to the raw chicken.
Storage and Reheating Guidelines
Refrigerator: Once cooked, the chicken can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container or covered in plastic wrap for up to 4 days.
To reheat: It can be reheated on an indoor or outdoor grill or in the oven at 260F for 10 minutes to warm through. You can also quickly pop in the microwave for a minute or so.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! You can marinade these teriyaki chicken skewers for up to 6 hours before you want to cook and serve them.
When you marinate the chicken pieces in the teriyaki sauce, you can freeze them to marinate. They will keep well for up to 3 months. Just thaw them in the fridge overnight before threading onto the skewers and grilling.
If your sauce isn’t sticky, it’s most likely because it’s not thick enough. Simply cook the sauce for an extra couple of minutes on the stovetop, stirring occasionally so that it doesn’t stick. Remove from the heat when it’s dark brown and has a thicker consistency.
I find that 30 minutes is a good amount of time to allow the flavour to infuse into the chicken. I don’t recommend leaving it for more than 6 hours as the acid can start to break down the proteins. If you want to marinate the chicken further ahead of time, then the freezer is your friend!
A lot of Japanese teriyaki sauces that you buy from the store are very high in sodium and sugar, so they are not always the healthiest option. This homemade sauce is naturally sweetened with pineapple juice and honey and uses a low sodium soy sauce, so it’s a great healthier option.
Serving suggestions
If you’re looking for some ways to serve up these teriyaki chicken skewers or use up any leftover chicken, check out the ideas below for more of a complete meal.
Serve the chicken:
- In a rice bowl or quinoa bowl
- On noodles
- On pizza
- In poke bowl
- With fresh veggies like broccoli or green beans
- On a sandwich
- Over a salad
- In lettuce wraps
- On zoodles
- With mango pineapple salsa
Recipe ideas & variations
- Hawaiian teriyaki chicken skewers: Add fresh pineapple chunks to the skewers along with chicken.
- Add some vegetables: Try adding bell peppers and red onion to the skewers for some extra colour.
- To make gluten-free: Use tamari sauce or coconut aminos rather than soy sauce.
More similar recipes
- Healthy Chicken Stir Fry
- Grilled BBQ Chicken Thighs
- Mediterranean Chicken Kabobs
- Curry Chicken Marinade
- Grilled Chili Lime Shrimp Skewers
- Authentic Mexican Chicken Fajitas
- Pulled Buffalo Chicken and Rice
- Thai Mango Salad with Chicken
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Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Skewers {Healthy + Simple}
Ingredients
For the marinade:
- 3/4 cup pineapple juice
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
For the kabobs
- 2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch pieces
- 8 skewers
To garnish
- Sliced green onion for serving
- Toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Combine pineapple juice and cornstarch in a small bowl, whisking until there are no lumps.
- In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, add remaining marinade ingredients along with the cornstarch and pineapple juice mixture. Bring sauce to a simmer, stirring frequently.
- Once simmering, reduce heat to medium-low and cook until sauce lightly thickens. Once sauce has thickened up, remove from heat and allow it to cool for several minutes.
- Once the sauce has cooled, place cubed chicken in a large ziplock bag. Pour half of the sauce over the chicken and gently massage to coat the chicken.
- Let chicken marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Place the remaining sauce aside for later.
- When the chicken is done marinating, evenly divide the cubed chicken between skewers and heat a lightly oiled grill to medium heat.
- Once the grill is hot, place skewers on grill. Turn the skewers every 3-4 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees, about 16-20 minutes. During the last few turns, brush the chicken skewers with remaining teriyaki sauce.
- Remove skewers from grill. Serve with chopped green onion and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.
Notes
- The best chicken to use: You can use boneless skinless chicken breasts or boneless skinless chicken thighs for this recipe. It works well with either!
- Use metal skewers if possible: I find the metal skewers are better for cooking chicken on the grill. If you opt for wooden bamboo skewers, make sure that you soak them in water for 15 minutes so they don’t catch on fire.
- Evenly distribute the chicken: Place an equal amount of chicken on each skewer to ensure that they cook evenly on the barbecue. If using wooden skewers, it also prevents them from getting too heavy and breaking.
- Leftover sauce: If you have extra reserved marinade leftover after basting the chicken, you can drizzle it over the chicken when serving or use it as a dipping sauce. Just make sure it hasn’t been exposed to the raw chicken.
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