Sticky chicken teriyaki rice is a great alternative to take out! Fresh vegetables, chicken, and rice are all coated with a sweet teriyaki sauce. This gluten free dish is better than take out!
It can be so hard to decide what to make for dinner. I tend to get into a rut, and make the same things on repeat. But sometimes it’s nice to change things up.
When you’re in the mood for something different, how about a delicious bowl sticky chicken teriyaki rice? Chicken, veggies, and rice, all covered in a sweet and savory pineapple teriyaki sauce makes a tasty dinner option.
This easy rice dish is so full of flavor from the all the veggies, tender chicken, and of course the pineapple based sauce. And of course the rice is there to soak up every bit of that sauce, making every bite extra tasty! The sauce reminds me of some of the meals we had when we were on Maui for our honeymoon. The pineapple juice and ginger give it that extra bit of tropical flavor that makes this dish one the whole family will love.
And although it looks like a lot of instructions in the recipe below, this sticky chicken teriyaki rice actually comes together pretty easily. You just need to have the chicken, rice, and veggies cooking at the same time. Then you make the sauce, mix it all up, and dinner is served!
What is teriyaki sauce?
Teriyaki sauce typically contains soy sauce, ginger, and some type of sugar – in this case, pineapple juice. It’s delicious on chicken, beef, or pork. You can read more about it here. To keep this recipe gluten free, you will need to use tamari sauce rather than typical soy sauce. Traditional soy sauce contains gluten, so it won’t work for those who need to be gluten free.
What can I use instead of soy sauce if I have a soy allergy?
You can try coconut aminos, which are available in most health food stores, or you can try making your own soy-free soy sauce.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
Sticky Chicken Teriyaki Rice.
Ingredients
- 1 cup white rice
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ pounds organic chicken breasts boneless, skinless
- 1 ½ Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large sweet onion sliced thin
- 1 red bell pepper sliced thin
For the sauce
- ½ cup gluten free tamari
- ½ cup honey
- ½ cup pineapple juice
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
- 4 green onions white and green parts, sliced
- pinch of red pepper flakes more if you want it spicy!
Instructions
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Place the chicken breasts in a large pot with enough water to cover them. Place the lid on the pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer for about 20-30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and reaches an internal temperature of 170 degrees.
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Remove chicken from pan and set aside to cool. Once cool, use your hands or two forks to shred the chicken,
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While the chicken cooks, make the rice: Place the cup of organic long grain white rice, 1 ½ cups water, and 2 teaspoons olive oil in a pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover. Cook until rice is fluffy and tender, about 25 minutes.
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Meanwhile, place the sliced onion, red pepper, and 1 ½ Tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet. Cook over medium low heat until tender and lightly caramelized, about 30 minutes.
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Once the chicken, rice, and veggies are done, make the sauce. Combine the tamari, honey, pineapple juice, ginger, and brown sugar in a small sauce pan. Heat over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Let cook for about 5 minutes. Stir in the red pepper flakes.
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In a large bowl, place the rice, shredded chicken, and onions and peppers. Pour the sauce over the top and stir to combine.
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Sprinkle the chopped green onions over the top and serve immediately. If you are able to have sesame seeds, you can top each bowl with a few.
Recipe Notes
Leftovers should stay good in the refrigerator for up to three days.
What’s on your menu for this weekend?
This post was originally published in March 2015, it has been updated.
Kristina
Wow!!!! My family has multiple autoimmune disorders and allergy issues that we manage through avoiding preservatives and dairy/gluten in our diets. One of the foods my teen missed most was teriyaki chicken. She was so excited when this hit the table tonight! No leftovers on this one! Thank you!
Maureen
I love your recipes! My 13 year old daughter is not a rice fan, but she had “seconds” of this dish. Easy to prepare and very delicious! I am off gluten, dairy and eggs so this recipe is perfect!
Annie
Hi, do you think you can just put the sauce ingredients in a slow cooker with the chicken breasts? Then shred once cooked?
Phyllis
My daughter has a friend with dairy allergy, another with gluten allergy and another who is just picky. this is the recipe I fix every time they are over. They love it and it’s simple. Once I accidentally used garlic powder instead of ginger powder (oops) and no one noticed. Anyway, thanks. ps…the picky one just gets white rice, plain chicken before I mix it all together.
Tracy
Hi! Sounds amazing. I am wondering if you use fresh ginger, jarred/grated or powder? Thank you!
Kelly Roenicke
I used ground ginger powder.
Katie
Delicious recipe!
Deanna Segrave-Daly (@tspbasil)
Way better looking than any take-out I’ve ever seen – yum!
Kelly
Thank you, Deanna!
Kelsey
freaking yummy!
Kelly
Thanks, Kelsey!
Serena Ball
YUM! And fun to say. My kids will love this!
Kelly
Thanks, Serena!
Arman @ thebigmansworld
LOVE sticky rice and used to eat it plain as a kid…This looks delicious!
Kelly
Thank you, Arman!
Natalie @ Tastes Lovely
I just love teriyaki! This looks like a bowl of sticky love : )
Kelly
Thanks, Natalie!
Strength and Sunshine
Pinning, making, loving!
Kelly
Thank you, Rebecca!