Baked Teriyaki Chicken (Sugar-Free)

Baked Teriyaki Chicken is a perfect easy dinner that the whole family is going to love, and I’ve updated the recipe to make it easier. And no one will guess that this version of Teriyaki Chicken is low in carbs, and it’s also gluten-free and dairy-free!

PIN Baked Teriyaki Chicken to try it later!

This Baked Teriyaki Chicken recipe that I’m reminding you about for this week’s Friday Favorites pick is an updated version of a recipe I got many, many years ago from the sister of a former boyfriend. She got the recipe when she lived in Hawaii from a Japanese friend who claimed this simple Teriyaki sauce combination is the way it’s made by home cooks in Japan. I have no idea whether it’s really an authentic recipe for Teriyaki Chicken, but it’s delicious and so easy to make, and I bet most kids will gobble this up!

The recipe has been on my site for years, but since I first posted it I’ve become a fan of the type of recipe I call a “chicken bake” where chicken breasts are quickly browned in a hot frying pan, cut into thick strips, and then covered with sauce to finish cooking in the oven. That method keeps baked chicken from drying out.

I thought that technique would be an improvement for this Baked Teriyaki Chicken recipe, and Kara and I definitely agreed that it was when we tested the recipe! I hope you will try it and see what you think. (And if anyone was a fan of one of the older versions of this recipe, you can see those here.)

What Ingredients do you need?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe with ingredient amounts.)

• skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• soy sauce or Gluten-Free Soy Sauce (affiliate link)
• water
• Golden Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link), or sweetener of your choice
• Minced Ginger (affiliate link) or fresh grated ginger root
• Minced Garlic (affiliate link) or fresh garlic, finely diced
• Peanut Oil (affiliate link), or any neutral-flavored oil

How to make the sauce smoother for Baked Teriyaki Chicken:

If you look carefully at my finished photos of the Baked Teriyaki Chicken, you’ll see a few small bits of garlic and ginger. That didn’t bother us at all, but if you’d like a smoother sauce use something like a Magic Bullet (affiliate link) or Food Processor (affiliate link) to puree the ginger and garlic instead of the Mortar and Pestle (affiliate link) we used.

Can you use fresh minced garlic and ginger in the Teriyaki Chicken sauce?

For years I did use fresh minced garlic and ginger in the sauce for this Baked Teriyaki Chicken. Then a few years ago I started using purchased Minced Ginger (affiliate link) and Minced Garlic (affiliate link), and truthfully for many recipes I can’t tell any difference in the taste. Use whichever you prefer for this recipe!

How can you tell when the Teriyaki Chicken is done?

You want to be careful not to overcook the chicken so doesn’t dry out, so I would use an Instant Read Meat Thermometer (affiliate link) and remove it from the oven as soon as a thick part of the chicken reaches 165F/75C.

How low in carbs is the Sugar-Free Baked Teriyaki Chicken?

This updated recipe that uses my “chicken bake” method has less than 4 net carbs per serving and 40 grams of protein!

Want to make the original version of Baked Teriyaki Chicken?

This is the third time I’ve updated and improved this favorite recipe on the site, and I think the current recipe is the best one yet. But if anyone was a fan of one of the previous versions (the most recent one is shown above), you can see both of the older versions of this recipe in the archives.

How to Make Baked Teriyaki Chicken:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. Preheat oven to 375F/190C.
2. Use freshly-minced ginger and garlic if you like, but this was amazing with purchased ginger and garlic.
3. We used a Mortar and Pestle to puree garlic and ginger; if you want it completely smooth use a Magic Bullet or Food Processor.
4. Put soy sauce, water, Golden Monkfruit Sweetener (or Classic Monkfruit Sweetener), pureed ginger and pureed garlic in a small pan and simmer over low heat, until reduced to 2/3 cup.
5. Trim visible fat and undesirable parts from chicken.
6. Heat oil over medium-high heat and brown chicken about 3-4 minutes per side.
7. Cut browned chicken breasts into same-size lengthwise strips
8. When Teriyaki Sauce is reduced to 2/3 cup, get a Pastry Brush ready.
9. Use the smallest casserole dish that fits chicken in a single layer. Spray dish with non-stick spray, then lay chicken pieces crosswise in the baking dish.
10. Brush Teriyaki Sauce over the chicken, using about one-third of the sauce. Bake chicken for 5 minutes.
11. Remove chicken from oven and brush with sauce again. Put back in the oven and bake 5 minutes more. (You can brush with sauce even more frequently if you like.)
12. Brush one more time and put chicken back into oven and bake 2-5 minutes more or until Instant Read Meat Thermometer (affiliate link) reaches 165F/75C.)
13. When chicken is completely cooked and glazed with sauce, serve Baked Teriyaki Chicken hot, garnished with green onions if desired.

Make it a Low-Carb Meal:

This Baked Teriyaki Chicken would be great served with any of these low-carb side dishes:

• Spicy Szechuan Green Beans
• Pan-Fried Broccoli with Pine Nuts and Parmesan
• Spicy Cucumber Salad
• Barely-Cooked Asparagus with Lemon-Mustard Vinaigrette
• Asian Green Salad with Soy-Sesame Dressing

More Tasty Baked Chicken Dinners:

Check out my huge collection of Low-Carb and Keto Baked Chicken Dinners if you want more delicious ideas for cooking chicken, and many of those chicken use my Chicken Bake recipe method has been such a hit!

Print

Yield: 4 servings

Baked Teriyaki Chicken (Sugar-Free)

Prep Time 8 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 33 minutes

This delicious Sugar-Free Baked Teriyaki Chicken is a great option for a family-friendly dinner and no one will ever guess that this recipe is low in carbs!

Ingredients

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (see notes)
• 1/2 cup soy sauce (Use Gluten-Free Soy Sauce if needed, see note.)
• 2/3 cup water
• 1/4 cup Golden Monkfruit Sweetener or sweetener of your choice (see notes)
• 1 T minced ginger or fresh grated ginger root
• 1 T minced garlic or fresh garlic, finely diced
• 2 T peanut oil (see notes)
• thinly-sliced green onions for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375F/190C.
2. Puree minced garlic and ginger with a mortar and pestle, magic bullet, or food processor.
3. Put soy sauce, water, sweetener, ginger puree, and garlic puree in small saucepan and simmer over low heat until reduced to about 2/3 cup. (Taste a few times to see when it’s as strong as you like it.)
4. Trim all visible fat and undesirable parts from chicken breasts. If some pieces are extra thick, I would trim the on the bottom and save those scraps for homemade chicken stock.
5. Heat oil in large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat and brown chicken about 3-4 minutes per side. (It should not be completely cooked through.)
6. Cut the browned chicken pieces into four lengthwise same-size strips. (If some chicken breasts are larger than others, I might cut them into five strips.
7. Choose the smallest size casserole dish that will fit all chicken in a single layer. Arrange chicken in dish and brush well with about half the reduced Teriyaki Sauce.
8. Bake chicken about 5 minutes, then remove and brush again with a generous amount of sauce.
9. Bake chicken 5 minutes more, than remove and brush with sauce a third time. (You can brush with sauce even more frequently if you like.)
10. Bake chicken about 2-5 minutes more, or until chicken tests 165F/90C in the thickest part when you test with an Instant Read Meat Thermometer (affiliate link).
11. When chicken is completely cooked and well-glazed with the sauce, serve hot, garnished with sliced green onions if desired. If you have extra sauce you can re-heat it and serve over the chicken.

Notes

I used chicken breasts that were about 8 oz. each after trimming. If you prefer chicken thighs, I'd use 8 skinless, bone in chicken thighs, well trimmed).

To make this gluten-free, be sure to use Gluten-Free Soy Sauce (affiliate link). Use any neutral-flavored oil if you don't have peanut oil or can't use it.

I like Golden Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link) for the sweetener for the Teriyaki Sauce.

This recipe was adapted from one I got years ago from the sister of an old boyfriend who had lived in Hawaii.

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 284Total Fat 8gSaturated Fat 2.4gUnsaturated Fat 5gCholesterol 102mgSodium 1842mgCarbohydrates 4gFiber .3gSugar 1.4gProtein 40g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!

© Kalyn Denny

Category: Oven Dinners

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
With Golden Monkfruit Sweetener or another approved sweetener, this Baked Teriyaki Chicken recipe would be suitable for low-carb or Keto diets. If you’re making it for the original South Beach Diet, chicken breasts are definitely recommended over thighs for South Beach.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Chicken Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
Baked Teriyaki Chicken was first posted in 2006 and the recipe was improved and new photos were added in 2010. The recipe was last updated with more information and a better method for keeping the chicken moist in 2023, and updated again slightly in 2025. I love the new version of this recipe that browns the chicken, cuts it into strips, and then bakes for a shorter time with the Teriyaki Sauce brushed on.