Teriyaki Chicken Tacos

Teriyaki chicken tacos are a delicious twist on traditional Mexican taco flavours, with this simple-to-make recipe that the whole family will enjoy. Change up your next Taco Tuesday with this chicken Teriyaki taco alternative!

For more Mexican inspired recipes, try my taco potato casserole and taco boat quiches.

Tacos are a favourite in our household. We are always experimenting with different flavours and fillings to keep things new and exciting.

However, there are a few variations that we love enough to make over and over again. These chicken Teriyaki tacos are certainly one of those!

You won’t find guacamole and taco seasoning in this recipe.

Instead, enjoy the Asian-inspired flavours of Teriyaki chicken combined with a mayo slaw and you get a recipe that you will want to keep on a regular meal plan rotation! Not just on Tuesdays either! Check out these ideas for using leftover taco meat too.

Teriyaki Chicken Tacos

These teriyaki tacos are really simple to make if you want to keep your ingredients to a minimum. You can also jazz them up a little with extra flavours and ingredients too.

Their simplicity makes them a perfect weeknight dinner and one that you can easily make in larger portions if feeding a crowd.

Ingredients For the Teriyaki Chicken:

• Chicken thighs – You can substitute chicken thighs for chicken breast for this recipe. Both work just as well, however, I prefer to use diced chicken thighs. Dice your chicken up small so it cooks easily and quickly.
• Small tortillas – Use small, soft flour tortillas to make your tacos.
• Garlic – Fresh or crushed is fine. While fresh has the best flavour, we often use pre-crushed garlic for convenience at home. If using fresh cloves, use a garlic press to crush your garlic.
• Teriyaki sauce – Using a pre-made teriyaki marinade is an extra time-saver to make this recipe super quick and easy, however, if you do have a favourite homemade teriyaki sauce recipe, this is a perfect option!
• Soy sauce – I prefer to use a salt-reduced soy sauce but any will do.
• Sesame seeds – Not essential, but a nice extra texture to your teriyaki chicken.
• Olive oil – Used for cooking the chicken.

Ingredients For the Mayo Slaw Salad:

• Red and green cabbage – Slaw is typically made of a mix of different cabbages if you have them available. Chop cabbage into thin strips. If you are unable to get them individually, a pre-packaged bag of slaw mix works just as well!
• Carrot – Thinly sliced matchsticks or julienned carrots keep your vegetables crispier compared to grating them. You can do this manually or using a julienne tool.
• Mayonnaise & water – To create a simple salad dressing, all you need is mayonnaise and a few teaspoons of water to give it more of a dressing texture.
• Salt – For seasoning your salad.

Optional:

• Cucumber – An optional addition to your salad for extra crunch and flavour. The cucumber pairs well with the Asian flavours of the Teriyaki sauce.
• Coriander – Garnish your tacos with freshly chopped coriander. I love the flavours of coriander in Asian food recipes, but I know many people absolutely hate the smell and flavour of it so this one is definitely not for everyone!

How To Make The Teriyaki Chicken

We enjoy making these chicken teriyaki tacos for a quick weeknight meal, usually on days when the kids have after-school sports on, so we usually grab a bottle of pre-made teriyaki sauce. If you prefer to make your own, we have used this homemade teriyaki recipe a few times before it is great for getting those perfect chicken flavours!

STEP ONE – Dice chicken into 2cm pieces and set aside.

STEP TWO – Combine teriyaki sauce, soy sauce and sesame seeds in a bowl.

STEP THREE – Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a medium frying pan over high heat. Once the pan is hot, add chicken and cook for 5-6 minutes until browned, tossing frequently.

STEP FOUR – Add the teriyaki glaze to the pan and stir through. Your teriyaki glaze should thicken after a couple of minutes. Set chicken aside until ready to serve.

The printable recipe card with a FULL ingredients list and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of this post.

How To Make The Mayo Slaw

STEP ONE – Dice cabbage into strips and julienne carrots (cut into matchsticks).

STEP TWO – Add cabbage and carrot to a bowl and season with salt.

STEP THREE – Combine mayo with 2 teaspoons of water and mix. This will make the mayonnaise less thick and more like a salad dressing texture.

STEP FOUR – Toss salad with mayo dressing just before serving.

TO SERVE – Warm tortillas in the microwave for 10 seconds. Add to plates and top with teriyaki chicken, mayo slaw and any optional extras you want on top, such as diced cucumber and chopped coriander.

What To Serve With Teriyaki Tacos

We usually keep our chicken teriyaki tacos simple and have them on their own, however, if you wish to serve them as part of a larger meal, here are some ideas on what to serve them with:

• Rice
• Bean salad
• Sweet potato fries
• Corn on the cob or Mexican corn
• Corn chips

Find loads more taco side dish ideas and appetisers to add to your menu.