Rice Cooker Teriyaki Chicken Rice

Looking for a delicious and effortless meal that practically cooks itself? My Rice Cooker Teriyaki Chicken Rice is your answer! This recipe is perfect for busy weeknights when you crave something flavourful and comforting without the fuss.

Teriyaki Chicken Rice is a wholesome one-pot dish where marinated chicken, fluffy rice, and sweet corn are infused with a homemade teriyaki sauce—all cooked together in a rice cooker. It’s a complete meal that’s both satisfying and wholesome!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Easy Preparation: Layer ingredients in your rice cooker, set it, and forget it—perfect for busy days.
• Customizable: Add your favourite vegetables or adjust the seasonings to suit your taste.
• Marinated Chicken: Tender chicken marinated in soy sauce, honey, garlic, and ginger adds rich flavor to every bite.
• Homemade Teriyaki Sauce: Skip the store-bought for a fresher, tastier sauce that elevates the dish.

Key Ingredients for Rice Cooker Teriyaki Rice

• Rice: The base of the dish is rice! Use short-grain rice to keep this more Japanese, but I’m using brown rice here for added fibre. Feel free to use white rice.
• Boneless Chicken: The main protein here is chicken breasts, diced. Chicken thighs work too for extra richness!
• Teriyaki Seasoning: The chicken marinade is a simple combination of soy sauce, honey, garlic, and ginger. I use my go-to ginger and garlic paste for this recipe.
• Sweet Corn: Adds sweetness and texture to the dish. You can also use other vegetables of choice for added nutrition.

The Teriyaki Sauce

You can use store-bought versions, but here I’m making the sauce from scratch since it’s so easy, and I have the ingredients out to season the chicken and rice anyway… yes – with the exception of an additional couple of ingredients, it’s the absolute same!

Note that the recipe below is a non-alcoholic version of the sauce. Authentic teriyaki sauce uses mirin and sake. I included a dash of rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar, to add that hint of fermentation that would otherwise be provided by the sake and mirin.

Combine all of the ingredients in a sauce pan and place over medium heat. Stir to combine until sugar has dissolved. Continue to simmer until it has thicken slightly. To thicken it further, combine cornstarch with water to create a slurry. Stir it in until the sauce thickens, before turning off the heat.

What Rice Cooker To Use?

The secret to the ease and success of this dish is… the rice cooker. In this recipe, we are layering all the ingredients in the rice cooker to create a one-pot meal that is both convenient and flavourful. I love that the rice cooker takes care of the cooking process, so I can spend my time doing other important things – like catching up on that latest Netflix show.

As with this recipe and all other rice cooker recipes on the blog – ANY rice cooker will work! Of course, I love my ultra-reliable Zojirushi:

• Zojirushi NS-ZCC10 Neuro Fuzzy Cooker
• Zojirushi NS-ZAQ10 Micom Fuzzy Logic (the exact one I purchased – this is the same as the model above; it’s labelled differently in Singapore/Southeast Asia. This is a ‘Made in Japan’ model.)

Key Steps to Making Rice Cooker Teriyaki Rice

1. Marinate Chicken

• In a bowl, add chicken pieces.
• Combine soy sauce, honey, vinegar, salt, pepper, minced garlic, and grated ginger. Coat well.
• Set aside while you prepare the rice.

2. Prepare Rice

• Rinse the rice under water until the water runs clear. Place the rinsed rice in the rice cooker pot (if you did not wash your rice in the pot in the first place!) and add enough water according to your rice cooker’s instructions.

3. Layer Ingredients

• Place the marinated chicken pieces over the rice in an even layer. Pour any remaining marinade from the bowl over the chicken and rice.
• Add sweet corn on top.

4. Cook!

• Close the rice cooker lid and cook at regular rice setting (or brown rice setting, if that’s what you have opted for!)
• Let it cook until the rice cooker automatically switches to “keep warm” mode.

5. Prepare Teriyaki Sauce

• In a small saucepan, combine water or stock, soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, garlic paste, and ginger paste. Add optional rice or apple cider vinegar if using.
• Bring to a simmer over medium heat, continuously stirring. Once sauce thickens to a glossy consistency, turn off the heat.

6. Finish and Serve

• Once cooked, fluff the rice and chicken gently with a rice paddle.

• Before serving, drizzle on the teriyaki sauce, and kewpie mayo, if desired. Garnish with chopped green onions, roasted seaweed, or sesame seeds for added flavour. Enjoy!

How to Serve

• Serve hot, with a drizzle of teriyaki sauce, and kewpie mayo, if desired. Garnish with chopped green onions, roasted seaweed or sesame seeds for added flavour and texture.
• Pair with a side of steamed vegetables or vegetable stir fry for a more complete meal.

Storing and Reheating Instructions:

Store

Cool leftovers completely before storing them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Reheat

Microwave with a splash of water or reheat in a pan with a drizzle of oil for best results.

More Recipes Like This

• Rice Cooker Japanese Curry Pasta
• Beef Bulgogi Gyudon
• Rice Cooker Oyakodon