These Teriyaki Chicken Tacos are an Asian/Mexican fusion that seriously hit the spot. Plus they are very quick to make, taking under 30 minutes. With warm tortillas loaded with juicy teriyaki-glazed chicken, crisp and fresh thinly sliced green and purple cabbage, flavoursome green onions and creamy mayo, this is a simple dinner that delivers on flavour.
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We love taco night in our family because everyone gets to make their own. When the kids are more involved in making their dinner they are more likely to eat it, so tacos are a no-brainer. We put all of the elements on the table in seperate bowls and everyone helps themselves.
I’ve made this recipe based on my Gluten Free Teriyaki Sauce recipe, which I’ve also used in my Teriyaki Ground Turkey Rice Bowls and Teriyaki Beef Bowls.
What’s To Love About Chicken Teriyaki Tacos
- allergy friendly – this recipe is can easily be made gluten free. It is also dairy free, nut free and egg free, so suitable for anyone with these intolerances or allergies.
- delicious – this is a recipe that the whole family will love! But for the pickier eaters you can easily give them a deconstructed version and add some of their favourite vegetables.
- quick & easy – my teriyaki chicken tacos are so quick and easy to make, taking under 30 minutes from start to finish.
Ingredients Notes & Substitutions
You can find all of the ingredients you need from your local grocery store. Below I’ve listed everything you will need along with any notes and possible substitutions. You can find the full recipe in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- skinless chicken breasts – you can also use skinless chicken thighs or chicken tenderloins. Slice the chicken breasts into thin strips.
- extra virgin olive oil – olive oil is definitely my go-to oil for cooking and frying. It is one of the healthiest oils to cook with and provides healthy fats and antioxidants. You can use avocado oil or sesame oil in it’s place if you prefer.
- green cabbage – also known as white cabbage. You can swap for another crunchy vegetable like red bell pepper (capsicum), carrots or cucumbers.
- purple cabbage – also known as red cabbage. Feel free to use any of the substitutions listed for green cabbage.
- green onions – also known as spring onions. They can be swapped for coriander/cilantro, finely chopped red onion or even mint.
- homemade teriyaki sauce – to make my homemade teriyaki sauce you will need tamari or soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, corn starch, black pepper, garlic paste and ginger paste.
- tortillas – I’ve used gluten free flour tortillas but you can also use corn tortillas.
- mayonnaise – I’ve just used a plain mayonnaise but you could also use my Sriracaha Mayo or hot sauce for a little extra spice.
Optional Extras
I love these tacos just as they are but if you’re wanting to add something a little extra then here are some ideas.
- fresh lime wedges – squeeze lime juice over the tacos before eating.
- sesame seeds – sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds over the teriyaki chicken.
- chilli – add chilli flakes or finely chopped red chilli to the teriyaki chicken.
How to Make Teriyaki Chicken Tacos
To make these Teriyaki Chicken Tacos, first make the teriyaki sauce. Add the tamari, rice wine vinegar, honey, ginger paste, garlic paste, water and pepper into a small saucepan on a medium heat. Whisk the mixture and once the honey has completely dissolved, pour some of the mixture into a small bowl. Add the corn starch to the bowl and whisk until there are no lumps, to create a slurry. Pour the slurry back into the pan and whisk slowly to combine. As the sauce heats up it will start to thicken. Continue stirring until the teriyaki sauce is glossy and thicken enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and set aside.
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Prepare the vegetables. I like to use a mandolin to slice the cabbage to get ultra thin slices.
Next, heat the olive oil in a large skillet or frypan on a medium-high heat. Once hot, add about 5 pieces of chicken, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Fry until golden brown and then flip over to fry on the other side. Once both sides are golden and the chicken is cooked through, transfer to a clean plate or bowl. Repeat this step until all of the remaining chicken is cooked. I prefer to fry the chicken in batches so that it doesn’t overcrowd the pan and release too much liquid.
Once all of the chicken has been fried, add it all back into the pan along with the teriyaki sauce. Stir to coat evenly and fry until the sauce thickens even more, being careful not to burn. Remove from the heat.
While the chicken is cooking, prepare the tortillas. There’s a few ways you can do this. Either heat them up in the oven or the microwave or you can heat them up one at a time over direct heat. To heat by direct heat, place a medium sized frypan onto the stovetop on a medium-high heat. Add a single tortilla and heat on both sides. Transfer to a clean plate and repeat with remaining tortillas. If you have a gas stovetop you can carefully heat each tortilla over the direct flame. Just keep a close eye on them so they don’t catch alight!
To serve, add some thinly sliced green and purple cabbage to a tortilla. Top with teriyaki chicken, thinly sliced green onions and some mayo and eat warm.
Teriyaki Chicken Tacos
Equipment
- Sharp knife
- Chopping Board
- Mandolin optional
- large skillet
- Tongs
- Spatula
- Measuring Cups & Spoons
Ingredients
- 1 kilogram chicken breast, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Teriyaki Sauce
- 1/4 cup tamari
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger paste
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic paste
- Cracked black pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
To Serve:
- 1/4 head red cabbage, very thinly sliced
- 1/4 head white cabbage, very thinly sliced
- 3 spring onions, finely sliced
- 1/4 mayonnaise
- 12 tortillas, small
Instructions
- First, make the teriyaki sauce. To make the sauce add the tamari, honey, water, ginger, garlic, pepper and rice vinegar to a small saucepan. Whisk well to combine. Pour a small amount of the liquid into a small bowl and add the corn starch. Whisk well to combine until there are no lumps. Pour the slurry back into the sauce mixture. Turn the heat to low and gently warm the sauce, whisking slowly until it thickens slightly and the sauce is glossy. Turn off the heat and set aside.
- Prepare the vegetables. I like to use a mandolin to slice the cabbage to get very thin slices but this is optional.
- Add the olive oil to a large frying pan and bring to a medium heat. Once hot add about 1/3 of the chicken strips. Fry until golden on both sides and cooked through. Transfer to a large bowl or plate and cook the next batch of chicken, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Repeat this process until all of the chicken breast is fried. Return all of the cooked chicken back to the pan. Pour the teriyaki sauce over the cooked chicken and stir through, cooking until the sauce is nice and sticky.
- Heat up the tortillas – I like to heat each tortilla up over the open flame on my gas cooktop but they can also be heated in the microwave or oven, just follow packet instructions.
- To serve, top a heated tortilla with some red cabbage, white cabbage, spring onions, teriyaki chicken and a drizzle of mayonnaise.
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