This Honey Teriyaki Chicken recipe is certain to bring your family running to the table. It features chicken drumsticks that are smothered with an Asian-inspired teriyaki marinade then basted with a sweet homemade honey teriyaki glaze just before serving. It’s better than take out and goes easy on the grocery budget, too.

Ingredients to Make Honey Teriyaki Chicken Recipe

While we love our meat and potatoes, to keep my budget on track, I often find myself preparing chicken, which tends to frequently go on sale. This makes it especially suited for budget friendly meals the whole family will love. This honey teriyaki chicken is delicious serve with rice or riced cauliflower or any of your favorite stir fry veggies and savory side dishes. Ingredients to make baked Honey Teriyaki Chicken Recipe: (Scroll down for full printable recipe card.)

Chicken – Four pounds of skin-on chicken drumsticks.
Teriyaki Marinade – 1 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
Sugar – Brown sugar adds sweetness and caramelizes on the skin of the chicken.
Fresh Garlic – Minced garlic adds earthy notes to the marinade.
Seasonings – One teaspoon ground ginger and one teaspoon of red pepper flakes for spice.
Oil – Sesame oil adds depth of flavor and authenticity.
Honey Teriyaki Sauce (Glaze): One cup teriyaki sauce forms the base.
Honey – Honey for sweetness.
Sugar – Light brown sugar adds color and caramelization of the chicken.
Onion – Two green onions for a mild onion flavor.
Seasonings – Fresh minced garlic, ground ginger and red pepper flakes.
Sesame Seeds – Toasted sesame seeds for garnishing.

How to Make the Best Honey Teriyaki Chicken Drumsticks

Prep Chicken – Skin on chicken drumsticks. Place into a shallow dish.
Make Honey Teriyaki Marinade – Whisk together teriyaki sauce, brown sugar, fresh garlic, ground ginger, green onions, sesame oil and crushed red pepper flakes. Pour over the chicken.
Marinate the Chicken Overnight – Cover chicken with plastic wrap and chill.
Make Honey Teriyaki Sauce – Stir together teriyaki sauce, honey, light brown sugar, green onions, fresh garlic, ground ginger, crushed red pepper flakes. This can be done in advance and chilled until you need it for glazing the chicken.
Oven – Bake: Place onto a broiler pan or oven safe grill pan sprayed with cooking spray. Baker per the recipe.
Garnish and Serve – Toasted sesame seeds. You can toast sesame seeds in a non stick skillet over medium heat on the stovetop in seconds. Sprinkle these on top just before serving.

Tips for Making Honey Teriyaki Chicken

Kitchen Tools You’ll Need: A medium bowl, whisk, sharp knife and cutting board, a grill pan or a broiler pan, or you could use a pan covered with heavy duty foil sprayed with cooking spray, measuring cups and spoons.
Shortcut Tip: If you’d like to take a shortcut, you could purchase a premade Asian marinade to save time. Since the marinade and glaze feature similar ingredients, if you go with the same flavor profile it will work together.
Homemade Teriyaki Sauce: Can I make my own teriyaki sauce? Yes, you can! See my recipe for Homemade Teriyaki Sauce here.
How Do I Make a Honey Glaze Thicker? You can thicken the honey teriyaki sauce using a cornstarch slurry. Dissolve 1 tablespoon cornstarch in cold water and stir it into the sauce. Repeat until it thickens to your liking.
Toast Your Own Sesame Seeds: Toasted sesame seeds can usually be found on the spice aisle with the other seasonings. You could make your own if you have sesame seeds on hand. To toast the sesame seeds, simply place them into a non stick skillet over medium heat. Toast in the pan while stirring until lightly golden and fragrant.
When to Serve Teriyaki Chicken: Serve this chicken for weeknight family dinners, homemade Asian takeout night at home, picnics and entertaining.

Recipe Variations

Teriyaki Sauce Substitution: In a pinch, you could use low-sodium soy sauce in place of teriyaki sauce.
Protein: You could adapt this recipe using chicken thighs or chicken wings. Should you choose to make boneless skinless chicken breasts the cooking time will be reduced.

Storage and Leftovers

Leftovers: Store Baked Honey Teriyaki Chicken leftovers in an airtight container chilled in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheating: You can enjoy cold or gently reheat for a couple of minutes in an air fryer or microwave.
Freezer: You can freeze this chicken in the marinade prior to cooking for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge and cook per the recipe.

Easy Side Dishes to Serve with Honey Teriyaki Chicken

Naturally, when it come to Asian inspired entrees my mind goes to rice.

Panko Parmesan Roasted Sugar Snap Peas.
This Teriyaki Rice Pilaf with Mushrooms and Peas goes so well with teriyaki chicken, Teriyaki Steak Bites or even roasted Pork Tenderloin.
Asian Slaw made with cabbage for added crunch.
Asian Ramen Noodle Broccoli Slaw is a stellar option.
You could also use more classic side dishes such as Buttermilk Ranch Mashed Potatoes or Crockpot Mac and Cheese.
Asian Green Beans from The Wholesome Dish.

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