Low Carb Keto Japanese Teriyaki Chicken Recipe

This Keto Teriyaki Chicken recipe can easily be made in the comfort of your own home! These juicy chicken thighs and vegetables are stir fried in a sweet and sticky homemade Japanese teriyaki sauce that’s completely sugar free, starch free and gluten free!

The Best Japanese Teriyaki Chicken Recipe

Sweet and sticky, just like it should be: my sugar free teriyaki sauce is the best way to make Japanese teriyaki chicken! You can use it as a marinade, as a stir fry sauce or simply brush it over protein or vegetables to bake and you have one super healthy Japanese inspired meal!

You can also use the leftover low carb teriyaki sauce to make different teriyaki flavoured dishes.  You could make teriyaki chicken wings in the oven, air fryer or slow cooker by simply pouring the sauce all over and baking.  Or even baking some teriyaki salmon in the oven and make yourself a healthy lunch?

My Japanese Teriyaki Chicken Stir Fry Recipe

The authentic way to make Japanese teriyaki chicken is actually to just grill a chicken thigh and coat with a simple teriyaki sauce.  Vegetables are usually not added and it’s usually never stir fried.

We actually prefer to add vegetables to our teriyaki chicken recipe so that it can be a balanced meal by itself with the perfect amount of carbohydrates, protein and fat.

It can also be served as a great side dish and it’s a great meal prep recipe to have on hand for work.

Can I make this stir fry sauce without soy?

If you can’t have soy for diet or allergy reasons, you can always make a coconut aminos teriyaki sauce. Instead of soy sauce, you would simply switch it for [easyazon_link identifier=”B019QR8MQQ” locale=”US” tag=”mypcoskitchen-20″]coconut aminos[/easyazon_link].

Not that the carb count will go up significantly as one teaspoon of coconut aminos has 1g of carb and I use ½ cup (24 tsp) in this Japanese teriyaki chicken recipe.

What about the Soy Options?

If you can eat soy, then you have the option to either use soy sauce or [easyazon_link identifier=”B002LMC300″ locale=”US” tag=”mypcoskitchen-20″]liquid aminos[/easyazon_link].  Either tamari soy sauce or normal soy sauce would add 8g of carbs, liquid aminos would add 2.4g of carbs, and coconut aminos would add 24g of carbs to the entire dish.

But is Soy Keto?

Technically any ingredient can be keto, including soy.  Ketosis is a metabolic state that is achieved by restraining carbohydrates, usually less than 50g per day. Ketosis can be achieved no matter the ingredient you eat.  Whether you eat a bowl of rice, a few tablespoons of sugar or some wheat pasta during the day, you could still reach ketosis as long as the amount of carbs you ate were under 50g.

Soybeans are naturally low in carbs and are widely used in Asian countries.  Moreover, all low carb and ketogenic friendly doctors, books and blogs use and recommend soy products (fermented and unfermented) on a daily basis here in Japan. Since we live in Japan, we personally eat fermented soybean products all the time.

Note that if you can, make sure to use organic soy sauce, or organic tamari (the gluten free kind of soy sauce) to make sure that the soybeans you ingest are non-GMO. If you do decided to use soy sauce for this recipe, I recommend using [easyazon_link identifier=”B0052OOUE6″ locale=”US” tag=”mypcoskitchen-20″]Eden’s Food Organic Tamari[/easyazon_link] or [easyazon_link identifier=”B000QVDSUM” locale=”US” tag=”mypcoskitchen-20″]Bragg’s Liquid Aminos[/easyazon_link] as they both use non-GMO soybeans.

How can I make my Teriyaki Sauce Sticky without Cornstarch?

This teriyaki sauce recipe does not use any starches to skip the added carbs. Instead, it uses a little bit of xanthan gum to thicken everything up. I recommend using the xanthan gum from either [easyazon_link identifier=”B0013JJZWG” locale=”US” tag=”mypcoskitchen-20″]Bob’s Red Mill[/easyazon_link] or [easyazon_link identifier=”B0014UH7J2″ locale=”US” tag=”mypcoskitchen-20″]NOW[/easyazon_link].

If you do not feel comfortable using xanthan gum, you can use tapioca starch or arrowroot flour and make a slurry.  Note that this will add some carbs to the recipe.  1 tablespoon of arrowroot would add 7g of carbs and 1 tablespoon of tapioca starch would add 9g of carbs.

Best Sweeteners for a Sugar Free Teriyaki Sauce

I recommend using a bulky sweetener like erythritol or xylitol when making this teriyaki sauce as a non-bulky sweetener like stevia or monk fruit extract would leave a bad aftertaste.

I prefer using blends made with either erythritol and stevia or erythritol and monk fruit.  I recommend either using the [easyazon_link identifier=”B01LDNBC86″ locale=”US” tag=”mypcoskitchen-20″]Lakanto golden[/easyazon_link] sweetener or the [easyazon_link identifier=”B06XDGJYHT” locale=”US” tag=”mypcoskitchen-20″]Sukin Gold[/easyazon_link] sweetener when making this sugar free teriyaki sauce.

Xylitol will work just as nice, but since I have a Chihuahua I prefer not to use it in my house as she tends to lick all the floors and furniture. Xylitol is highly lethal to dogs and just ¼ tsp could kill her.

If you do not have any problems eating sugar, then you can switch the sweetener for either coconut sugar or maple sugar.

What Low Carb Vegetables Can you Add to Teriyaki Chicken?

A teriyaki chicken stir fry is a great way to get your carbs in and not just protein and fat.  Here are some low carb vegetables you could add to your own teriyaki chicken stir fry!

• Long Green Onions (Welsh Onions)
• Green Onions
• Carrots
• Onions
• Bell Peppers
• Green Pepper
• Broccoli
• Romanesco
• Lotus Root
• Mushrooms (Shiitake, giant oyster mushroom, shimeji)
• Zucchini
• Summer Squash
• Garlic
• Bok Choy
• Asparagus
• Snap Peas
• Garlic Stems

How to Make Low Carb Teriyaki Chicken

The secret to making this low carb teriyaki chicken stir fry is to cook all of the ingredients separately.  Only at the end, when your vegetables and chicken are ready, should you add the teriyaki sauce and mix everything together.

The reason is that because this sugar free teriyaki sauce does not contain any sugar or starches, it doesn’t simmer down as well in terms of taste.  It’s much better to add it after every ingredient has been cooked.

Marinate the chicken thighs

The first thing you’ll want to do is cut your chicken thighs into generous bite size pieces.  Place them in a bowl and pour half the teriyaki sauce over.  Mix well together and let marinate for a good 30 minutes.

Pan Fry your Vegetables

Your first step will be to cut and fry all of your vegetables in your oil of choice.  I used sesame oil for its fragrance and delicious flavours, but you are free to use any type of oil you want. I recommend using either olive oil, avocado oil, ghee, butter, or coconut oil.

Once all of your vegetables have cooked through, temporarily move them to a bowl and you’ll start cooking your chicken thighs.

Cook Your Chicken Thighs on Low Heat

The secret to getting juicy and tender pieces of chicken is to cook the chicken thigh pieces on low heat without covering with a lid.  I personally don’t like the flavours of hard grilled meat with teriyaki sauce. I think everything should stay tender, juicy and sticky, which is why cooking your meat on low heat is absolutely necessary!

Add your chicken thighs to a large frying pan or wok and spread them out all over. Make sure to not crowd the pan too much as you want your thighs to cook evenly.

You’ll cook the thighs 4-5 minutes on each side until they’re mostly cooked through.

Add your Vegetables & Teriyaki Sauce

Turn up the heat to high, add all of the vegetables you had previously pan fried and cover with the remaining teriyaki sauce.  Stir fry everything until the sauce starts to thicken and stick to the ingredients.

Once that happens, turn off the heat, sprinkle in the sesame seeds and cover with the sliced green onions.

Your homemade teriyaki chicken stir fry is then ready to serve.

You can either serve this low carb teriyaki chicken with some cauliflower rice or you could make an asian wrap with these gluten free tortillas.

 

Final Tips Recap

Before making this easy Japanese teriyaki chicken, read through the following tips to make sure you have the best tasting keto teriyaki recipe out there!

• Cook your vegetables and chicken separately and only add the teriyaki sauce to the frying pan once they’ve finished cooking.
• Cook your chicken thighs on low heat to make sure they stay tender and juicy.
• Instead of tamari soy sauce, you can use liquid aminos or coconut aminos.  Note using coconut aminos will add lots of carbs to your dish.
• Instead of xanthan gum, you can use arrowroot starch or tapioca starch.  Note using any of these will also add carbs to your dish.
• You can use any vegetables in this stir fry. Here are some ideas:
  • Long green onions, green onions, carrots, onions, bell peppers, green peppers, broccoli, romanesco, lotus root, mushrooms, zucchini, summer squash, garlic, bok choy, asparagus, snap peas or garlic stems.