This super simple chicken on a stick is asian-inspired with a teriyaki marinade. It's only 5 ingredients and cooks in less than 20 minutes, making it the perfect weeknight meal.
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What is chicken on a stick?
Chicken on a stick is exactly what it sounds like—pieces of BBQ'd or grilled chicken on a stick (skewer). Several countries have their own version of chicken on a stick, most notably China, where chicken on a stick is a popular street food. You can find Chinese Chicken on a Stick at most Chinese restaurants in the States. South Korea, Thailand, and Japan have their own versions of chicken on a stick (Dakkochi, Chicken Satay, and Yakitori, respectively).
Our version is asian-inspired, but is not authentic in any way—instead, we've tried to capture the general idea (grilled chicken on a stick), while using ingredients that are easy to find, simple, and fast.
Why We Love This Recipe
- It's easy and fast: The marinade is only 4 ingredients, and the chicken only takes about 15 minutes to cook. The hardest part is putting the chicken on the stick, and even my toddler could do that.
- It's delicious: This chicken is so flavorful, moist, and tender you'll have a hard time believing it was so easy.
- It's versatile: We like serving this chicken on a stick over rice, but it would also be good on a salad, with vegetables, or even over pasta. It has a versatile teriyaki flavor that would be good with anything.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Chicken breast tenderloins: Chicken breast tenderloins are sometimes cheaper than full breasts (our grocery store often runs sales), and they're the perfect size for skewers. If you'd rather buy regular chicken breasts, you could cut them into chunks or strips for the same effect.
Teriyaki sauce: We use store-bought teriyaki sauce to cut back on the number of ingredients needed for this recipe and speed things up a bit. We like Big Tree Farms Soy-Free Teriyaki sauce (I buy it at Sprouts) or Primal Kitchen Teriyaki Sauce, but you can use whatever brand is your favorite.
Honey: I like to sweeten the marinade slightly with some honey. Maple syrup is a good substitute.
Sriracha: Sriracha adds a little bit of kick to this chicken. It's not too much—our toddler will still eat it—but it's enough to keep things interesting. You can substitute your favorite hot sauce if you don't have sriracha.
Garlic: Fresh garlic works best here—don't substitute granulated garlic.
See recipe card for full ingredient list and amounts.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Add chicken, teriyaki sauce, honey, garlic, and sriracha to a gallon-sized baggie or mixing bowl with a lid. Shake or stir to combine all of the ingredients and make sure the chicken is completely submerged in the marinade. Place into the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
Step 2: If you're using wood skewers, soak them in water for about 30 minutes. Once you're ready to cook, heat your grill to 400°F. Brush your grill grates with oil.
Step 3: Thread the chicken onto the skewers lengthwise. I like to do one tenderloin per skewer so that people can easily choose how much chicken they want to eat, but if you'd rather put multiple tenders on each skewer, that's fine too.
Step 4: Place the skewers directly onto the grill grates. Cook for 7-8 minutes per side, flipping halfway, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
Side Pairings
Here are some sides that pair well with this chicken:
- Rice (coconut rice would be especially good!)
- Salad: We've been loving this kale peanut crunch salad from Pinch of Yum lately and I think this chicken on a stick would be great on top of it.
- Pasta: Ok, I know this sounds weird, but this teriyaki marinade is so versatile that this chicken tastes great on top of pasta. I especially love it with our garlic parmesan angel hair pasta.
- Vegetables: This chicken is great with roasted vegetables. We love it with sweet potatoes and broccoli.
Frequently asked questions
Yes! Follow the same instructions, but set your grill to high and try to avoid opening it before the chicken is ready to flip or take off (since pellet grills tend to lose heat more easily than traditional grills).
Yes! Follow the same instructions, but heat your grill pan over medium-high heat and cook the chicken for 4-5 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
Store the leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. To reheat, air fry at 400°F 4-5 minutes, or until warm. Alternatively, reheat on lightly oiled pan over medium heat until warm.
📖 Recipe
Chicken on a Stick
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
This super simple chicken on a stick is asian-inspired with a teriyaki marinade. It's only 5 ingredients and cooks in less than 20 minutes, making it the perfect weeknight meal.
Ingredients
2 pounds chicken breast tenderloins
1 cup store-bought teriyaki sauce
¼ cup honey
4 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup sriracha
Instructions
- Add chicken, teriyaki sauce, honey, garlic, and sriracha to a gallon-sized baggie or mixing bowl with a lid. Shake or stir to combine all of the ingredients and make sure the chicken is completely submerged in the marinade. Place into the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
- If you're using wood skewers, soak them in water for about 30 minutes. Once you're ready to cook, heat your grill to 400°F. Brush your grill grates with oil.
- Thread the chicken onto the skewers lengthwise. I like to do one tenderloin per skewer so that people can easily choose how much chicken they want to eat, but if you'd rather put multiple tenders on each skewer, that's fine too.
- Place the skewers directly onto the grill grates. Cook for 7-8 minutes per side, flipping halfway, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
Notes
Nutritional information is only an estimate.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: Asian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3-4 skewers
- Calories: 420
- Sugar: 29.5 g
- Sodium: 3149.6 mg
- Fat: 6.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 32.6 g
- Protein: 55.9 g
- Cholesterol: 165.5 mg
Rochelle says
So easy and delicious!
Michael says
Really good and worked great on a pellet grill!
Mike says
Kids loved this meal! Really easy prep with not a big mess afterwards.