This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.
Set it and forget it with this super easy lime infused slow cooker teriyaki chicken!! This Paleo and Gluten Free dinner will become a new favorite easy weeknight meal. Plus, it’s a perfect match for my 10-minute Easy Rice.
It’s baseball season around here which means the whole family is out of the house from 4:30-7:00 almost every night! Slow cooker recipes to the rescue! There is no other way for me to get real food on the table for dinner time without the slow cooker or my Instant Pot. We use it at least 2 days per week, sometimes more, and on the other days enjoy leftovers.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Slow cooker hero – I love a good slow cooker recipe! The flavor infuses SO well in a crockpot, and I love that it doesn’t heat up the kitchen like the oven.
- Leftovers for days – Is there anything better than slow cooker leftovers? The chicken stays so nice and juicy, and it’s perfect for salads, wraps, stir fries, anything you want!
- Set it and forget it – I am sure many of you have days similar to mine. This lime teriyaki chicken is SUPER DUPER simple for those busy weeknights. It really only takes a few minutes to whisk together the marinade and pour over the chicken. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. That’s it!
Serve with your favorite vegetables over a salad, rice, or maybe with my Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice. For some greens, make a salad for a side. Edamame ginger salad or a fresh cucumber and tomato salad would be perfect!
Can You Make This Teriyaki Lime Chicken In The Instant Pot?
Yes! You can make this in your Instant Pot if you are short on time. The biggest difference is you will quickly saute your onions prior to adding the chicken and sauce. Add everything to the pot and cook for seven minutes for the easiest and fastest shredded chicken!
Ingredients
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Two cloves garlic
- White onion
- Grated ginger
- Tamari soy sauce or coconut aminos
- Apple cider vinegar
- Lime juice
- Lime zest
- Honey
- Tomato paste
- Crushed red pepper
- Arrowroot starch
Variations and Substitutions
I almost always naturally sweeten my dishes with honey instead of using refined sugar. I love the way honey also adds a sticky and thicker texture to this dish while adding sweetness to balance out the savory. You can use sugar instead, but if you have honey, it is the BEST way to go.
Your homemade teriyaki sauce will have a runny texture that unless you use a thickening agent. I use arrowroot starch to thicken the dish, but you are welcome to leave it thinner or you could use a tablespoon cornstarch slurry instead.
If you have boneless skinless chicken thighs, you can use those instead of breasts. For more heat, feel free to add in more spices. Another teaspoon of crushed red pepper, some chili powder, or cayenne would all be delicious for a smoky, spicy addition!
How to Make Slow Cooker Lime Teriyaki Chicken
Place the chicken breasts in your slow cooker. Whisk together the remaining ingredients, except for the arrowroot, in a small bowl. Pour the marinade over chicken. Cook on low for 4-5 hours.
After it is done cooking, add arrowroot and water, and mix into sauce to help it thicken.
Shred chicken with a fork. Then serve over rice, cauliflower rice, quinoa, or in a salad. Garnish with optional cilantro, sesame seeds, and green onion.
Freezing and Storage
What makes this crock pot teriyaki chicken recipe even better is that it is an incredible freezer meal. Store your slow cooker chicken in a freezer bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you are ready to enjoy, remove it from the freezer and allow it to thaw for a day in the refrigerator.
You can reheat on the stovetop in a small saucepan or in the microwave until warmed through.
Slow Cooker or Instant Pot Lime Teriyaki Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken breast
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1/2 cup chopped white onion
- 2 tbsp. freshly grated ginger
- 1/2 cup Tamari soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 tbsp. lime zest
- 1/3 cup honey
- 2 tbsp. tomato paste
- 2 tsp crushed red pepper, optional
- 2 tbsp arrowroot starch (mix with 2 tbsp water
Instructions
- For your Slow Cooker:
- Place the chicken in your slow cooker.
- Whisk together the remaining ingredients (not the arrowroot) in a small bowl.
- Pour marinade over chicken.
- Cook on low for 4-6 hours
- Add arrowroot and water, and mix into sauce. Let thicken.
- Shred chicken with a fork.
- Serve over rice, cauliflower rice, quinoa, or in a salad. Garnish with optional cilantro and green onion.
- For your Instant Pot:
- Select the saute function on your Instant Pot. Once hot, add a bit of oil to cover the bottom of the pot. Saute onions for 2-3 minutes, select cancel.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together sauce ingredients: garlic, ginger, coconut aminos, vinegar, lime, lime zest, honey, tomato paste, and red pepper flakes if using,
- Place chicken inside your Instant Pot on top of onion. Pour sauce on top of chicken. Secure the lid and select the manual function. Cook for 7 minutes. Once cooking is complete, use a quick release. Be sure that all steam is released before opening your Instant Pot.
- Open the lid, add arrowroot/water mixture. Stir and let thicken for a few extra minutes.
- Shred chicken and serve over rice, cauliflower rice, quinoa, or salad.
Hi Amy! I’m excited to try this recipe. Can you detail the sautéing or oven roasting modifications if I have neither a crock pot or instant cooker? 🙂
Love your recipes. Out kitchen is being remodeled. I am relying on crock pot and instant pot for dinners. Thank you
You are welcome!
Made this the other night in the slow cooker and turned out delicious! I used low sodium soy sauce and less honey (because I ran out lol). We served it over rice and broccoli and my family loved it!
I forgot to give it 5 stars!!
Such a winner! And so easy to make too. The sauce was really flavorful. My whole family loved it. Thanks for the recipe!
You are welcome, Liane! Glad you loved it!
Slow Cooker Lime Teriyaki Chicken. The description says cook on high 4-6 hours, but the recipe instructions says low 4-6 hours. This sounds like a good recipe to try. Thanks!
It’s low for 4-6 hours. Hope you love it!
This recipe is delicious! These are all staple ingredients so its an easy weeknight quick dinner. Thank you!
So glad you loved it! You’re welcome!
This is one of our go-to meals! Relatively easy and so yummy! Have you ever tried prepping it ahead and freezing it? (I’m trying to make some freezer meals for some family and I know they would enjoy this one!)
I just love your lime cilantro cauliflower rice! And am excited to try other recipes of yours. This one looks awesome. I have a whole host of food sensitivities though including any kind of sweetener. Do you think this would work without adding the honey?I will already be substituting the vinegar with lemon/lime juice.
I’m getting hooked on your website. I made this last night and everyone loved. We put the chicken over briefly sauteed zoodles. Delish! Next time I will not use so much honey, however. I used coconut aminos and find that in and of itself already sweet so next time I’ll use about half the honey. I’ve never been on a site where so many recipes match my taste so I’m going to keep trying them, one by one. Husband is Paleo so that’s what brought me here.
Thank you,
Lynn
Thank you, Lynn!! I’m so glad you are enjoying the recipes!
Sorry Amy but this was the first flop I’ve made from your blog. I will.confess, however, that I didn’t want to use 1/2 cup.of honey (too expensive an ingredient to use a 1/2 cup!), so I substituted brown sugar instead. The girls complained, rather loudly, that it was way too sweet. Can you tell me if it was because I substituted the brown sugar 1:1? Not sure if I’ll try this one again…but seriously am loving everything else,so thank you!
Oh bummer! Brown sugar is definitely sweeter than honey and adds a different taste. In this one, you would probably need to half the brown sugar to only 1/4 cup or 1/3 to match the soy sauce measurements. I hear ya on honey being expensive! We go through so much around here that I buy it in bulk.
Thanks Amy! I’ll try it again and let you know…Terry thought it had ‘potential’ :).