Delicious marinated Teriyaki Chicken Skewers are grilled to perfection and finished with a delicious homemade teriyaki sauce and served alongside crispy, golden Baked Cauliflower Steaks for an easy and satisfying meal.
You’ll be surprised how easy it is to make your own teriyaki sauce, with just 4 ingredients, and you’ll never want to go out for teriyaki again.
To get this meal on the table all you have to do is mix up the sauce, thread the chicken onto the skewers and grill them in whatever way is easiest for you. I usually use a cast-iron grill pan on the stove or head outside to the gas grill.
You can bake the cauliflower at the same time and it’ll come out of the oven all crispy and tender, ready to to be drizzled with some of your teriyaki sauce. It’s a perfect accompaniment to the chicken.
Helpful Tips
- It’s not necessary to marinate the chicken ahead of time. That’s what makes this meal so quick and simple to make. All the flavor comes from basting the chicken with the sauce.
- If you’re using wooden skewers, be sure to soak them in water for at least 30 minutes before threading the chicken onto them. This will prevent the skewers from burning during grilling.
- While grilling the chicken skewers, baste them with teriyaki sauce to enhance the flavor and create a beautiful glaze. This will add a delicious caramelized finish to the chicken.
- Look for large, firm heads of cauliflower with tightly packed florets. The larger the head, the easier it will be to cut into full, thick steaks. Smaller heads may yield fewer or smaller slices, but they’ll still taste just as delicious.
- To get the best slices, start by cutting the cauliflower in half through the core. Then, cut 1″ thick slices from each half. The core helps hold the florets together, so don’t remove it before slicing. Any florets that fall off can be saved for another use, like roasting or adding to a salad.
- While this recipe uses a simple blend of paprika, garlic, salt, and pepper, you can easily customize the seasoning to suit your taste. Add a pinch of cayenne for extra heat, sprinkle with Parmesan before baking for a cheesy crust, or finish with a squeeze of lemon juice and fresh herbs for a burst of freshness.
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Teriyaki Chicken Skewers & Baked Cauliflower Steaks
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 1 pound (454 g) chicken thighs boneless skinless
- 3 tablespoons (44 ml) olive oil divided
- Salt & pepper for seasoning
- 1/4 cup (59 ml) soy sauce
- 1/4 cup (55 g) brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (59 ml) mirin
- 1/4 cup (59 ml) sake
- 12 bamboo skewers
- 1 green onion sliced
- 2 teaspoons (4 g) sesame seeds
For the cauliflower:
- 2 heads cauliflower
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) butter melted
- 1 teaspoon (2 g) paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) salt
- 1/2 teaspoon (1 g) black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon (1.5 g) garlic powder
- 1 green onion sliced
- 2 teaspoons (4 g) sesame seeds
Instructions
- Cut the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces. In a bowl, coat them with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Thread the chicken onto the skewers, not packing them too tightly.
- For the teriyaki sauce, heat soy sauce, brown sugar, mirin, and sake in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to the boil, then simmer on low for 3-4 minutes or until the sugar dissolves and the sauce thickens. Set aside.
- Slice the cauliflower into 3/4" slices. Center slices will stay together better. generally you can get about 3 steaks from one head. Keep the florets for another use.
- Put the remaining olive oil, paprika, salt, onion powder, and pepper in a bowl. Baste the cauliflower steaks and bake them in the oven on 425°F (220°C) for 25 minutes, flipping once during cooking. Baste with any remaining olive oil during cooking for an even crispier result.
- Cook the skewers on a grill pan or outside on the BBQ. Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Cook skewers for 2 minutes per side then start to baste them with the teriyaki sauce on both sides. Continue cooking and basting for 2 more minutes per side.
- Transfer skewers to a serving plate with the cauliflower. Top with spring onion and sesame seeds. Drizzle on more teriyaki sauce.
Equipment Needed
Notes
- It’s not necessary to marinate the chicken ahead of time. That’s what makes this meal so quick and simple to make. All the flavor comes from basting the chicken with the sauce.
- If you’re using wooden skewers, be sure to soak them in water for at least 30 minutes before threading the chicken onto them. This will prevent the skewers from burning during grilling.
- While grilling the chicken skewers, baste them with teriyaki sauce to enhance the flavor and create a beautiful glaze. This will add a delicious caramelized finish to the chicken.
- Look for large, firm heads of cauliflower with tightly packed florets. The larger the head, the easier it will be to cut into full, thick steaks. Smaller heads may yield fewer or smaller slices, but they’ll still taste just as delicious.
- To get the best slices, start by cutting the cauliflower in half through the core. Then, cut 1″ thick slices from each half. The core helps hold the florets together, so don’t remove it before slicing. Any florets that fall off can be saved for another use, like roasting or adding to a salad.
- While this recipe uses a simple blend of paprika, garlic, salt, and pepper, you can easily customize the seasoning to suit your taste. Add a pinch of cayenne for extra heat, sprinkle with Parmesan before baking for a cheesy crust, or finish with a squeeze of lemon juice and fresh herbs for a burst of freshness.
Nutrition
Store Bought Teriyaki Sauce Alternatives
While making your own sauce is the best option for this recipe, there are some excellent store-bought sauces available that can save you time. One of the best teriyaki sauce brands is Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki Marinade & Sauce. Other great options include La Choy Teriyaki Marinade and Panda Express Teriyaki Sauce. However, we don’t recommend Kikkoman Teriyaki Marinade as it is too thin and tastes more like soy sauce than teriyaki.
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Laura is a home cook, with 25 years experience behind the stove, who spends an extraordinary amount of time in the kitchen cooking. She loves making new recipes and finding wonderful new things to eat, both at home or abroad. She spends a lot of time researching, crafting, and perfecting her recipes.
This really is the perfect appetizer to take to a party.
Melt in your mouth delicious.
I made these last weekend ont he grill for my family bbq and I had to come back and say how great they were. I think this might be the best teriyaki sauce I’ve ever used.
For anyone who’s wondering, they are great even if you don’t make the teriyaki sauce yourself. I used a simple marinade from the store and I didn’t put the chicken on the skewers. It was really juicy and good.
I’m surprised no one’s mentioned making these in the air fryer. You can really get a good char on them and they’re done really quick.
A quick and tasty meal. Thanks
Glad you liked it JJ!