What to Serve with Teriyaki Chicken: 17 Side Dishes You’ll Want Now

Teriyaki sauce is the perfect marriage of salt, sweet, and the bright clarity of ginger. A touch of garlic adds a bit of depth and fragrance to this sauce.

Teriyaki might be the most popular Japanese-inspired taste around the world.

Where sweet and sour is bold and “in your face,” teriyaki is a gentler version. It’s more sweet and salty, with an undertone of earthiness from the soy sauce that is the base to this sauce.

Because of this sweet and salty combination, we keep coming back for more. Since chicken has itself a light flavor and easily soaks up marinades, this is a match made in heaven.

Sadly, man (or woman) cannot live on meat alone!

Well, maybe he could, but how boring.

And while chicken teriyaki is a great dish on its own, you want to pair it with flavors that will accent the subtleties of the teriyaki.

Deciding what to serve with teriyaki chicken and pairing your main dish with other wonderful fresh flavors like an asparagus appetizer or side, corn on the cob, and even mashed potatoes will work well every time.

While most people think that teriyaki sauce came from Japan, it is a strictly American invention.

Early Japanese immigrants to Hawaii combined their native soy sauce with local pineapple juice to make a sauce that would eventually be called teriyaki.

Today, jars like the popular Kikkoman teriyaki sauce, can be put on every type of meat, vegetables, and even mixed into starches.

While teriyaki sauce on chicken is a favorite, it’s worth trying on a burger, on pork, and even used as a salad dressing.

Side Dishes for Teriyaki Chicken: 17 Must-Try Options to Make Your Dish Sing

Here are 17 tasty sides that will pair extremely well with this complex main dish:

1. Asian Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing

Carrots, red pepper and celery! Oh, my! This “no leafy greens” salad has the oomph to pair up to our teriyaki chicken.

The pop of red onion and the freshness of cilantro or parsley pair amazingly well.

All of this before we even get started on the dressing which is a little earthy, with a wonderful balance of tart and sweet.

This side dish will make your taste buds “zing.”

Mention a salad to most people and they groan about having to eat more lettuce with ranch dressing.

This Asian salad gives your chicken teriyaki just the right twist. Be prepared to crave salads every day!

Kristen at the Endless Meal has created this fantastic Asian salad to tickle your tastebuds.

2. Warm Spinach Salad with Soy Vinaigrette

You can’t go wrong with a Martha Stewart recipe. It’s simple, yet the result is a complex of flavors. The cooked spinach is a great contrast to the dryness of the chicken.

Two different types of mushrooms will keep your tastebuds guessing. Carrots are added for a hint of sweetness.

The addition of the Dijon mustard puts spice in your mind and mouth.

Warm greens are part of the cuisines of most of the world, but many of us don’t eat wilted greens on a regular basis.

When you discover the deliciousness of a warm spinach salad, you’ll be putting everything in a pan and adding mushrooms to your salads.

This Warm Spinach Salad comes from Martha Stewart, a classic recipe from one of the country’s leading voices.

3. Spicy Edamame Crunch Salad

The texture and flavor of edamame works so well with teriyaki chicken. Mix that with quinoa, red cabbage, spinach, and carrots, and you have a party in your mouth.

The addition of sliced jalapeno will have your tastebuds begging you to go back to the chicken to cool them off.

Edamame is a Japanese classic that pairs well with the sweetness of teriyaki chicken.

Play with the optional garnishes to make this dish different each time.

This Edamame Salad was created by Stephanie at the Grateful Grazer and gifted to us for our dining excitement.

4. Sauteed Asparagus with Garlic and Oyster Sauce

Take the natural pungence of asparagus, the punch of garlic, and the fishy taste of oyster sauce, you have an amazing side dish.

Usually seen chopped in Asian dishes, these whole asparagus spears will look fantastic on the plate and taste even better.

Oyster sauce is a staple of Asian cooking and, in this dish, the light sweetness pulls the dish together.

The differences between oyster sauce and teriyaki sauce are vast enough that you’re eating two different sauces.

And, hey, who doesn’t love the delicious taste of a vegetable that looks a primordial tree?!?

Caroline at Pickled Plum gave us this new twist on Sauteed Asparagus. It’s awesome with everything, including teriyaki chicken.

5. Crispy Asian Brussels Sprouts

“Crispy” “Asian” “Brussel” “Sprouts” Just the name makes my mouth water.

The first person who discovered caramelized Brussels sprouts should be regarded as a culinary master, maybe even made a saint of deliciousness.

This recipe is perfect as a companion to teriyaki chicken.

The Asian garlic chili paste adds just enough heat to let you know you’re eating something fiery!

The crunch of Brussels sprouts is the right texture contrast, playing games in your mouth.

Even if you don’t love Brussels sprouts, you’ll enjoy this side dish.

Crispy Asian Brussels sprout have been taken to a whole new level by Kristen at Slender Kitchen. YUM!

6. Air Fryer Sesame Ginger Broccoli

Who loves broccoli? Not many of us, but it’s everywhere and we all eat it.

Well, we found a way to make this boring little tree into a fantastic side dish! Air fryers are the greatest invention since the TV remote. The broccoli comes out with a golden crispiness.

The miso adds an umami to the sauce that is wondrous!

It might take some time to find a great miso, but once you’ve put it on your broccoli, you’ll never eat broccoli the old way again.

Oooh! Tasty broccoli thanks to Urvashi at Two Sleevers. Broccoli get a whole new flavor profile.

7. Spicy Asian Green Beans

In 15 minutes, you can create a side dish that stands out form something as simple as fresh green beans!

Honey sweetness, the heat of red flakes, and the pungence of white vinegar combine to make a dish that peps up your chicken teriyaki.

If you’ve eaten a lot of chicken teriyaki, it might seem as boring as a hamburger.

This is one of the side dishes that will explode your palate and deliver so much flavor. Of course, you can control the heat by changing the amount of red pepper.

This is what to serve with teriyaki chicken.

Maya has created this delicious green beans recipe on her blog, Wicked Spatula. This is worth trying today.

8. Chinese Lo Mein

Big, chewy noodles stir-fried with vegetables and served with chicken teriyaki? Yes, please.

There is one danger: That your side dish may be more popular than your main dish.

In many Chinese restaurants, you’ll see lo mein listed, but often, it’s the protein, like chicken, that dominates the dish. With this dish, you can have one of the best side dishes that makes your main dish perfect for everyone.

This might be the perfect side dish when you’re feeding children. Lo mein is fun!

This will change how you see noodles. Tess from Tess Cooks 4 U has just changed your life!

9. Stir-Fried Eggplant, Potatoes, and Peppers

For many of us, eggplants is something you fry and cover with cheese and marinara sauce.  Others throw it into a food processor and make baba ganoush.

Here’s a new way to eat eggplant: Pan fried with potatoes, peppers, and lots of great spices, this is an eggplant dish that will turn that humble vegetable in the supermarket into the highlight of your chicken teriyaki dish.

Welcome to eggplant with a lot of taste and style!

This recipe is a team effort from Bill, Judy, Sarah, and Kaitlin at the Woks of Life. It takes a family to design a recipe this great.

10. Asian Corn on the Cob

When was the last time you had corn on the cob with something other than butter?

How about a corn on the cob that’s filled with delicious Asian flavors?

A little sweet, a little heat, a lot of amazing taste!

Put down a dish of teriyaki chicken with corn on the cob on the side and watch the faces of your guests.

It’s the perfect complement to your teriyaki chicken.

Asian corn on the cob from Tiffany over at Creme de la Crumb is the twist on a classic side dish that everyone needs. Go check it out!

11. Honey Ginger Roasted Carrots

Few things are as wondrous as the taste of a well-roasted carrot. Even with nothing added, roasted carrots are perfect.

Now let’s add honey, ginger, garlic, and soy sauce.

Yup! Don’t run to the grocery store just yet; you need to read the recipe and get ready to make your teriyaki chicken.

The carrots give an earthy taste to your dish.

You’re gonna love this.

Let’s Dish Recipes from Danelle is where we found this tasty, tasty recipe!

12. Fried Rice

We’ve all had fried rice from the Chinese restaurant, but most of us haven’t made it at home. That’s a shame.

With an onion, vegetables, and eggs, this is actually a complex dish with lots of texture and flavor.

When made fresh, fried rice is a dish that will have you hoping for leftover rice every day.

Put the teriyaki chicken on top of the rice or on the side and you’ll have a classic dish that will make your tastebuds tingle.

Alyssa, the Recipe Critic, did more than critique this fried rice recipe; she made it better and delivered awesomeness!

13. Sesame Soba Noodles

Soba noodles are buckwheat noodles that are a Japanese classic.

This dish is the right side for your teriyaki chicken.

Green onion, soy sauce, and sesame seeds combine to take these earthy noodles to a whole new level.

One ingredient, sesame oil is a surprise for anyone who’s never used it. Sesame oil adds a nuttiness to this dish that will make you dance.

Just don’t eat it all before you get it to the dinner table.

Soba noodles are the perfect side dish when you use Heidi’s recipe from the Foodie Crush.

14. Bok Choy with Soy Sauce and Lemon

Bok choy, a delicious Asian named leafy green that is so wonderfully traditional.

With its fresh taste and crunch, it’s the perfect dish for your teriyaki chicken.

In this video, you’ll learn to cook a simple bok choy dish that will add a new aspect to your teriyaki chicken: lemon.

The acidity of lemon brightens up your meal and creates a whole new depth and style to the dish.

This is truly a treasure. Bok choy with Soy sauce and lemon. DEEElicious.

15. Sesame Garlic Basmati Rice

Sesame oil shows up again here with fragrant and toothsome basmati rice. This is a wonderful, mild side dish.

The flavor profile is an extension of the teriyaki sauce, but will cut the sweetness a bit.

The addition of butter is a stroke of genius.

Where many dishes like to use this oil, butter adds that slight fattiness that completes the flavor of the rice.

Wonderful, tasty, and perfect with your chicken teriyaki to create a dining experience your guests will be talking about for months.

It’s the simplicity of the dish that makes it ideal.

Sesame Garlic Basmati Rice from Pam at For the Love of Cooking will turn teriyaki chicken into teri-yummy chicken. (See what we did there? LOL)

16. Miso Mashed Potatoes

Sorry, grandma, but we’re doing something different with mashed potatoes.

Miso! That’s right. Miso hungry! Sorry, I had to. 🙂

Miso is fermented soybean with salt and other ingredients. When added to the earthiness of potatoes, this is definitely one of our favorite choices for teriyaki chicke sides.

Not only is it great with chicken teriyaki, but it’s even great with Thanksgiving turkey.

Try this and you’ll never eat your chicken teri with white rice again.

When you say mashed potatoes, everyone yawns. Say Miso Mashed Potatoes  from Jaden at Steamy Kitchen and watch everyone perk right up!

17. Grilled Fruit Skewers

And now for something completely different: grilled fruit skewers.

Grilling fruit isn’t something you do at most tailgate parties, but these skewers add a freshness and brightness to your chicken teriyaki dish.

The skewers will add a playfulness.

If you want to make it all work together, you can add the cooked chicken to the skewers, making this one of the best grilled teriyaki chicken side dishes.

Plan on smiling until your face hurts!

The TailGate Master, Scott, delivers this outstanding Grilled Fruits Skewers recipe for tailgating and every day!

What to Serve with Teriyaki Chicken: Go for the Extras

Pairing with teriyaki chicken is easy. The sauce is so good with almost everything that you can pair it lots and lots of foods. Here’s some more of side dishes for teriyaki chicken.

Teriyaki chicken and salad

Mixing teriyaki sauce with a little tahini and some sesame seeds will give you a creamy salad dressing that’s dairy free and adds a lot of earthiness to your green salad.

In fact, tahini, ground sesame seeds that looks a bit like peanut butter, is always a great pairing with teriyaki.

Nope, it isn’t just for falafel!

For example, a simple drizzle of tahini over your teriyaki chicken can change the flavor from the traditional sweetness of the sauce to a slightly creamy, earthy dish.

Wine for your Teriyaki Chicken

When you sit down to your teriyaki chicken dinner with the amazing side dish that you chose from the list above, pair your wine well.

The best wines will be a slightly dry white wine. Chardonnay might be good, but a Sauvignon blanc is ideal. The dry, bright flavor of the wine will draw out the flavors of the food, especially the teriyaki sauce.

You might also enjoy a clean red wine, like an Australian Shiraz that cuts the sweetness. I know. “Red wine with chicken?” Well, rules were meant to be broken and wine makes breaking them even easier.

Beer and Teriyaki Chicken? Yes, please.

Beer goes with everything, right? Teriyaki chicken is no different. Start with a light pilsner, clean and refreshing. This helps to clean your palate of the sugar from the teriyaki chicken.

For the more daring, you might try a dark beer like a porter. The bitterness of the beer will pair incredibly well with garlic of the teriyaki sauce.

Skewered Teriyaki Chicken

The traditional teriyaki chicken is chopped chicken on a plate, but you can also make skewer them serve as teriyaki chicken kabobs.

The process is simple: Rather than chopping the chicken small pieces, leave it as longer strips. Skewer it and grill it, brushing it with teriyaki sauce.

With all of these side dishes, you can serve these skewers. It turns an otherwise “common” dinner into a fun and playful serving.

Get Nutty with your Teriyaki Chicken

The sweetness of teriyaki is wonderful with nuts and/or seeds. The rich earthiness of things like toasted sesame seeds, cashews, or walnuts are a perfect complement to this classic dish.

You can simply sprinkle sesame seeds on your chicken or add nuts to the top of the whole dish, side dishes and teriyaki chicken together.

Guaranteed this will add a whole new flavor profile to an already amazing dish!

Orange you loving Teriyaki Chicken

A sprinkle of mandarin oranges can add freshness to your teriyaki chicken, with a little bit of acid to boot.

Teriyaki chicken is one of the world’s great classic dishes. It deserves accompaniments that make it even better, adding taste, texture, and a variety of deliciousness.

Take these ideas for what to serve with teriyaki chicken and make your meal unforgettably awesome!