Hawaiian Teriyaki Chicken Sandwich (& the BEST Teriyaki Sauce)

This Hawaiian teriyaki chicken recipe is made right on the griddle with a PERFECT teriyaki sauce! Serve the grilled Hawaiian chicken breasts on a brioche bun with grilled pineapple and red onion for a restaurant-quality sandwich on the griddle!

A while back, we made an authentic Hawaiian teriyaki sauce that put all other bottled teriyaki sauces to shame. A family from Hawaii had shared their authentic teriyaki recipe with us, and we made this awesome Hawaiian beef teriyaki on the griddle.

We loved the homemade sauce so much that we decided to make a few small tweaks and try it with griddle chicken breasts, and the result was flavor-packed perfection! Whether you just serve the teriyaki chicken breasts over a bed of rice or alongside some griddle broccoli, or you add the glazed chicken to a brioche bun, you won’t be disappointed!

So don your apron, gather your ingredients, and get ready for an AMAZING twist on the classic teriyaki chicken sandwich:

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Ingredients for the Best Hawaiian Teriyaki Chicken Sandwich

Here’s what you need to replicate this awesome griddle sandwich recipe:

The Chicken and Sandwich Toppings

I used boneless skinless chicken breasts for my teriyaki sandwich, but you can also use boneless skinless chicken thighs if you prefer. The thighs are much more forgiving if you’re new to griddle cooking, because they have a higher fat content and are much less prone to drying out if you accidentally overcook them.

You will also need fresh pineapple slices and slices of raw onion. I used red onion for a pop of color, but yellow or white onion would work as well. When you cook the onion on the griddle, the natural sweetness comes out, so no need to use a sweet onion variety like Vidalia.

Here are some other topping ideas for your Hawaiian teriyaki chicken sandwich:

• thinly sliced purple cabbage
• leaf lettuce
• mayonnaise
• siracha or other hot sauce

The Homemade Teriyaki Sauce

Before I give you the ingredients for the teriyaki sauce, keep in mind that this is an authentic recipe from a family in Hawaii… Hawaiian teriyaki was actually created before pineapples were brought to the islands, so you’ll notice that this recipe does not include those typical ingredients that many people would assume go into a teriyaki sauce. No pineapple juice or brown sugar in sight.

Here’s what you need:

• soy sauce
• mirin – A Japanese cooking wine with a sweet and tangy flavor.
• granulated sugar
• minced ginger – I prefer to use this squeeze bottle of ginger for most of my Asian-inspired recipes. This prepped ginger is super convenient, and it’s one of my “staple ingredients” that I always have in my fridge.
• minced garlic
• hot sauce – I prefer to use siracha for this teriyaki sauce recipe.

How to Make Hawaiian Teriyaki Chicken Sandwiches on the Griddle

Making the Teriyaki Sauce

The first step to crafting this delicious sandwich is to start cooking the teriyaki sauce. The ingredients will need time to reduce to a glaze consistency, so the sauce can be cooking while you prepare the other teriyaki sandwich ingredients.

Just place a large skillet on the heated griddle surface (or on the stovetop), and add all of the teriyaki sauce ingredients like this:

Continue to cook the sauce on the hotter side of the griddle, stirring occasionally. Just keep an eye on it… You don’t want the sauce to get away from you and start reducing too quickly. After about 5-7 minutes, depending on the temp of your griddle surface, the sauce will start to foam up a bit like this:

Once the teriyaki sauce starts to bubble up a lot like this, continue to cook for a few more minutes, and then move the skillet to a cooler side of the griddle, or remove it from the heat completely.

Remember, your teriyaki will thicken up as it cools down.

Grilling the Pineapple and Onion

While the teriyaki sauce is reducing, go ahead and start cooking the red onion slices. The onions will take longer to grill than the pineapple slices, so place them on the griddle first.

I left the red onion slices whole (see the photo above) instead of breaking them up into individual rings, because I wanted more of a “bite” to balance out the sweetness from the teriyaki and pineapple. It may seem like a lot of onion to add to one sandwich, but the flavor is mellowed down quite a bit when you cook it. Of course, if you prefer, you can sauté sliced or diced onions instead.

Just add a squirt of your favorite cooking oil to the griddle surface, and spread it around a bit with your spatula. Place the onion “medallions” in the oil and season with a little salt. I wanted my onions to get a good char on them, so I added a weighted press on top of the slices as well. When the onions have developed a nice color on the first side, carefully flip them to the second side and continue to cook until done.

For the pineapple rings, just add a sprinkle of sugar on one side of each ring, and then place the rings down on the griddle to caramelize. Once the first side has some good color, flip to the second side and cook another few minutes until done.

Cooking the Chicken Breasts on the Griddle

Cooking griddle chicken breasts is incredibly easy to do, as long as you have an instant read probe thermometer.

Just cut the boneless skinless chicken breasts in half and pound out any thicker areas so that the breasts cook evenly on the griddle. I prefer to cut the breasts in half instead of butterflying them and cutting them in half lengthwise, because then the chicken is the perfect size to fit on a sandwich bun.

Then, just sprinkle both sides of the breasts with a bit of salt and pepper, add about 1-2 tablespoons of your favorite cooking oil to the heated griddle surface, and place the chicken on the flat top grill to cook like this:

Allow the chicken breasts to cook on the first side untouched for about 3-5 minutes, depending on the temperature of your griddle and how thin your pieces are. Then, flip to the second side and cook an additional 3-5 minutes before you start temping each breast to check for doneness.

Remember, the chicken breasts will cook at different times on the griddle based on their sizes and the temperature zones of your particular flat top grill, so be sure to insert the probe thermometer into the thickest part of each piece of chicken. As the chicken pieces reach 165 degrees F, remove them from the griddle to rest.

As the chicken is cooking, go ahead and toast the brioche buns on the griddle as well.

Building the Ultimate Hawaiian Teriyaki Chicken Sandwich

While the cooked chicken is still hot, immediately add the breasts to the skillet with the teriyaki sauce and coat them in that Hawaiian goodness like this:

Then it’s time to build your Hawaiian teriyaki chicken sandwich!

Add the teriyaki chicken breast to the bottom side of the toasted bun, top with the grilled pineapple and onion slices and the top bun, and then you’re ready to enjoy this awesome griddle chicken sandwich! You can also add a bit of siracha for a little spice to balance out the sweetness of the other ingredients.

If you are looking for an excellent Hawaiian teriyaki sauce, this is it right here! Even just with the chicken and the teriyaki glaze… no bun or sandwich toppings needed! In fact, my wife couldn’t stop dipping the chicken breasts directly in the skillet with the sauce and eating it just like that.

Other Teriyaki Griddle Recipes

If you loved this teriyaki chicken sandwich, then be sure to check out some of our other recipes that use a homemade teriyaki sauce:

• Hawaiian Beef Teriyaki on the Griddle (Authentic and Easy!) – This Hawaiian beef is packed full of flavor and super easy to make on your griddle!

• Hibachi Chicken on the Griddle (Easy Blackstone Hibachi Recipe) – This chicken teriyaki recipe is very similar to the griddle chicken that you get from your favorite Japanese steakhouse… another great version of a teriyaki sauce that you can make right on the Blackstone grill!