Chicken teriyaki rolls combine the tangy flavor of chicken teriyaki with all the flavors and textures of a sushi roll. This combination makes for a delightful sushi that’s easy to make and delicious to eat. It’s also a less intimidating sushi roll for those hesitant to eat raw fish as everything in this roll is cooked.
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What is a Chicken Teriyaki Roll?
Chicken teriyaki rolls contain strips of teriyaki chicken, a combination of vegetables, and sushi rice all wrapped in a seaweed wrapper called a nori sheet. I use thinly cut carrot strips lightly cooked in teriyaki sauce and a stick of raw cucumber as the vegetables in this roll. I usually prepare chicken teriyaki rolls as maki rolls (where the filling and rice are both on the inside of the nori sheet) as I think it looks a bit cleaner. However, uramaki (rice on the outside of the nori sheet and fillings on the inside) chicken teriyaki rolls are delicious as well.
The key to delicious chicken teriyaki is a great teriyaki sauce. I prefer to make my own teriyaki sauce and use it in all my chicken teriyaki dishes. If you don’t have time to make your own sauce, there are several types of teriyaki sauce available (including gluten-free versions) in your local grocery store.
How to Control the Thickness of Your Rolls
You can control how thick your sushi rolls are by how much of the nori sheet you use. I use an entire nori sheet for chicken teriyaki rolls as I like to pack them with fillings. This also makes for thicker rolls.
If you like smaller rolls that are easier to eat with chopsticks you can use 3/4 or 1/2 of the nori sheet. However, you would have to adjust the fillings accordingly.
How to Make Chicken Teriyaki Rolls
Chicken teriyaki rolls are simple to make with most of the work going into preparing your chicken teriyaki strips. Below are step-by-step instructions on how to prepare chicken teriyaki rolls:
Cook Sushi Rice
1. Rinse 1 1/3 cups of sushi rice by placing it into a colander and running water through it until the water is clear.
2. After the rice is rinsed, add it to a sauce pan with 1 2/3 cups of water. (Be sure to check the instructions on the sushi rice package as the amount of water to be added can vary slightly depending on the brand of rice).
3. Bring the water to a boil and then reduce the heat to low. Cover and let the rice simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the water is absorbed and the rice is soft.
4. Remove the rice from the pan and place it into a bowl or dish and let cool. I would line the dish with parchment paper prior to adding the rice to avoid sticking.
5. Mix 1/4 cup of sushi vinegar into your rice. Stir until it has absorbed into the rice. Once cooled and fully absorbed, your rice is ready to roll!
Slice Your Carrot
1. Peel and slice the carrot into thin strips that are as long as your nori sheet is wide. This will allow them to easily fit into the sushi roll. Place the cut strips aside to be used later.
Prepare the Chicken Teriyaki Strips
1. Heat one tablespoon of avocado or vegetable oil on a skillet on medium heat. Make sure you swirl the oil around the pan to assure the entire bottom is covered.
2. Slice the chicken breast the long way into strips that are around 1/2 inch (1.5 cm) wide.
3. Place as many chicken strips as will fit in a single row on the skillet and cook for around two minutes. Season lightly with salt as the first side is cooking.
4. After two minutes, flip the chicken and add 1/4 a cup of teriyaki sauce. Use a spoon to continually cover the chicken with the teriyaki sauce for around 1-2 minutes, or until your chicken is fully cooked and coated in a thick glaze of teriyaki sauce. Your teriyaki sauce will quickly thicken as it cooks.
5. Remove the chicken strips from the pan and place aside to be used in your sushi roll.
Cook the Carrot Strips
1. Add the carrot strips into the same skillet that you cooked your chicken and keep the skillet on medium heat.
2. Cook the carrots in the remaining teriyaki sauce and chicken bits for around two minutes. If needed, you can add another tablespoon of teriyaki sauce to keep the carrots moist. This will help to season your carrot strips and soften them slightly before being used in your sushi roll.
3. After cooking for a couple minutes, remove from the heat and place aside to be used in the roll later.
Assemble the Chicken Teriyaki Rolls
1. Cover your bamboo sushi mat with plastic wrap. This will help keep the rice from sticking to it.
2. Cut the cucumber into thin strips that are as long as your nori sheet is wide.
3. Next, place the nori sheet onto the plastic wrap with the shiny side facing down. Then press around a cup of rice onto the nori sheet in an even layer leaving around an inch (2 cm) of the top of the nori sheet without rice as this will help seal the roll. Tip: Combine a bowl of water and a splash of rice vinegar and use to wet your hands prior to handling the sushi rice. This will prevent the rice from sticking to your hands.
3. Place a one to two pieces of chicken across the nori sheet in a row making sure to have an even layer of chicken across the nori sheet so each piece of the sushi will have roughly the same amount of chicken.
4. Add two to three of the cooked carrot strips to the nori sheet along with one to two of your cucumber strips, depending on how well everything fits.
5. Wet the part of the nori sheet that does not contain rice. Starting at the side of the nori sheet with rice, use the bamboo sushi mat to fold your roll until it’s completely enclosed. Once the nori is making contact with the rice, pull back the sushi mat so it doesn’t get caught in the sushi. Still using the sushi mat as your guide, finish rolling until the roll is completely wrapped. Then wrap the sushi mat around the roll and gently press, tightening the roll together. Keep in mind that rolling sushi is an art that may take some practice so don’t get frustrated if it doesn’t look perfect your first time. It will get easier the more you do it.
6. Using a sharp knife, cut the roll into 8 pieces. I do this by first cutting the roll in half. Then cutting each half in half. Then cutting each fourth in half. Tip: Be sure to clean and wet the edge of your knife before cutting each roll.
7. Serve with a ramekin of teriyaki sauce and enjoy!
Chicken Teriyaki Roll Recipe
Chicken Teriyaki Roll Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Bamboo Sushi Mat
- 1 Pot for cooking sushi rice
- 1 Sauce Pot for Cooking Teriyaki Sauce
- 1 Skillet for Cooking Chicken
- 1 Sharp knife and cutting board
Ingredients
Sushi Rice
- 1 1/3 cups Sushi Rice dried, will cook to 4 cups
- 1/4 cup Sushi Vinegar
Sushi Roll
- 4 Nori Sheets
- 8 oz. Chicken cut into strips
- 1 Carrot
- 1 Cucumber
- 1 Cup Teriyaki Sauce
Instructions
Cook Sushi Rice
- Rinse 1 1/3 cups of sushi rice by placing it into a colander and running water through it until the water is clear.
- After the rice is rinsed, add it to a sauce pan with 1 2/3 cups of water. (Be sure to check the instructions on the sushi rice package as the amount of water to be added can vary slightly depending on the brand of rice).
- Bring the water to a boil and then reduce the heat to low. Cover and let the rice simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the water is absorbed and the rice is soft.
- Remove the rice from the pan and place it into a bowl or dish and let cool. I would line the dish with parchment paper prior to adding the rice to avoid sticking.
- Mix 1/4 cup of sushi vinegar into your rice. Stir until it has absorbed into the rice. Once cooled and fully absorbed, your rice is ready to roll!
Slice Your Carrot
- Peel and slice the carrot into thin strips that are as long as your nori sheet is wide. This will allow them to easily fit into the sushi roll. Place the cut strips aside to be used later.
Prepare the Chicken Teriyaki Strips
- Heat 1 tablespoon of avocado or vegetable oil on a skillet on medium heat. Make sure you swirl the oil around the pan to assure the entire bottom is covered.
- Slice the chicken breast the long way into strips that are around 1/2 inch (1.5 cm) wide.
- Place as many chicken strips as will fit in a single row on the skillet and cook for around two minutes. Season lightly with salt as the first side is cooking.
- After two minutes, flip the chicken and add 1/4 a cup of teriyaki sauce. Use a spoon to continually cover the chicken with the teriyaki sauce for around 1-2 minutes, or until your chicken is fully cooked and coated in a thick glaze of teriyaki sauce. Your teriyaki sauce will quickly thicken as it cooks.
- Remove the chicken strips from the pan and place aside to be used in your sushi roll
Cook the Carrot Strips
- Add the carrot strips to the same skillet that you cooked your chicken and keep the skillet on medium heat.
- Cook the carrots in the remaining teriyaki sauce and chicken bits for around two minutes. If needed, you can add another tablespoon of teriyaki sauce to keep the carrots moist. This will help to season your carrot strips and soften them slightly before being used in your sushi roll.
- After cooking for a couple minutes, remove from the heat and place aside to be used in the roll later.
Assemble the Chicken Teriyaki Rolls
- Cover your bamboo sushi mat with plastic wrap. This will help keep the rice from sticking to it.
- Cut the cucumber into thin strips that are as long as your nori sheet is wide.
- Next, place the nori sheet onto the plastic wrap with the shiny side facing down. Then press around a cup of rice onto the nori sheet in an even layer leaving around an inch (2 cm) of the top of the nori sheet without rice as this will help seal the roll. Tip: Combine a bowl of water and a splash of rice vinegar and use to wet your hands prior to handling the sushi rice. This will prevent the rice from sticking to your hands.
- Place a one to two pieces of chicken across the rice on your nori sheet in a row making sure to have an even layer of chicken across the nori sheet so each piece of the sushi will have roughly the same amount of chicken.
- Add two to three of the cooked carrot strips to the rice on the nori sheet along with one to two of your cucumber strips, depending on how well everything fits.
- Wet the part of the nori sheet that does not contain rice. Starting at the side of the nori sheet with rice, use the bamboo sushi mat to fold your roll until it's completely enclosed. Once the nori is making contact with the rice, pull back the sushi mat so it doesn't get caught in the sushi. Still using the sushi mat as your guide, finish rolling until the roll is completely wrapped. Then wrap the sushi mat around the roll and gently press, tightening the roll together.Keep in mind that rolling sushi is an art that may take some practice so don’t get frustrated if it doesn’t look perfect your first time. It will get easier the more you do it.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the roll into 8 pieces. I do this by first cutting the roll in half. Then cutting each half in half. Then cutting each fourth in half. Tip: Be sure to clean and wet the edge of your knife before cutting each roll.
- Serve with a ramekin of teriyaki sauce and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Are chicken teriyaki rolls gluten-free?
Typically, chicken teriyaki contains gluten as the teriyaki sauce often contains gluten. However, you can either make or purchase a gluten-free teriyaki sauce. All other ingredients in chicken teriyaki rolls are naturally gluten-free.
Are chicken teriyaki rolls healthy?
Yes. Chicken teriyaki is fairly healthy as long as you don’t go too heavy on the teriyaki sauce. Chicken teriyaki rolls also contain avocado and carrots, which are healthy vegetables.
Are chicken teriyaki rolls eaten in Japan?
No. While chicken teriyaki is a popular flavor commonly associated with Japanese cuisine, it was actually invented by Japanese-American immigrants in the United States and is not commonly eaten in Japan.
Final Thoughts on Chicken Teriyaki Rolls
Chicken teriyaki rolls are a fun spin on chicken teriyaki and taste great! I hope you enjoy these unique rolls as much as my family does! Happy cooking!
For more fun recipes, check out the below articles:
Cucumber Roll (Kappa Maki) Recipe
Crunchy Salmon Skin Roll Recipe
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