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What’s the secret to making restaurant-quality hibachi at home? A hot griddle and a little prep work!

Hibachi, literally “fire bowl”, is a traditional Japanese charcoal cooking device with a grate. In America, the hibachi food we love is typically prepared on an electric or gas flat top grill (or griddle).

With this cooking technique, everything happens quickly — like with stir fry recipes — so it’s best to measure and prep all the ingredients before you even turn on the heat.

Special equipment

ingredients for hibachi chicken on a wooden tray on a table.

Key ingredients & substitutions for Hibachi Chicken

  • Chicken — A pound of boneless, skinless chicken breasts will make four servings. If you prefer dark meat, use boneless, skinless chicken thighs.
  • Oil — Because you’re cooking on high heat, use oil with a high smoke point like vegetable or canola oil, which also have a neutral flavor. Sunflower seed and avocado oils also have a high smoke point and are suitable for cooking on high heat.
  • Sesame oil — Just a few drops adds the distinct sesame flavor found in many Asian dishes.
  • Fresh garlic and ginger — Along with onions, these aromatics are the base for a delicious final outcome!
  • Soy sauce — Soy sauce adds a lot of flavor, but is also loaded with sodium, so be careful if adding more salt to the dish. I always purchase healthier low-sodium soy sauce and feel it is just as flavorful.
  • Veggies — Onion, of course, plus zucchini, mushrooms, and broccoli round out the dish. You could toss in julienned carrots, bean sprouts or even bok choy, if you like.

What our readers have to say…

“Made this tonight!! It was amazing! Thank you for the recipe!” — Elizabeth

How to make hibachi chicken and vegetables

STEP 1 | Prep the ingredients

The dish comes together so quickly that you’ll want to practice mise en place — the French term for measuring and gathering all the ingredients needed ahead of time. Peel and mince garlic cloves, grate fresh ginger, and cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes.

Next, prep the vegetables. Cut mushrooms in half, cut the onion and bell pepper into strips, and cut the zucchini into bâtonnets.

tip

  • Bâtonnets – Is a French vegetable cut that resembles little sticks, or batons. To cut a bâtonnet, first cut off the ends of the zucchini, then slice along the sides to square it off into a rectangle. Cut horizontally to make 1/4-inch planks, then cut each plank into 1/4-inch sticks.

Now that the vegetables are ready, assemble them on a tray along with squeeze bottles filled with oil and soy sauce, sesame oil, black pepper, and butter — and place it near the griddle so you’ll have what you need at your fingertips as you prepare the food.

preparing hibachi chicken on a blackstone griddle and adding soy sauce from a squirt bottle.

STEP 2 | Sear the chicken

Preheat the griddle to medium high heat and warm the vegetable oil and sesame oil. Add the minced garlic and grated ginger and cook until fragrant, being careful not to burn the garlic.

Immediately add the chicken and sear on the hot griddle, turning frequently, until light golden brown and smelling delicious.

Use a squirt bottle to add soy sauce, then add a pat of butter. Stir until well coated. Use your long spatula to push the chicken to the side of the griddle in an area with lower heat to keep it warm.

The chicken is looking good, so let’s move on to the veggies!

STEP 3 | Sauté the vegetables

Again, warm up a bit of vegetable oil and sesame oil. You’ll want to add the vegetables in order based on which ones will require more time for cooking.

Let’s start with the broccoli and sauté it for 3 or 4 minutes. Next, add the onion and bell peppers — now the aroma is really irresistible!

Add the mushrooms and zucchini last, along with a pat of butter and soy sauce. Cook and stir all this together until the vegetables are just tender — you don’t want the zucchini getting mushy!

STEP 4 | Serve

Use two long-handled spatulas to scoop up and transfer the chicken and vegetables to a large platter. Gather everyone around the table and dig in! Oh, and don’t forget the yum yum sauce for dipping!

Must-Have Griddle Accessories

Cooking on a griddle is so much easier and more efficient if you have the right tools, and this kit has it all!

  • 2 over-sized griddle spatulas
  • 1 chopper/scraper
  • 2 squeeze bottles
  • cleaning brush
blakstone griddle accessories


close up shot of hibachi chicken and vegetables on a platter.

Looking for more Asian-inspired recipes?

This easy orange chicken stir fry, and my chicken meatballs with honey garlic sauce are family favorites. I have a yummy chicken fried rice recipe, too!

Frequently asked questions

I don’t have a gas griddle, can I still make hibachi at home?

You may need to cook in batches, but you can use a large skillet over the stove instead.

Can I use this recipe with beef?

Absolutely! Beef tenderloin tips are great for hibachi cooking, but any tender, lean cut of beef steak will do.

Is hibachi chicken recipe gluten free?

All the ingredients in this recipe are naturally gluten free with the exception of soy sauce, which often contain soy and wheat. If you have a gluten intolerance, be sure to look for a gluten free soy sauce or use coconut aminos as a substitute.

hibachi chicken and vegetables on a white plate with a small container of yum yum sauce on the side on a table.

Serving suggestions

Steam a big bowl of white rice (my favorite is jasmine rice) ahead of time and ladle hibachi chicken and vegetables on top. And don’t forget to make a bowl of yum yum sauce ahead of time, too.

Since the griddle is still hot, you could easily stir fry up a batch of hibachi rice with a couple of beaten eggs, scallions, soy sauce, and butter.

Or, to keep this meal low carb, skip the rice and yum yum sauce altogether — it’s still amazingly delicious!

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close up shot of hibachi chicken and vegetables on a platter with a serving spoon on the side.

Hibachi Chicken & Vegetables

Hibachi chicken served with sautéed vegetables and Yum Yum sauce is every bit as flavorful as an expensive Japanese steakhouse meal!
4.04 from 281 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Chicken
Cuisine Japanese
Servings 4 servings
Calories 458 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients
  

Hibachi Chicken

  • 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken, cut into cubes
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Hibachi vegetables

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • ½ teaspoon sesame oil
  • ½ large white onion cut into strips
  • 2 small zucchini cut into strips
  • 1 cup mushrooms halved
  • 1 cup broccoli florets
  • ½ large bell pepper cut into strips
  • ½ tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions
 

Chicken

  • Preheat the griddle to medium high heat and warm the vegetable oil and sesame oil. Add the minced garlic and grated ginger and cook until fragrant, being careful not to burn the garlic.
  • Immediately add the chicken and sear, turning frequently, until light golden brown. Add the soy sauce and butter, stirring until well coated.
  • Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Vegetables

  • Again, add vegetable oil and sesame oil to the griddle and heat until warm.
  • Add the broccoli and sauté for 3 – 4 minutes, until crisp tender. Then, add the onion and bell peppers and cook for 3 – 4 minutes.
  • Last, add the mushrooms, zucchini, butter, and soy sauce. Add a few grinds of black pepper.
  • Cook and stir until the vegetables are just tender.

Notes

  • You may need to cook in batches, but you may also use a large skillet over the stove instead of griddle cooking.
  • All the ingredients in this recipe are naturally gluten free with the exception of soy sauce, which often contain soy and wheat. If you have a gluten intolerance, be sure to look for a gluten free soy sauce or use coconut aminos as a substitute.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 458kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 37gFat: 29gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 19gCholesterol: 120mgSodium: 600mgFiber: 4gSugar: 4g

Life Love and Good Food does not claim to be a registered dietician or nutritionist. Nutritional information shared on this site is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.

Keyword asian, chicken, flat top grill, griddle, hibachi, how to make hibachi chicken, Vegetables
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was.
Sheila Thigpen, blogger

About Sheila Thigpen

Recipe Developer, Food Photographer, Food Writer

Sheila Thigpen is the publisher of Life, Love, and Good Food — a Southern food blog — and the author of Easy Chicken Cookbook and The 5-Ingredient Fresh and Easy Cookbook. After 20+ years in the publishing industry, she retired in 2018 to focus on her own creative endeavors full time. She and her husband live near the beautiful Smoky Mountains and have a precious little granddaughter who has stolen their hearts. As an influencer, Sheila has collaborated with brands like Creamette, Kroger, HERSHEY’S, Hamilton Beach, Garafalo Pasta, OXO, Smithfield, Valley Fig Growers, and more.

9 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This was my first time making this let alone my second dinner on the new griddle. It was GREAT, loved by all except the 2 year old. No changes or additions are needed, just used the garden veggies we had at home. We will definitely make this again and incorporate steak and chicken next time, and hopefully I will get better using the griddle.

  2. 5 stars
    Made this and let me say OH MY GOODNESS!! It was so good. I did make a few changes, only because I didn’t have sesame oil, I used rice vinegar and a splash of teriyaki sauce. This will definitely be on my dinner rotation!!!

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