Trader Joe’s Soyaki Tacos
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Trader Joe’s Soyaki Tacos fuses a Mexican delicacy we all know and love with Asian flavors for a tasty combination. Topped with cole slaw, furikake seasoning, and green onions, these chicken tacos will become a staple in your weekly dinner rotation!
I love Trader Joe’s for my weekly grocery runs. They are constantly rotating seasonal products, so I find something new every time I shop and I make so many new recipes using only Trader Joe’s ingredients. I showcase all of my Trader Joe’s recipes on Instagram, so I’m excited to finally share one of my favorites here on the blog!
Looking for more taco recipes? Give these Blackened Salmon Tacos a try next.
What is Trader Joe’s soyaki?
Trader Joe’s soyaki sauce is a teriyaki sauce that is unique to Trader Joe’s and can’t be found elsewhere. This sauce can be used as a marinade or glaze for any meats and vegetables, or even a dipping sauce. It’s great in stir fry recipes and one of my favorite sauces from Trader Joe’s.
It’s a blend of sauces that come together to form a flavorful marinade that is slightly salty and sweet in flavor. The sauce isn’t spicy, but you’ll definitely taste the aromatic flavors of the spices that come together to create this sauce.
Is soyaki the same as soy sauce?
No. Soyaki not fermented like soy sauce is, though soyaki does contain soy sauce. Trader Joe’s Soyaki is their version of a teriyaki sauce, but it does not contain sake or mirin, which are two key ingredients in most traditional teriyaki sauces.
Soy sauce contains a lot more sodium, while soyaki has added ingredients that make it slightly sweeter and more flavorful. The primary components of Trader Joe’s soyaki are soy sauce, cane sugar, garlic puree, soybean oil, sesame oil, ginger puree, white vinegar, and other spices.
Trader Joe’s soyaki Tacos recipe
This recipe is broken down into three sections: the filling, the cole slaw, and the toppings. This may seem like a lot of ingredients, but it’s so easy to find all of them at your local Trader Joe’s. Trust me, the final product will be worth it!
Trader Joe’s soyaki: this unique teriyaki sauce really brings so much flavor to the chicken we will be adding to the tacos.
Chicken breasts: boneless, skinless chicken breasts are preferred here, as they will shred more easily.
Cole slaw: you’ll need cole slaw mix, sour cream, sriracha, red wine vinegar, and granulated sugar for this tasty homemade Mexican-Asian fusion of cole slaw.
Flour tortillas: you can also use corn tortillas or any law carb tortillas if needed, but I prefer flour tortillas because they hold up well when dipping in the sauce and searing in the pan.
Toppings: you will need mozzarella cheese and will be grating it with a cheese grater it rather than buying it pre-shredded. Cheese that is pre-shredded doesn’t melt as quickly. If the tortillas stay in the pan for too long they will burn, so we need cheese that is going to melt quick.
Furikake is a staple in Asian food, giving it a slight nutty flavor from the sesame seeds mixed in. Green onions just add a nice, final touch. You can also garnish with hot sauce or sriracha and any other fresh herbs you desire.
How to make soyaki chicken tacos
1. Cook the chicken. Place the chicken breasts in the slow cooker with the soyaki sauce. Set the slow cooker to cook on low for 4 hours.
2. Make the sriracha slaw. About 30 minutes before the chicken is finished cooking, make the sriracha slaw. Combine the sour cream, sriracha, red wine vinegar, and sugar in a medium sized mixing bowl. Then add the cole slaw mix and toss until fully coated.
3. Shred the chicken. When the chicken is finished cooking, transfer from the slow cooker to a plate and shred with two forks. You can also shred the chicken using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
4. Assemble the tacos. Heat a cast iron pan on medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Working in batches, dip the tortillas in the leftover soyaki sauce in the slow cooker to coat both sides. Then place them in the hot pan and top with shredded mozzarella and chicken. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the bottom of the tacos begin to char.
5. Garnish and serve. Transfer the tacos to a serving plate and top with the cole slaw mixture, furikake seasoning, and sliced green onion. Serve with a small bowl of soyaki sauce from the slow cooker for dipping.
Can you leave chicken in the slow cooker too long?
Overcooking chicken in the slow cooker is definitely possible. Cooking the chicken for four hours on low is just enough to give you tender chicken that will shred easily. You can turn the slow cooker on warm if you aren’t ready to eat when it’s finished, but I don’t recommend leaving it in there for more than an hour.
Alternatively, you can make this recipe ahead of time if needed. Place the chicken in a glass storage container when it’s done cooking and store it in the refrigerator. When you are ready to eat, simply microwave the chicken for 1-2 minutes to warm it up a bit and continue heating it in the pan when assembling the tacos.
How to make this recipe ahead of time
This is an easy recipe to make ahead! Just cook the chicken in the slow cooker as directed, place the chicken in a glass storage container when it’s done cooking and store it in the refrigerator. Store the remaining sauce from the slow cooker in a separate container in the fridge as well.
When you are ready to eat, hydrate the chicken before microwaving by adding some of the premade sauce to it. The cole slaw may be best when fresh, but you can make it ahead and store it in the fridge if necessary. Once the chicken is warmed up, you can continue assembling the tacos as per the instructions below and finish by adding cole slaw and toppings.
Sauce recipes for tacos
More easy recipes to try
- Fish Taco Slaw
- Air Fryer Bang Bang Shrimp
- Cilantro Lime Spicy Shrimp Tacos
- Maryland Crab Cakes
- Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos
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Slow Cooker Trader Joe’s Soyaki Tacos
Equipment
Ingredients
- 16 ounces Trader Joe's Soyaki
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 3 tablespoons sour cream
- 1 tablespoon sriracha
- 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 16 ounces cole slaw mix
- 12 flour tortillas
- 16 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
- furikake seasoning
- 1/4 cup sliced green onion
Instructions
- Place the chicken breasts in the slow cooker with the soyaki sauce. Set the slow cooker to cook on low for 4 hours.
- About 30 minutes before the chicken is finished cooking, shred the mozzarella cheese using a cheese grater and make the slaw. Combine the sour cream, sriracha, red wine vinegar, and sugar in a medium sized mixing bowl. Then add the cole slaw mix and toss until fully coated.
- When the chicken is finished cooking, transfer from the slow cooker to a plate and shred with two forks.
- Heat a cast iron pan on medium heat.
- Working in batches, coat both sides of the tortillas in the soyaki from the slow cooker, then place them in the hot pan and top with shredded mozzarella and chicken. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the bottom of the tacos begin to char.
- Transfer the tacos to a serving plate and top with the cole slaw mixture, furikake seasoning, and sliced green onion. Serve with a small bowl of soyaki sauce from the slow cooker for dipping.
Video
Notes
- If you have a stand mixer, you can use the paddle attachment to shred the chicken.
Is there an alternative to the slow cooker?
You can marinate the chicken for a few hours and bake in the oven at 400 for 20 minutes, but you’ll want to reserve about half of the marinade before adding it to the raw chicken so you can toss the shredded chicken in it and use it for dipping.
How long should we cook the chicken if using the slow cooker on high?
About 2 hours, depending on how large your chicken breasts are, might need 2.5 hours in order to shred easily.
love this flavor fusion! I made my shells extra crispy and used a little extra cheese but they were sooo delicious!!!
I’m loving these Asian fusion tacos. They sound amazing! Definitely going in my Taco Tuesday rotation.
Such a great sauce and perfect for chicken tacos! The slaw added such a nice crunch.
These looks delicious and we all love the ingredients you used a must try
This is such a fantastic recipe. I love fusion dishes like this, and making the chicken in the slow cooker ensures it’ll be tender and delicious.
Totally loved this – so flavorful! The furikake was the icing on the cake, loved that flavor!
This recipe was amazing and actually pretty quick to make! Dipping the tortillas in the soyaki really made a difference.
Thank you so much!
Can you do the chicken in the instant pot to save time?
Definitely!