Yakitori Chicken

Yakitori Chicken: Japanese grilled glazed chicken and scallion skewers. One of the world’s best grilling recipes!

Yakitori is one of the oldest and most popular traditional Japanese dishes. It’s a casual dish, great for after work with a beer or for a laid back party. Bite-sized pieces of chicken, chicken parts, meat or vegetables are skewered and cooked over a charcoal grill or an open flame, and glazed with a sweet teriyaki sauce.

If you’re looking for a tasty festive recipe – something to throw on the grill and enjoy with family and friends, yakitori chicken is a great choice!

YAKITORI CHICKEN ON THE BARBECUE

In Japan there are restaurants totally devoted to yakitori. At these ‘Yakitorias’ you’re likely to find a variety of skewered offerings, with yakitori chicken being the main attraction – not just the meat – all the parts of the chicken, from the tongue to the cartilage to the uterus.

• Torinuki: white meat Yakitori chicken
• Negima: Yakitori chicken with Scallions or leeks
• Sunagimo: chicken gizzar
• Reba: chicken liver
• Nankotzu: chicken cartilage
• Shiro: chicken intenstine
• Hatsu: chicken heart
• Butabara: pork belly
• Tsukune: chicken meatballs

YAKITORI CHICKEN: THE SAUCE

Yakitori skewers are basted with a thick, sweet and tangy sauce called a ‘tare’ or salt ‘shio’. 

To make the sauce, combine saki (rice wine), mirin (sweet cooking wine), garlic, ginger, crushed red pepper flakes, sugar and soy sauce. Simmer for ten minutes or so to thicken and intensify the flavors. You’ll use the sauce to glaze the yakitori chicken as it cooks.

Condiments like sansho and 7 spice chili powder are traditional accompaniments for sprinkling on top.

Wondering what to serve with Yakitori Chicken? For a deliciously authentic side dish I recommend Japanese potato salad.

Add another delicious yakitori dish to your menu with this top-rated Cooking Light recipe for Tsukune (Japanese chicken meatballs).

Here are a Couple More Delicious Japanese Recipes from Panning The Globe:

• TERIYAKI SALMON RICE BOWL WITH SPINACH AND AVOCADO
• SUKIYAKI: JAPANESE HOT POT WITH BEEF, TOFU, RICE NOODLES AND VEGETABLES

Yakitori Chicken

★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

Japanese-style grilled chicken and scallion kebabs

• Author: Lisa
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins
• Total Time: 40 mins
• Yield: 6-8 1x
• Category: Main Course
• Method: barbecue
• Cuisine: Japanese

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 8 12-inch or 16 8-inch bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 1/2 hour or more
• Sauce:
• 1 cup saki
• 1/2 cup mirin
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
• 1/2 cup (regular) soy sauce
• Chicken and Scallions
• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized (3/4-inch) pieces
• 1 bunch scallions (the thicker the better) cut crosswise, into 3/4 inch pieces
• Optional garnish:
• Ground sansho pepper
• Japanese 7 spice powder
• * if you can’t find sancho or 7 spice, you may have better luck finding szechuan pepper. In a pinch, a sprinkling of salt and fresh ground black pepper will do.

Instructions

1. Heat the grill. Thread chicken and scallion pieces onto the skewers, alternately
2. Make the Sauce: In a small pot combine the saki, mirin, garlic, ginger, red pepper, sugar and soy sauces. Simmer for 5-10 minutes, until sauce is reduced by about one quarter.
3. Grill the skewers for 2 minutes. Brush with sauce and turn, brush with sauce on the other side. Grill for 5-8 minutes more, brushing with sauce every 2 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and glazed.
4. Serve yakitori with sansho and 7 spice to sprinkle on top.

Keywords: Japenese grilled chicken kebabs, grilled chicken and scallion kebabs