Name: Yakitori Chicken
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 50 min
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 1 cup saki; 1/2 cup mirin; 1/2 cup soy sauce; 3 tablespoons brown sugar; 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce (see below for substitutions); 2 garlic cloves, finely minced or put through a garlic press; 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger; 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes; 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized (3/4-inch) pieces; 10-12 scallions (1 or two bunches) cut crosswise, into 1-inch pieces. The white and light green part of the scallion in best for grilling. Reserve the darker thinner parts for another use or slice them thinly sprinkle them over the platter of cooked skewers as a garish.; Ground sansho pepper; Japanese 7 spice powder; If you can't find sancho or 7 spice, you can use szechuan pepper.; A sprinkling of salt and fresh ground black pepper works well too!

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Grilled glazed Japanese Chicken Yakitori is hard to resist! Chicken and scallions are skewered and glazed with rich sweet and savory sauce as they cook and caramelize on the grill.

8 skewers of yakitori chicken with scallions, and sprigs of cilantro decorating the edges

Panning The Globe fans know my passion for Japanese cuisine, from my viral Teriyaki Salmon Bowl to my restaurant-worthy Homemade Sukiyaki. Now, get ready to add another star to your collection: juicy, flavorful Chicken Yakitori! You'll love how easy it is to recreate this classic Japanese street food at home.

Yakitori (Japanese for "grilled chicken") is one of the oldest and most popular traditional Japanese dishes. It's casual fare, enjoyed after work with a beer or for serving at a laid back party.

Bite-sized pieces of chicken, 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 something tasty and festive to throw on the grill and enjoy with family and friends, this yakitori chicken recipe is a great choice.

Types of Yakitori

In Japan there are restaurants fully dedicated 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 thigh and breast meat - all parts of the chicken, from the tongue to the cartilage to the uterus.

If you're feeling adventurous, here are some common varieties of Yakitori to try:

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

Yakitori Sauce

Yakitori skewers are basted with a savory sweet and tangy sauce called a 'tare' or salt 'shio'. To make the yakitori sauce, combine saki (rice wine), mirin (sweet cooking wine), garlic, ginger, crushed red pepper flakes, sugar and soy sauce. The mixture is simmered to thicken and intensify the flavors. You'll use sauce to glaze the yakitori chicken skewers as they cook on the grill.

How To Make This Yakitori Recipe: Chicken & Scallion (Negima)

Boneless skinless chicken thighs are the best choice for yakitori. They're deliciously juicy and flavorful when grilled. Cut them into 1-inch pieces. Trim the ends off the scallions and cut them into 1-inch pieces.

Make the yakitori sauce: simmer all the ingredients until the sauce is reduced by about a third: soy sauce, mirin, sake, garlic, ginger, sugar and red pepper.
Skewer the chicken and scallions with one or two pieces of scallion between each piece of chicken.
Grill the skewers, basting with sauce every couple of minutes, until the chicken is glazed and cooked through.

7 uncooked skewers of yakitori chicken and scallions on a white tray, next shot shows the skewers cooking on the barbecue grill

close up of a yakitori chicken skewer with 4 pieces of chicken and 3 scallions

How To Serve Yakitori

Yakitori can be served on or off the skewers. I like to lay all the skewers on a large tray or platter. They're easy to grab and can be eaten right off the skewer or with the skewer removed.

It's common practice serve condiments with yakitori. Sansho and 7 spice chili powder are traditional accompaniments for sprinkling on top of yakitori. Szechuan pepper also works well. Salt and pepper is also a good choice.

For a deliciously authentic side dish with yakitori, serve this Japanese potato salad. For drinks, go with ice cold Japanese Sake or beer.

8 yakitori chicken and scallions skewers on a white oval platter

two skewers of chicken yakitori on a white place with salad

If you try this Yakitori Chicken Recipe, I hope you'll come back to leave a star rating and a comment. I'd love to know what you think!

Recipe

Yakitori Chicken

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5 from 4 reviews

Author: Lisa Goldfinger
Total Time: 50 minutes
Yield: 5-7

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Description

Japanese-style grilled chicken and scallion skewers.

Ingredients

Units Scale

You will need 8 12-inch or 16 8-inch skewers. If using wooden or bamboo skewers, soak them in water for a half hour or more, before using. For The Sauce:

1 cup saki
½ cup mirin
½ cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce (see below for substitutions)
2 garlic cloves, finely minced or put through a garlic press
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

For The Chicken and Scallions

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized (¾-inch) pieces
10-12 scallions (1 or two bunches) cut crosswise, into 1-inch pieces. The white and light green part of the scallion in best for grilling. Reserve the darker thinner parts for another use or slice them thinly sprinkle them over the platter of cooked skewers as a garish.

Suggested Condiments:

Ground sansho pepper
Japanese 7 spice powder
If you can't find sancho or 7 spice, you can use szechuan pepper.
A sprinkling of salt and fresh ground black pepper works well too!

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Instructions

Heat the grill. Thread chicken and scallion pieces onto the skewers, alternately

In a small pot combine the saki, mirin, garlic, ginger, red pepper, sugar and soy sauces. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, until sauce is reduced by about a third.
Place the skewers on the hot grill, cover and cook for 2 minutes. Brush with sauce and turn, brush with sauce on the other side. Grill for 5-8 minutes more with the cover closed, opening it to brush skewers with sauce every 2 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and glazed.
Serve chicken yakitori on or off the skewers. Pass around the toppings.

Notes

Dark Soy Sauce Substitute: Dark soy sauce is thicker, sweeter and more viscous than regular soy sauce. It's mostly used to add a deep dark caramel color to a dish. If you don't have dark soy sauce, you can use an equal amount of regular soy sauce. The Dish will be lighter in color but equally delicious. Or, if you have molasses on hand, use 1 tablespoon of molasses and one tablespoon of regular soy sauce as a replacement.

[This post first appeared on Panning The Globe in May 2015. It was updated in May 2020 with new photos, a few tweaks to the written post and a some clarifying details to the recipe.]

Prep Time: 40 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Category: Main Course
Method: barbecue
Cuisine: Japanese

Chicken Yakitori Recipe

Types of Yakitori

Yakitori Sauce

How To Make This Yakitori Recipe: Chicken & Scallion (Negima)

How To Serve Yakitori

Recipe