Yakitori Recipe (Japanese Grilled Chicken Skewers)
Yakitori is a classic Japanese recipe of bite-sized pieces of marinated chicken grilled on skewers, easy to make and great as an appetizer or main course.
Equipment
- 8 skewers (bamboo or metal)
Ingredients
Marinade
- ½ cup soy sauce I prefer dark soy sauce
- ½ cup sake or use Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
- 3 tablespoons mirin
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar optional - you can use white sugar
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
Chicken and Scallions
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into ¾-inch pieces
- 6-8 fat scallions optional - sliced into ¾-inch pieces (white and light green parts only)
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
Instructions
Cooking Directions
- Whisk together the soy sauce, sake, mirin, brown sugar, garlic, and ginger in a saucepan. Simmer over medium-high heat until the sauce reduces by half and becomes thick and syrupy, 5-6 minutes. Allow to cool.
- Reserve 2 tablespoons to serve as a dipping sauce, if desired.
- Add the chicken and scallions to the cooled sauce and marinate for 1 hour.
- If using wood skewers, soak them in water for 1 hour while the chicken marinates.
- Lightly oil your grill grates and heat your grill to medium-high heat.
- Thread the marinated chicken and scallions onto skewers. Reserve the marinade. Grill the skewers for 6-7 minutes per side, brushing a few times with the reserved marinade.
- Serve with the reserved 2 tablespoons of sauce for dipping, if desired.
Nutrition
Serving: 1skewerCalories: 120kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 13gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 54mgSodium: 675mgPotassium: 228mgFiber: 0.4gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 103IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 19mgIron: 1mg
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