Yakitori, grilled chicken, is a very popular Japanese type of skewered. grilled chicken. The term yakitori can also refer to skewered food in general. Kushiyaki (skewer grilled), is a formal term that encompasses both poultry and non-poultry items, skewered and grilled. Both yakitori and kushiyaki are used interchangeably in Japanese society.
The preparation of Yakitori involves skewering the meat with kushi, a type of skewer typically made of steel, bamboo, or similar materials. Afterwards, they are grilled over a charcoal fire. During or after cooking, the meat is typically seasoned with tare sauce or salt.
Usually made to order and cooked over charcoal, yakitori is a popular, inexpensive dish commonly enjoyed together with a glass of beer. These charcoal-grilled chicken skewers are a popular street food throughout Japan; there, the chicken may be joined by chicken gizzards and hard-boiled quail eggs. The sauce also works well on pork, fish, or beef.
Yakitori is super easy to make and so simple, it’s pretty much just skewering up the chicken, grilling it and coating it in the tasty sauce! Let’s start with the sauce which is a tare sauce, a sweet thick soy sauce, similar to teriyaki sauce, with the main ingredients being: soy sauce, sugar, sake and mirin, that’s simmered until it has thickened a bit.
Serve this tasty grilled chicken with Sriracha and SPAM Fried Rice, Longevity Noodles
or Green Bean Stir-Fry Recipe.
Yakitori
Yakitori, grilled chicken, is commonly a Japanese type of skewered chicken. The term “yakitori” can also refer to skewered food in general.
- Prep Time: :15
- Cook Time: :10
- Total Time: :25
- Yield: 10 1x
- Method: Grilled
- Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients
- 10–12 5-inch bamboo skewers
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, at room temperature
- 9 scallions
- Vegetable oil
- Tare Sauce
Instructions
- Soak bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes.
- Cut the white and light green part of scallions into 1 inch pieces.
- Cut chicken into 1 inch cubes.
- On a flat work surface, fold each slice of chicken in half, insert into chicken at 45 degrees angle, and press down on the skewer to pierce thorough the center.
- Alternate each chicken slice with a piece of scallion lined up perpendicular to the skewer. Each skewer will hold about 4 chicken slices and 3 scallion pieces.
- Grill 4-5 minutes, brush the Tare Sauce
- on the meat on both sides and continue to grill for 3-4 minutes to caramelize the sauce.
- Transfer the skewers to a serving plate and brush the chicken on top with additional Tare Sauce.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5