NOTE: If you have extra sauce, boil it over high heat for a couple of minutes to kill off any raw chicken that may have been transferred by the basting brush. Then you can pour over the chicken skewers at the end or drizzle over a side of brown rice if serving as a dinner.
The sauce is a simple mix of mirin, soy sauce and sugar. I use less sodium soy sauce, but free to use regular.
I cut up my thigh meat into large chunks. Ideally, these would be cooked over a habachi grill or charcoal grill so they would get charred in spots and get that smokey taste. Growing up, we actually had a hibachi grill that we took with us camping. It was small and could handle grilling some meats separately from our Coleman stove. (I just had a flashback memory…lol). They are really great for a small deck or patio too. However, most of us won’t have one and because this is an easy preparation, I have laid out how to cook these indoors in an oven under the broiler so you can enjoy them year round. Note: you could also cook this on a grill pan on top of the stove if that is a preference.
It is important to soak your wooden skewers in water before skewering your chicken. This will keep them from burning up in the oven or on the grill. You are going to skewer about five piece of chicken on each skewer. I place them on a grate that sits on a tin foil lined baking sheet so the air can circulate around the chicken and the excess sauce can drip onto the foil making for easy cleanup.
Brush the chicken with the sauce and put under the broiler for a couple of minutes. Baste again and turn the chicken skewers over and baste the other side. I’ll do this several times during the cooking time.
In Japan this is really considered finger food and works great as an appetizer. But, if you want to serve it as an entree, just add brown rice and steamed veggies.
Japanese food is delicious and often has a simple preparation like this. If you are using great ingredients, you’ll get great results. If you like this dish, try my Shrimp and Vegetable Tempura, or my Japanese Spicy Soy Scallops.
Enjoy!
Chicken Yakitori
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 Lb. Chicken thighs, skinned and bones and cut into 1 inch cubes
- 3 Oz. Soy Sauce
- 3 Oz. Mirin
- 1 Tbsp. Sugar
- Cooking spray
Instructions
- Soak 8 bamboo skewers in water for at least 30 minutes to prevent burning. Cover a baking sheet with foil and top with a rack. Spray well with cooking spray.
- Make the sauce by mixing the soy sauce, mirin and sugar in a sauce pot on the stove. Bring to a boil then turn the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 5 minutes until it is reduced to about a third and slightly thickened. Put to the side.
- Put about 5-6 chicken pieces on each skewer.
- Using a brush, lightly baste both sides of skewers with sauce and place the skewers on the rack.
- Place the baking sheet with rack under the broiler. The distance between the skewers and the broiler should be about 2 inches.
- Cook for 5-6 minutes, then take the tray out and turn the skewers over. Baste the cooked side of the skewers with a pastry brush and the sauce and place the tray back under the grill.
- Cook for 4-5 minutes, then take the tray out and turn the skewers over again. Baste the chicken and place the tray back under the grill.
- Cook for a minute or until the chicken starts getting dark brown in spots. Turn again and baste again to get those dark brown spots.
- Remove the skewers off the rack and plate them on a platter. Serve immediately as an appetizer or as a full meal with steamed rice and veggies.
