Yakitori (Japanese Chicken Skewers)
Photo: Dennis Zhang / Unsplash
Juicy chicken thigh and spring onion skewers grilled over high heat and brushed with a glossy homemade tare sauce of soy, mirin, sake and sugar. Izakaya food at home. Makes 12 skewers.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Make the tare sauce
Simmer the soy sauce, , and brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until the liquid reduces by a third and turns slightly syrupy. Set aside to cool; this is your sauce.
- 100 ml soy sauce
- 100 ml
- 50 ml
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
✅ Done when: sauce has reduced by about a third and lightly coats a spoon
Thread the skewers
Thread the chicken and spring onion onto the soaked skewers, alternating 3 pieces of chicken with 2 pieces of onion, pushing them close together.
- 700 g chicken thighs
- 6 spring onions
- 12 bamboo skewers
✅ Done when: all 12 skewers are packed tightly with no gaps
Grill
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Glaze
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Serve
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Make the tare sauce
Simmer the soy sauce, , and brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until the liquid reduces by a third and turns slightly syrupy. Set aside to cool; this is your sauce.
- 100 ml soy sauce
- 100 ml
- 50 ml
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
✅ Done when: sauce has reduced by about a third and lightly coats a spoon
Thread the skewers
Thread the chicken and spring onion onto the soaked skewers, alternating 3 pieces of chicken with 2 pieces of onion, pushing them close together.
- 700 g chicken thighs
- 6 spring onions
- 12 bamboo skewers
✅ Done when: all 12 skewers are packed tightly with no gaps
Grill
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Glaze
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Serve
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The Story Behind the Dish
Grilling chicken on skewers became popular in the late 19th century, when street stalls in Tokyo sold cheap skewers of chicken scraps and offal to workers. After the Second World War, yakitori stands spread across Japan, especially under railway arches.
Today yakitori is the heart of the izakaya, the Japanese pub, where friends share skewers of every part of the chicken with cold beer.
⭐ Why It's Famous
Smoky, sweet-savoury and perfect with a drink, yakitori is the taste of an evening out in Japan.
💡 Fun Fact
The most famous skewer is negima: chicken and leek (negi), like in this recipe. Purists order theirs 'shio' (just salt) instead of 'tare' to taste the chicken.
Tokyo
35.68°N, 139.65°E
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