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Chicken Yakitori

Name: Chicken Yakitori
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 12 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 600g boneless chicken thighs Boneless, skinless chicken thighs — thighs are non-negotiable for yakitori; they have the fat content and connective tissue that keeps the meat juicy under the intense, direct heat of the grill; chicken breast dries out and becomes chalky before it develops any colour; buy thighs with the skin on if possible and remove the skin yourself — skin-on thighs have better flavour and moisture than pre-skinned ones; trim away any large pieces of excess fat but leave the smaller pieces — they render and baste the meat as it cooks; cut each thigh into roughly 3cm pieces, aiming for uniform size so every piece cooks at the same rate; 60ml tamari Tamari — the gluten-free alternative to Japanese soy sauce; tamari is made with little or no wheat and has a deeper, richer, slightly less sharp flavour than standard soy sauce; it is the correct choice here both for the gluten-free requirement and because its fuller body makes a better tare glaze; use a Japanese tamari brand (Kikkoman gluten-free tamari is widely available); check the label to confirm it is certified gluten-free if cooking for someone with coeliac disease, as some tamari brands contain trace wheat; 60ml mirin Mirin — Japanese sweet rice wine; an essential component of tare and one of the defining flavours of Japanese cooking; it adds sweetness, a subtle fruity depth, and a glossy sheen to the glaze that sugar alone cannot replicate; use hon-mirin (real mirin) rather than mirin-style seasoning, which is a cheaper substitute with a harsher, more artificial sweetness; hon-mirin is available in Japanese grocery stores and online; it contains a small amount of alcohol which cooks off completely during reduction; 60ml sake Sake — Japanese rice wine; used in the tare to add depth and to balance the sweetness of the mirin; the alcohol in the sake also helps tenderise the chicken slightly; use a drinking-quality sake rather than cooking sake, which often contains added salt; if sake is unavailable, dry sherry is the closest substitute in flavour profile; do not substitute with rice vinegar, which is acidic and will make the tare sharp and unpleasant; 1 tbsp caster sugar Caster sugar — a small amount to balance the tare and help it caramelise on the grill; the sugar also helps the glaze thicken to a lacquer-like consistency as it reduces; do not increase the amount — yakitori tare should be savoury-forward with sweetness in the background, not a sweet glaze; 1 clove garlic, lightly crushed Garlic — one clove, lightly crushed and added to the tare as it reduces; the garlic infuses the sauce with a subtle savoury depth without making it taste overtly garlicky; remove it before using the tare for glazing; 12–16 bamboo skewers, soaked Bamboo skewers — soaked in cold water for at least 30 minutes before grilling; the soaking prevents the exposed ends from charring and catching fire under the grill; use flat bamboo skewers rather than round ones if available — flat skewers grip the chicken pieces and prevent them from spinning when you turn the skewer, which means every piece turns with the skewer rather than rotating independently; thread 4–5 pieces of chicken onto each skewer; 4 spring onions, optional Spring onions (scallions) — optional; cut into 3cm lengths and threaded alternately with the chicken pieces on some of the skewers to make negima yakitori, the classic chicken-and-spring-onion variation; the spring onion chars slightly at the edges and becomes sweet and tender, complementing the savoury chicken perfectly; use the white and pale green parts only; To serve (omit if sesame allergy) Shichimi togarashi — Japanese seven-spice blend; a traditional finishing condiment for yakitori; it contains dried chilli, orange peel, sesame seeds, hemp seeds, ginger, nori, and sansho pepper; note that it contains sesame — if cooking for someone with a sesame allergy, omit it entirely and serve with a wedge of lemon instead; if sesame is not a concern, a light dusting over the finished skewers adds warmth, fragrance, and a pleasant tingle

The quintessential Japanese izakaya skewer — bite-sized pieces of chicken thigh threaded onto bamboo skewers and grilled over high heat with a tare glaze made from tamari, mirin, sake, and a little sugar. Deeply savoury, lightly sweet, with charred edges and juicy, tender meat inside. Fully gluten-free using tamari, and completely sesame-free.

20 minPrep

12 minCook

32 min (plus 30 min optional marinating)Total

4Serves

Cooking progress0/4 steps

How to cook

Plating & presentation

Yakitori is izakaya food — it should look direct, confident, and appetising without any fussiness. Arrange the skewers on a long, narrow plate or a wooden board, all pointing in the same direction, slightly overlapping. The glossy, caramelised tare glaze should be visible and catching the light — if the skewers look dry or matt, brush them with one more pass of tare before plating. A small ceramic dish of extra tare alongside for dipping. If using shichimi togarashi, a light dusting over the skewers adds a fine reddish-orange colour that signals the seasoning. A wedge of lemon or a small pile of finely sliced spring onion greens alongside adds freshness and a colour contrast to the deep golden-brown of the chicken. No elaborate garnish — the skewers themselves are the visual. Dark plates or a dark wooden board make the golden-brown colour of the chicken and the gloss of the tare stand out most effectively.

Dana's tip

The single most important variable in yakitori is the heat — it must be very high and the chicken must make direct contact with the hot surface without any liquid in the pan. Yakitori is a dry-heat cooking method; the chicken should char and caramelise, not steam. If your pan is not hot enough, the chicken will release its juices, the pan will fill with liquid, and you will get pale, steamed chicken with no colour and no char. Heat the pan until it is genuinely very hot before the chicken goes in, and do not crowd the skewers — crowding drops the pan temperature and causes steaming. The second critical point is the tare application: brush it on in the final 2 minutes of cooking only, not at the start. Tare applied too early burns before the chicken is cooked through, because the sugar in the mirin and the added sugar caramelise and then carbonise quickly under high heat. Apply it late, turn quickly, and watch it — the difference between perfectly lacquered and burnt is about 30 seconds. Finally, always use two separate portions of tare: one for glazing during cooking (which has been in contact with raw chicken) and one for finishing and serving. Never cross-contaminate them.

Ingredients

Serves 4

Boneless, skinless chicken thighs — thighs are non-negotiable for yakitori; they have the fat content and connective tissue that keeps the meat juicy under the intense, direct heat of the grill; chicken breast dries out and becomes chalky before it develops any colour; buy thighs with the skin on if possible and remove the skin yourself — skin-on thighs have better flavour and moisture than pre-skinned ones; trim away any large pieces of excess fat but leave the smaller pieces — they render and baste the meat as it cooks; cut each thigh into roughly 3cm pieces, aiming for uniform size so every piece cooks at the same rate600g boneless chicken thighs

Tamari — the gluten-free alternative to Japanese soy sauce; tamari is made with little or no wheat and has a deeper, richer, slightly less sharp flavour than standard soy sauce; it is the correct choice here both for the gluten-free requirement and because its fuller body makes a better tare glaze; use a Japanese tamari brand (Kikkoman gluten-free tamari is widely available); check the label to confirm it is certified gluten-free if cooking for someone with coeliac disease, as some tamari brands contain trace wheat60ml tamari

Mirin — Japanese sweet rice wine; an essential component of tare and one of the defining flavours of Japanese cooking; it adds sweetness, a subtle fruity depth, and a glossy sheen to the glaze that sugar alone cannot replicate; use hon-mirin (real mirin) rather than mirin-style seasoning, which is a cheaper substitute with a harsher, more artificial sweetness; hon-mirin is available in Japanese grocery stores and online; it contains a small amount of alcohol which cooks off completely during reduction60ml mirin

Sake — Japanese rice wine; used in the tare to add depth and to balance the sweetness of the mirin; the alcohol in the sake also helps tenderise the chicken slightly; use a drinking-quality sake rather than cooking sake, which often contains added salt; if sake is unavailable, dry sherry is the closest substitute in flavour profile; do not substitute with rice vinegar, which is acidic and will make the tare sharp and unpleasant60ml sake

Caster sugar — a small amount to balance the tare and help it caramelise on the grill; the sugar also helps the glaze thicken to a lacquer-like consistency as it reduces; do not increase the amount — yakitori tare should be savoury-forward with sweetness in the background, not a sweet glaze1 tbsp caster sugar

Garlic — one clove, lightly crushed and added to the tare as it reduces; the garlic infuses the sauce with a subtle savoury depth without making it taste overtly garlicky; remove it before using the tare for glazing1 clove garlic, lightly crushed

Bamboo skewers — soaked in cold water for at least 30 minutes before grilling; the soaking prevents the exposed ends from charring and catching fire under the grill; use flat bamboo skewers rather than round ones if available — flat skewers grip the chicken pieces and prevent them from spinning when you turn the skewer, which means every piece turns with the skewer rather than rotating independently; thread 4–5 pieces of chicken onto each skewer12–16 bamboo skewers, soaked

Spring onions (scallions) — optional; cut into 3cm lengths and threaded alternately with the chicken pieces on some of the skewers to make negima yakitori, the classic chicken-and-spring-onion variation; the spring onion chars slightly at the edges and becomes sweet and tender, complementing the savoury chicken perfectly; use the white and pale green parts only4 spring onions, optional

Shichimi togarashi — Japanese seven-spice blend; a traditional finishing condiment for yakitori; it contains dried chilli, orange peel, sesame seeds, hemp seeds, ginger, nori, and sansho pepper; note that it contains sesame — if cooking for someone with a sesame allergy, omit it entirely and serve with a wedge of lemon instead; if sesame is not a concern, a light dusting over the finished skewers adds warmth, fragrance, and a pleasant tingleTo serve (omit if sesame allergy)

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