Recipe: Perfect Yakotori Japanese Skewered Chicken

Yakotori Japanese Skewered Chicken. These chicken skewers are a classic food served at izakaya, Japanese-tapas style pubs, where frosty beer, tasty bites, and jolly chatters are all part of the deal. They are also the kind of iconic food you can find at specialty restaurants that serve nothing else but Yakitori. Yakitori is a Japanese skewered chicken, cooked on a griller with either sweet soy sauce or just salt.

Restaurants in Japan tend to be quite different from those in the States. This chicken yakitori will add some Asian-inspired flair to your weekday dinner plans. To make this recipe fast and flavorful, the technique for the sauce and This Japanese-style chicken is a family favorite because layers of sweet and savory flavors are generously added to each skewer as it cooks. You can have Yakotori Japanese Skewered Chicken using 8 ingredients and 6 steps. Here is how you achieve it.

Ingredients of Yakotori Japanese Skewered Chicken

Prepare 1 pound of skinless and boneless chicken thigh, cut into 1 inch cubes.
You need 1/4 cup of dark soy sauce.
It's 1/4 cup of mirin.
Prepare 2 tbsp of rice wine.
You need 2 tbsp of brown sugar.
Prepare 2 tbsp of minced garlic.
You need 2 tbsp of freshly grated ginger.
It's 1/4 cup of scallions, for garnish.

These Japanese Chicken Yakitori Skewers are traditional street food, grilled and basted with a sweet and savoury sauce and topped with a zesty sesame-lemon sprinkle. They're tender, bite-sized chicken kabobs with rich umami flavours, ideal as an appetizer or a main dish. This is a common grilled/skewered chicken in Japan, but also officially is considered any type of skewered food in general. This is the recipe that I In a medium bowl combine the chicken pieces with the oil, salt, and pepper and mix well.

Yakotori Japanese Skewered Chicken instructions

In a large bowl, mix dark soy sauce, mirin, rice wine, brown sugar, garlic and ginger. Save about 1/3 of the sauce in a small bowl and set aside for later..
Put the chicken thigh cubes in the bowl and mix. Marinate for about 1 hour..
Soak the bamboo skewers in water for at least 15 minutes..
Line the fryer basket with grill mat or a sheet of lightly greased aluminum foil..
Thread the skewers through the chicken pieces then put the skewers in the fryer basket. Spritz some oil over the skewers and air fry at 380F (190C) for 10-12 minutes, flip once in the middle, until surface is slightly caramelized and the meat is cooked through..
In the meantime, use a sauce pan to bring the previously set-aside sauce to boil. Stir constantly until the sauce thickens. Put the sauce in a small bowl to be used for dipping..

Thread the chicken pieces through their centers on the top. Yakitori are a traditional style of Japanese kebabs. Preparing the yakitori is quick and easy. You will need to allow about an hour for the chicken to marinade. At the same time, soak the bamboo skewers in water for at least one hour to prevent them from burning on the grill.