Yakitori is grilled chicken on skewers, brushed repeatedly with a soy, mirin, and sake glaze called tare while it cooks over direct heat. It is Japanese street and izakaya food, sold at small charcoal grill stalls where a single cook might work a dozen skewers at once, each basted and turned in stages.
Tare, the glaze, is built specifically for this repeated basting: a thin syrupy sauce that caramelizes in layers against the heat rather than being poured on cold at the end.
This recipe makes about 16 skewers, enough for four servings, cooked on a grill or a hot grill pan.
What Actually Matters
Baste the chicken with tare in thin layers, several times during grilling, rather than brushing on a thick coat once. Each pass over direct heat caramelizes the sugar in the tare slightly before you add the next layer, building a glossy, lightly charred glaze. One heavy coat at the end just steams and slides off instead of clinging.
Yakitori Recipe
Serves 4. Prep time: 20 minutes. Cook time: 20 minutes. Total time: 40 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 8 scallions, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 16 bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup mirin
- 1/4 cup sake
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 clove garlic, smashed
- 1 inch piece fresh ginger, sliced
Method
- In a small saucepan, combine the soy sauce, mirin, sake, sugar, garlic, and ginger. Bring to a simmer and cook for 12 minutes, until reduced by half and slightly syrupy.
- Strain the tare into a bowl, discarding the garlic and ginger, and let it cool slightly.
- Thread the chicken and scallion pieces alternately onto the soaked skewers.
- Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat.
- Grill the skewers for 3 to 4 minutes per side, brushing with tare and flipping every minute or two so it builds up in thin layers.
- Once the chicken is cooked through and lightly charred, brush with a final light coat of tare.
- Serve hot with any remaining tare on the side for dipping.
| Nutrient | Per Serving (estimate) |
|---|---|
| Calories | 360 |
| Protein | 34g |
| Fat | 16g |
| Carbohydrates | 14g |
Nutrition values are a calculated estimate based on standard ingredient data, not a lab-verified figure.
Tips and Variations
Chicken thigh holds up to grilling better than breast and stays juicier through the repeated basting. Tare keeps in the refrigerator for weeks and gets better with age, so it is worth making a double batch to have on hand for the next round. Chicken skin, cartilage, and liver are traditional yakitori cuts if you want to branch out beyond thigh meat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use chicken breast instead of thighs?
You can, but it dries out faster on the grill. Watch it closely and pull it slightly earlier than you would thighs.
What if I do not have a grill?
A hot cast iron grill pan or broiler works well as a substitute, though you will lose some of the charcoal flavor.
How long does tare keep?
Stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator, tare keeps for several weeks and its flavor deepens over time.
Do I need to soak the skewers?
Yes, if using bamboo. Thirty minutes in water keeps them from burning on the grill.
More From Wine Drop Cookery
This recipe is part of our Japanese Recipes hub, alongside dishes like Miso Soup and Onigiri. For the grill tools this recipe depends on, see our pots and pans collection and kitchen essentials.
I'm Chef Alan. I have spent 35 years in professional kitchens, I have formal culinary education in New Hampshire, and I have been honored as a 6-Time 4-Diamond Chef. More about me here.
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