Yakitori is Japanese skewered chicken, cooked on a charcoal grill with either sweet soy sauce or just salt. It is great for entertaining a big crowd as it is a kind of finger food. It is so tasty that you will not realise how many skewers you eat!.
I posted my Yakitori recipe more than 5 years ago. I decided to re-publish this because my Yakitori recipe was featured in Good Food online magazine. The article was written by Nagi, my daughter and the founder of RecipeTin Eats, but the recipe is mine. We also produced a video for this, which I included in this post.
Yakitori (焼き鳥) is probably one of the most popular dishes in Japan. It is so popular that in Japan there are many shops and restaurants that specialise in just yakitori. It is of course one of the regular street foods sold at food stands when festivals are on, along with Yakisoba (Japanese Stir Fried Noodles) and Okonomiyaki (Japanese Savoury Pancake).
Yakitori is also sold in the food courts of department stores and supermarkets. Japanese people often buy cooked yakitori for dinner from there. I do not think most Japanese households make yakitori at home anymore.
Here in Sydney, yakitori is listed in à la carte menus at Japanese restaurants, but you can easily make it at home. It takes a bit of time to put small pieces of meat onto skewers, but the effort certainly is worthwhile.
The word ‘yaki’ (焼き) comes from the verb ‘yaku’ (焼く), which means grill or bake. And ‘tori’ (鳥) is bird or chicken meat. So, yakitori literally translates to ‘grilled chicken’. But these days, even some specialty yakitori shops serve other types of meat, like grilled pork and vegetables on skewers.
If you go to one of the yakitori restaurants in Japan, you will be amazed to see how many different parts of chicken are on the menu. Common menu items are:
There are two main kinds of yakitori flavours – tare (タレ, soy-flavoured sweet sauce) and shio (塩, salt).
Tare is made of soy sauce, mirin and sugar, with or without sake (Japanese rice wine). It is made by mixing these ingredients and condensing it into a stronger flavour and thicker sauce. When grilling, you baste the sauce onto the meat.
Most of the chicken parts listed above are great with either tare or shio flavour. But I think liver and heart taste better with tare, while chicken wings are nicer with shio.
The skewers for yakitori are made of bamboo. The most commonly used yakitori skewer is quite thin (about 3mm / ⅛” diameter) and pointy at one end so that you can thread the meat on easily. It is called ‘marugushi’ (丸串, round skewer). The word ‘maru’ (丸) means round and ‘gushi’ comes from the word ‘kushi’ (串) meaning skewer.
The length varies, but usually it’s about 15cm/6”, which is just the right length if you use a specialised yakitori grill because the width of the grill is 10cm / 4″. The yakitori shops in Japan use 15cm / 6″ skewers. But I sometimes use 18cm / 7″ skewers as they are easier to hold.
Other types of bamboo skewers used for yakitori include hiragushi (平串, flat skewer) and teppōgushi (鉄砲串, gun-shaped skewer) both of which have a flat, squarish stick with a pointy end on one side. You can see teppōgushi used in Tsukune (Japanese Chicken Meatballs). Because of its square shape it holds the meat more securely.
There is a special grill for cooking yakitori. Its shape is a long rectangle shape and inside the block where the charcoal is placed is lined with stones. The yakitori is placed on top. They are quite handy to cook yakitori on as the width of the heated area is about 10cm / 4” and it is just right for the yakitori skewers.
See the photo below of our yakitori grill which I carried back from Japan when my son half-jokingly asked me to get one quite some time ago. It was 10kg / 22Lbs! But we are certainly making use of this quite a bit.
Perhaps not exactly the same as my yakitori grill, but you can buy a hibachi grill from online shops such as eBay and Amazon. Even if you don’t have such a grill, you can still make delicious yakitori. The best alternative is a BBQ grill. A BBQ plate is not suitable as the sauce accumulates on the plate and starts burning.
You could also cook yakitori in the oven using a griller/broiler. I have included the method of cooking yakitori in the oven in the recipe. The photo below is how I paced yakitori to cook under the oven grill. I used a deep baking tray and a rack.
Yakitori is a popular Japanese dish made of small pieces of chicken that are grilled over charcoal. Yakitori is a popular Japanese dish and street food because it tastes sweet and savory at the same time. This guide will explain what chicken yakitori is, how to make it, the different kinds, and why Japanese people love it so much.
What is Yakitori?
Yakitori (やきとり) literally translates to “grilled chicken” in Japanese. It involves skewering small, cubed or bite-sized pieces of chicken on bamboo sticks called kushi, then grilling them over a charcoal fire. During or after grilling, a sweet and salty glaze called tare is typically brushed or drizzled on the yakitori to add flavor.
The term yakitori is also used more broadly to refer to all kinds of grilled and skewered foods in Japanese cuisine, not just chicken. But chicken yakitori is by far the most common and popular type.
How is Yakitori Prepared?
There are a few key steps and techniques involved in making authentic yakitori
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Cutting the Chicken: To make it easy to eat off the skewer, the chicken is cut into bite-sized cubes or small strips. The thigh, breast, skin, cartilage, and other parts of the chicken can be used.
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Skewering: The chicken pieces are threaded onto bamboo skewers called kushi, which are around 8-12 inches long.
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Seasoning: The chicken is seasoned with salt or a sweet soy glaze called tare. Tare is a blend of mirin, sake, soy sauce and sugar. It adds a delicious umami flavor.
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Grilling: Binchotan charcoal is used to cook yakitori. It is a high-end Japanese charcoal made from ubame oak that burns hotter and cleaner than regular charcoal briquettes. Binchotan’s high heat and dry heat make it easy for the chicken to cook quickly and get a nice char.
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Basting: The tare sauce is often bashed or brushed on the yakitori while it’s cooking to keep it moist and add caramelization.
The preparation is designed for portability and convenience. Yakitori shops often have compact grills so customers can watch the grilling process.
Different Types of Yakitori
One of the great things about yakitori is the variety of different chicken parts that are used. Here are some of the most common types:
- Momo: Chicken thigh
- Mune: Chicken breast
- Negima: Chicken thigh and scallion
- Tsukune: Chicken meatballs
- Kawa: Chicken skin
- Tebasaki: Chicken wings
- Bonjiri: Chicken tail
- Reba: Chicken liver
- Tori Kawa: Bite-sized pieces of all white chicken meat
In addition to different cuts, there are also different seasoning flavors. Shio is a simple salt seasoning. Tare is the sweet soy glaze. Spicy yakitori flavors like shichimi or yuzu kosho are also popular.
Why is Yakitori so Popular in Japan?
There are several reasons why yakitori is such a ubiquitous and well-loved food in Japan:
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Flavor: The savoriness of the chicken paired with the sweet and salty tare sauce is an incredible flavor combination. Yakitori packs a lot of satisfying umami punch.
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Portability: Yakitori cooks quickly over high heat, making it a perfect fast, on-the-go street food. It can be eaten right off the skewer.
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Variety: With so many different chicken parts used and various seasoning options, there’s an endless variety to yakitori. It offers something for all tastes.
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Culture: Eating yakitori and drinking beer or sake is a favorite pastime. Yakitori-ya (yakitori restaurants) are social gathering places. The small bites also go great with drinks.
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Convenience: Yakitori requires minimal preparation and simple ingredients, so it’s budget-friendly and easy for home cooking or takeout.
From izakayas to street stalls, yakitori is readily available and affordable throughout Japan. No wonder it’s such a staple food and culinary icon.
How to Eat Yakitori
One of the best parts of yakitori is eating it right off the skewer fresh from the grill. When served, yakitori typically comes with a small bowl of tare sauce for dipping or drizzling over the top.
Don’t forget to occasionally brush your yakitori with the sauce during cooking too. Turning the skewers to expose a new side to the heat while also glazing with sauce results in delicious caramelized edges.
Yakitori is best when the chicken is still juicy, before it dries out. So eat it quickly once it comes off the grill! The grilled bites are meant to be easily popped straight into your mouth from the skewer.
How to Make Yakitori at Home
You can absolutely make restaurant-quality yakitori in the comfort of your own home with just a few simple supplies:
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Outdoor Grill or Indoor Griddle Pan: You want a high heat source to mimic the Binchotan charcoal. An outdoor grill or stovetop griddle pan works great.
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Skewers: Soak 8-12 inch bamboo or metal skewers in water for 30 mins to prevent burning.
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Tare Sauce: Mix soy sauce, mirin, sake and sugar for the glaze.
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Chicken: Thigh, breast, skin and other parts cut into 1-2 inch pieces.
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Seasonings: Salt, pepper, spices to taste.
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Grilling Tools: Use tongs or spatulas for easy flipping.
Simply skewer the chicken, season it, grill over high heat while basting with tare sauce, and enjoy! Add veggies like scallions or shishito peppers to make Negima yakitori too.
Now that you know what chicken yakitori truly is and why it’s so beloved in its homeland of Japan, it’s time to sink your teeth into this delicious skewered chicken yourself. This guide equips you with everything you need to recognize different varieties, make it at home, and fully appreciate each juicy, saucy, smoky bite of this iconic Japanese street food. Oishii!
What’s in my Yakitori
In today’s recipe, I made momo and negima from the list above. I also included grilled onion rings on skewers as well as bacon & asparagus on skewers so that you get some more vegetables.
I used tare (sweet soy-flavoured sauce) for the chicken skewers and onions.
- Chicken thigh fillets
- Green onion stems
- Medium-size onions
- Asparagus
- Streaks of thinly sliced English bacon
The amount of tare I made is probably excessive. But it’s better to have too much than not enough. The leftover tare can be used for Teriyaki Chicken (you may need to dilute the tare). Alternatively, bring the leftover tare to a boil, cool it down, then freeze it.
How to make Yakitori and vegetables on skewers
- Put everything you need for Tare into a small pot and heat it up.
- Turn down the heat to a low level and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the tare has been cut in half.
- Cut chicken into 2.5cm / 1″ cubes.
- Cut green onion stems into 3cm / 1⅛” long pieces.
- For momo, put five pieces of chicken on each bamboo stick.
- Each skewer should have three chicken pieces and two green onion pieces on it. Start with chicken and thread chicken and green onions one after the other, ending with chicken.
- Season the chicken on both sides with a little oil and cook it on the grill for three to four minutes.
- Flip skewers and brush the surface with tare. Cook for 3 minutes.
- Turn it over, brush tare on top, and cook for 30 seconds.
- Take off the onion’s stem and root ends.
- Cut horizontally into 1.3-1.5cm / ½-⅝” thick round slices.
- Thread 2 slices crosswise on each skewer.
- Cook onion skewers on the grill for a few minutes.
- Flip skewers and brush the surface with tare. Cook for a few minutes.
- Turn it over, brush tare on top, and cook for 30 seconds.
- Trim the end of the asparagus stems.
- Cut each asparagus spear into five pieces that are three centimeters (⅛ inch) long.
- Cut streaky bacon into 6-7cm / 2⅜-2¾” long pieces.
- Wrap asparagus pieces with bacon and thread them onto skewers.
- For a few minutes on each side, cook on the grill.
Even if you pick different yakitori menu items, the preparation and grilling methods are the same.
You don’t marinate chicken before grilling yakitori. It’s simple to make the sauce. After putting the meat on skewers, all you have to do is grill them and baste them with the sauce every so often. That’s all it takes! I hope you try it.
Yumiko
How to Make Chicken Yakitori at Home [No Grill Needed]
FAQ
What is a chicken yakitori?
Yakitori is a Japanese grilled chicken skewer which is made from all different parts of chicken; such as thigh, breast, wing, liver and even cartilage (! I know. ). At the restaurants, it is normally charcol-grilled and basted with the special Yakitori sauce or seasoned with salt. There are a lot of casual Yakitori ba.
What does yakitori taste like?
Yakitori generally tastes savory and umami, with a balance of sweet and salty notes. It can be seasoned with either salt (shio) or a sweet and savory sauce called tare, which is made with soy sauce, sake, mirin, and sugar.
What is the difference between teriyaki and yakitori?
Teriyaki and yakitori are both Japanese dishes, but they differ in their preparation and components. Teriyaki refers to a cooking method of grilling or broiling meat, fish, or tofu with a glaze, traditionally made with soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar.
Is chicken yakitori healthy?
Chicken Yakitori is a healthier way to get a full meal because it is high in protein and comes with vegetables like scallions. Enjoy it as a street food snack or a main dish at home, and savor the taste of Japan in every bite!.