Description
Yakitori is a classic Japanese dish featuring skewered and grilled chicken, often paired with vegetables and basted in a savory-sweet sauce made from soy sauce, mirin, and sugar. This recipe provides detailed instructions to prepare traditional chicken thigh skewers, green onion negima skewers, onion slices, and bacon-wrapped asparagus, cooked over a charcoal grill or under an oven broiler. Perfect for gatherings and showcasing authentic Japanese flavors.
Ingredients
Skewers
- 15 bamboo skewers soaked in water for 30 minutes
- 750g / 1.7lb skinless chicken thigh fillets, cut into 2.5cm / 1” cubes
- 15 bamboo skewers soaked in water for 30 minutes
- 450g / 1lb skinless chicken thigh fillets, cut into 2.5cm / 1" cubes
- 30 green onion pieces (3cm / 1⅛" long, white and green firm parts only)
- 8 bamboo skewers soaked in water for 30 minutes
- 4 small onions, cut horizontally into 1.3-1.5cm / ½-⅝" thick
- 10 bamboo skewers soaked in water for 30 minutes
- 10 thick asparagus spears, end trimmed (about 15cm / 6" long and 1.3-1.5cm / ½-⅝" in diameter)
- 40 thin streaky English bacon pieces (7cm / 2¾” long, about 360g / 0.8lb)
Sauce
- 185ml / 6.3fl oz soy sauce
- 185ml / 6.3fl oz mirin
- 2½ tbsp sugar
Instructions
- Prepare the Sauce: Add soy sauce, mirin, and sugar to a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium or medium-low and simmer for about 5 minutes until the mixture reduces by about one-third.
- Make Momo Skewers: Thread around 5 pieces of chicken thigh cubes onto each bamboo skewer for the momo skewers.
- Make Negima Skewers: Alternate threading chicken cubes and green onion pieces onto the skewer, starting and ending with chicken. Each skewer should have 3 chicken pieces and 2 green onion pieces.
- Prepare Onion Skewers: Thread 2 onion slices, placed crosswise, onto each bamboo skewer.
- Blanch Asparagus: Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add asparagus spears and blanch for 30 seconds. Immediately drain and cool under cold running water or ice water to stop cooking.
- Cut and Wrap Asparagus: Cut each asparagus spear into five 3cm pieces. Wrap each piece (except the last two pieces, the tip and the piece next to the tip) with bacon and thread onto skewers. Place the tip and the adjacent piece side by side, wrap them together in bacon, and thread onto the skewer.
- Grill Chicken and Onion Skewers - Charcoal Grill or BBQ: Position the charcoal grill so that the heat is about 5-6cm (2-2½”) from the skewers. Oil the grill grates. Lightly baste both sides of the skewers with sauce using a brush. Grill each side for approximately 4 minutes, basting again after flipping. Then, continue flipping and basting each side for about 30 seconds twice more until nicely glazed and cooked through.
- Grill Bacon & Asparagus Skewers - Charcoal Grill or BBQ: Grill for 3 minutes on each side without basting. Cook until bacon is golden and cooked through.
- Grill Chicken and Onion Skewers - Oven Grill/Broiler: Preheat the oven grill to high. Line a large baking tray with aluminum foil and place a wire rack on top; oil the rack. Lightly baste both sides of the skewers with sauce and arrange them on the rack. Place tray about 5cm (2”) under the grill. Cook for 5-6 minutes, then turn skewers over, baste the cooked side, and cook for another 4-5 minutes. Turn over again, baste, and cook for about 1 minute or until slight charring appears. Optionally, turn once more to char the other side if desired. Remove and serve immediately.
Notes
- Soaking bamboo skewers in water prevents them from burning during grilling.
- Cutting chicken into uniform 2.5cm cubes ensures even cooking.
- Using both the white and firm green parts of the green onions provides balance in texture and flavor.
- Blanching asparagus briefly helps set the color and crispness before grilling.
- Bacon wrapped around asparagus adds smoky flavor and keeps asparagus moist while grilling.
- The distance between the skewers and heat source should be maintained at around 5-6cm for best grilling results.
- Oiling the grill or wire rack prevents skewers from sticking.
- Basting the chicken skewers with sauce during grilling adds shine and depth of flavor.
- Cooking times may vary depending on grill heat; watch for golden and slightly charred appearance.
- Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: Japanese
