Description
Bite-size chicken thigh skewers - plain, or with green onions - grilled over medium-high heat and brushed with a reduced soy, mirin and sake tare sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 4 green onions (optional, for negima)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Tare Sauce
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
- 1/4 cup sake
- 1/4 cup chicken broth (optional, preferably homemade)
- 1 clove garlic, smashed
- 1 thin slice ginger, smashed
Instructions
- Momo skewers: Cut the chicken thighs crosswise into 1/2 inch slices. Fold each slice in half (about 1 inch across), and thread onto the skewers, leaving 2 inches of each skewer bare. On a 6 inch skewer, 5 or 6 pieces fill 4 inches.
- Negima skewers: Trim the green onions, and cut the white and light green parts into 1 inch pieces. Thread a piece of green onion, two pieces of folded chicken, another green onion, two more pieces of chicken, and a last green onion onto each skewer.
- Salt the skewers: Sprinkle all the skewers lightly with the salt.
- Prepare the grill: Preheat the grill on high for 10 to 15 minutes. Brush the grate clean, and turn the heat down to medium-high. Lay two strips of foil on the grate to protect the bare ends of the skewers.
- Reduce the tare: Bring the tare ingredients to a boil, then simmer, stirring often, until reduced by half, about 10 minutes.
- Grill: Grill the skewers over direct medium-high heat, with the bare ends over the foil, for 2 minutes. Flip, and grill 2 minutes more.
- Glaze: Brush the skewers with the tare, flip, and cook for 1 minute. Brush again, flip, and cook 1 minute more.
- Serve: Move the skewers to a platter, brush one last time with the tare, and serve.
Notes
Equipment: A grill, bamboo skewers (6 inch is perfect) soaked in water for at least 1 hour, and strips of aluminum foil to protect the skewers.
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts work too, but chicken thigh is the favorite yakitori in Japan for a reason.
Chicken livers: Cook them just like the thighs, but skewer them gently - they're fragile.
Extra green onions? Make an all-green-onion skewer.
Learn the yakitori names for the different parts of the chicken at yakitori.co.jp.
For more Japanese grilling, try my Grilled Shiitake Mushrooms, Yakitori Style or Rotisserie Chicken with Teriyaki Sauce.
Adapted from Tadashi Ono and Harris Salat's The Japanese Grill.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes