Yakitori is super easy to make and so simple, it’s pretty much just skewering up the chicken, grilling it and coating it in the tasty sauce! Let’s start with the sauce which is a tare sauce, a sweet thick soy sauce, similar to teriyaki sauce, with the main ingredients being: soy sauce, sugar, sake and mirin, that’s simmered until it has thickened a bit. (There are many variations of the sauce with different flavours and ingredients.) Next up is the grilling and this is typically done over a charcoal fire but you can also ‘grill’ it in a barbecue, in a grill pan, or even under a broiler. I like to marinate the chicken in the sauce before grilling so that some of it caramelizes while it cooks and basting more on after intensifies the flavour! Yakitori is a street food and as such it can be eaten straight from the stick and you can also make more of a sit down meal of it by serving it on a plate/bowl with rice and veggies. (I like to serve it it with grilled pineapple and red bell pepper!)
Updated: July 27, 2020
The yakitori photos above were all ‘grilled’ under the broiler and the ones below were grilled on a BBQ.
Grill with fruit and veggies like pineapple and red bell peppers!
The original photo:
Serve over a bed of rice with grilled veggies!
Yakitori (Japanese Grilled Chicken Skewers)
A Japanese style grilled skewered chicken in a sweet and salty sauce!
ingredients
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons mirin
- 2 tablespoons sake
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 pound chicken breast or thigh, cut into bite sized pieces
directions
- Bring the soy sauce, mirin, sake and sugar to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the sauce thickens a bit, about 5 minutes, before letting it cool.
- Marinate the chicken in half of the sauce for 20 minutes to overnight.
- Skewer the chicken up!
- Grill* over medium-high heat until cooked, about 2-4 minutes per side, basting with the reserved sauce before enjoying!
Option: Use store bought teriyaki sauce.
Option: Add slices of garlic to the sauce as it simmers and remove, to add garlic flavour.
Option: Add slices of ginger to the sauce as it simmers and remove, to add ginger flavour.
Option: Add slices of shiitake mushrooms to the sauce as it simmers and remove, to add mushroom flavour.
Option: Use a different sweetener like brown sugar or honey, etc.
Option: Add 1 tablespoon oyster sauce.
Option: Add 1 tablespoon kecap manis.
Option: Add some heat with chili sauce (like sriracha) or chili peppers.
Option: Add bite sized slices of green onion in between pieces of chicken on your skewers. (Or other veggies, or fruit!)
Option: Add 1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed into 1 tablespoon water to make a thicker sauce without as much simmering.
Option: Add pineapple juice!
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Chicken Satay with Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce
Grilled Tandoori Chicken
Grilled Lemongrass Chicken
Moroccan Grilled Chicken Kabobs
Bacon BBQ Chicken Skewers
Balsamic Garlic Grilled Mushroom Skewers
Pesto Grilled Chicken, Zucchini and Tomato Skewers
Skillet Chicken Satay
Sriracha Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs
Teriyaki Grilled Shrimp and Pineapple
Grilled Chicken Teriyaki and Pineapple Salad
Peri Peri Grilled Chicken Skewers
Huli Huli Grilled Chicken
Grilled Chermoula Chicken
Shish Tawook
Grilled Mojo Chicken
This looks delicious! I made my own teriyaki sauce this week, but just drizzled it over a whole chicken. This looks a lot more fun to eat!
I made something similar last week too – while I first did it on the real grill – I gotta say the George Foreman came in handy too 🙂
Looks great. I like the idea of adding green onion.
I have always even liked the name Yakitori~ And anything asian inspired works so well for us!
Delicious! A great summer recipe!
Cheers,
Rosa
I love kebabs. Any meat eaten on sticks just tastes better. Yakitori sauce is a great marinade!
How could you go wrong with these classic Asian flavors? So good, Kevin! And I'm afraid I'm a sucker for meat on little sticks! Too much fun.
I love yakitori! Will try soon!
Meat on a stick…an invention rivaled only by the wheel!
My first time here, blame "For the love of Cooking" This photo captured my imagination, not to mention my stomach… Guess what I'm having for lunch.
I have also added a link on Blogger's Cafe:
http:avarchives.blogspot.com
under cooking of course. Fabulous blog.
AV
That looks great! What is mirin?
I need to try this, although I'd have to make a ton with 7 kids in the house!
Beautiful pictures too.
The caramelized sauce looks incredible!
Thanks for stopping by my blog. Yours is great! I am glad I found you.
It looks delicious, I prefer vegetables, but know I want to eat this!
I'm glad you reminded Japanese yakitori and inform to everyone!!
Japanese yakitori is one-bite size.easy to eat and easy to talk with friends.
Wow Kevin! These look really tasty! I had never thought about it before, but now that you mention, I guess each country does have it's own version of kabobs. =)
Yum! There is something about meat on a stick that I love, and the flavors you used sounds lovely and simple!
This looks exactly the same in the Japanese restaurant. Good Job!
This looks delicious..a perfect summer meal!
Simple and satisfying- this is perfect for a summer dinner!
That looks yummy and I did enjoy the tutorial!
This looks tasty. Kind of reminds me of the Filipino style BBQ. Now I'm craving for some.
That looks so yummy, I think I'm getting hungry!
Kevin – this looks super tasty! I love to order yakitori in Japanese restaurants and chicken satay in Thai restaurants so I guess you can call me a chicken skewer lover! Thanks for the recipe.
yakitori is so simple yet wonderful. mmmmm
I love the sweet and salty taste of yakitori..
mMMM… looks wonderful. I haven't made this in a while and I think it's time I do it again!
Thanks for this Kevin.
Looks yummy! I also like the idea of adding the green onion.
Mmmm, I love yakitori! The best yakitori I've had was at a restaurant in Narita airport. I'll have to try this recipe.
This looks delicious! You always make things look so tasty. Can't wait to try it!
Diane, Fit to the Finish: Mirin is a sweet cooking sake. You should be able to find it int he Asian section of your local grocery store or a local Asian grocery store.
I remember the first time I had yakitori, on our first night in Tokyo, from a street cart. I've never had any that tasted quite as good, but I'm sure the setting had a lot to do with it.
Have you tried making it with free range chicken thighs? I think that would be awesome — although I am biased because I prefer brown meat in general.
I think I might make these with a side of jasmine rice this weekend!
The sauce looks so delicious!
I LOVE yakitori and your recipe looks great!!
I made this a long time ago, but my teriyaki sauce always ends up very runny, and the meat doesn't seem to absorb the teriyaki taste so well… It looks so nice and thick on your picture!
Julia: You really need to marinate the chicken to infuse it with the teriyaki flavour. This teriyaki sauce is runny and if you want a thick sauce you can simmer it in a pan to reduce until it gets nice and thick.
I tried this, and I marinated the chicken for 24+ hours. It was one of the most delicious chicken dishes I have ever made for myself. Thanks for the recipe.
Hi, can we remove the sake or what’s the substitute for it? thanks
Yes, you can omit the sake! You can either simply omit it or replace it with something else, I like pineapple juice.
This recipe like so many of your other ones, sound wonderful.
Thank you
delicious recipe
I made your recipe at home very tasty, delicious thank you add more recipes.
Sounds like one (maybe two) people actually made this recipe, Why people send in a “review” when they have not made the dish is just puzzling to me. Does anyone care that you think the recipe “looks” like it would be good?
This is an amazing…and it looks soo yummy & sound so delicious…i will trying to make it …Thanks for sharing….
Love it!
I made it at home according to your instruction. An easy, simple, and tasty recipe, many thanks
Thanks For Sharing this amazing recipe. My family loved it. I will be sharing this recipe with my friends. Hope they will like it.