Yakitori (Japanese Grilled Chicken Skewers)

Chicken and spring onion skewers brushed with a sweet soy glaze and grilled until charred at the edges.

TIME BREAKDOWN
Prep: 40 min
Cook: 25 min
Total: 1 hour 5 minutes
Vegetarian
❌
Nuts
❌
Serves
4 people
Difficulty
Easy

Ingredients

  • 700g skinless boneless chicken thighs, cut into 3cm pieces
  • 8 spring onions, cut into 3cm lengths
  • 12 wooden skewers
  • For the tare glaze: 100ml light soy sauce
  • For the tare glaze: 100ml mirin
  • For the tare glaze: 3 tbsp caster sugar
  • 1 tsp sunflower oil
  • 1 lemon, cut into wedges

Method

  1. Soak the wooden skewers in cold water for 30 minutes.

  2. For the tare, simmer the soy sauce, mirin and sugar in a small pan over a medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes until reduced by about a third and slightly syrupy. Leave to cool for 5 minutes.

  3. Thread the chicken and spring onion pieces alternately onto the skewers. Preheat the grill to high and brush the grill rack with the oil.

  4. Grill the skewers for 5 minutes, turning, then brush with the tare and grill for 6 to 8 minutes more, turning and brushing again, until charred in places and cooked through, with no pink meat.

  5. Serve hot with the lemon wedges and any remaining tare for dipping, after boiling it for 1 minute.