Description
Japanese Chicken Yakitori is a delicious grilled chicken skewers recipe featuring tender chicken pieces marinated in a flavorful soy sauce-based glaze with garlic and ginger, then grilled to perfection and basted with a sweet and savory thickened sauce.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken
- 5–6 pieces boneless chicken breast or 6–8 pieces boneless chicken thighs
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
- Ground black pepper, to taste
- 6–7 wooden skewers (soaked in water for 10–20 minutes)
Sauce
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tbsp red wine or mirin
- 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 1 tsp cornstarch slurry (1 tsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp water)
Instructions
- Soak Skewers: Soak wooden skewers in water for 10–20 minutes to prevent them from burning during grilling.
- Prepare Sauce: In a bowl, mix soy sauce, water, red wine or mirin, brown sugar, and vinegar until the sugar dissolves completely, creating the marinade and baste sauce.
- Marinate Chicken: Trim and cut the chicken into 1–2 inch chunks. In a bowl, combine the chicken with minced garlic, minced ginger, ground black pepper, and a portion of the prepared sauce. Let it marinate for at least 10 minutes to absorb the flavors.
- Thicken Sauce: Pour the remaining sauce into a saucepan and cook over medium heat. Add the cornstarch slurry gradually and stir until the sauce thickens to a glaze consistency suitable for basting.
- Grill Chicken: Thread the marinated chicken pieces onto the soaked skewers. Grill them over medium-high heat for about 8–12 minutes, turning occasionally and basting with the thickened sauce to build layers of flavor and achieve a beautiful glaze.
Notes
- Soaking skewers prevents them from burning on the grill.
- Use chicken thighs for juicier, more flavorful skewers; chicken breast works well for leaner options.
- Mirin adds sweetness and a subtle tang, but red wine can be substituted if unavailable.
- If you don’t have a grill, the skewers can be broiled or cooked on a grill pan indoors.
- The thickened sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: Japanese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 skewers
- Calories: 280
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 850mg
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 20g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Protein: 30g
- Cholesterol: 70mg
Keywords: Japanese chicken yakitori, grilled chicken skewers, yakitori recipe, Japanese cuisine, chicken marinade, soy ginger chicken
