Recipe: Chicken Yakitori
Print RecipeIngredients
For the tare:
1 cup soy sauce (preferably shoyu)
1 cup mirin
½ cup sake
½ cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
6 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
6 scallions, roughly chopped
One 2-inch piece ginger, peeled and roughly sliced
2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
For the skewers:
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat and sinew, cut into 1-inch pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch scallions, white and light green parts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup tare
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Instructions
Make the tare: Combine all of the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil, whisking occasionally. Reduce the heat and simmer until the liquid has reduced by half (it should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon), about 15 minutes. Let cool, then strain into a storage container and refrigerate until ready to use.
Prepare a medium-hot grill (if using a homemade konro, fill 1 chimney with binchotan, ogatan, or charcoal briquettes). Place the chicken in a bowl, season generously with salt and pepper, and toss. Thread the chicken and scallions onto skewers, alternating pieces of chicken with pieces of scallion. Push the ingredients together so they fit snugly on the skewers.
Place the skewers over the grill and cook, turning frequently, until the chicken is well browned all over and cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes. Brush the skewers with the tare and cook for 30 seconds, then turn the skewers over, brush with more tare, and cook for 30 seconds longer.
Transfer the skewers to a serving platter and brush one more time with the tare. Serve immediately.