Yakitori (Grilled
Chicken Skewers)
By Melissa Clark
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Total Time 15 minutes
Rating 5 (1,312)
Notes Read 95 community notes
Yakitori is Japanese skewered and grilled
chicken that can use approximately 30 different
chicken parts, from momo, or chicken thigh, to
nankotsu, or chicken cartilage. This recipe calls
for marinating chicken thighs, gizzards and
livers in a savory-sweet sauce of ginger, sake,
mirin, soy sauce, garlic and a touch of brown
sugar, grilling or broiling, then scattering with
chopped scallions. Serve it alongside something
fresh and green, like a cucumber salad, and a
pile of rice.
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INGREDIENTS
Yield: 6 appetizer servings
1 pound chicken livers, gizzards or boneless
thigh meat
½ cup dark soy sauce or tamari
¼ cup mirin
2 tablespoons sake or dry sherry
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
½ teaspoon grated fresh ginger
Scallions, thinly sliced, for garnish
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PREPARATION
Step 1
Cut chicken into one-inch pieces and place in
a shallow dish.
Step 2
In a small saucepan, combine soy sauce or
tamari, mirin, sake or sherry, brown sugar,
garlic and ginger. Bring to a simmer and
cook for 7 minutes, until thickened. Reserve
2 tablespoons sauce for serving. Pour
remaining sauce over chicken, cover, and
chill for at least one hour (and up to 4 hours).
Step 3
If using wooden or bamboo skewers, soak
them in water for one hour. Preheat grill or
broiler. Thread chicken pieces onto skewers,
and grill or broil, turning halfway, for about 3
minutes for livers, 10 minutes for gizzards
and 6 minutes for thighs. Serve drizzled with
reserved sauce and garnished with scallions.
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RATINGS
5 out of 5
1,312 user ratings
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COOKING NOTES
All Notes (95) Most Helpful (19) Private
Beth 6 years ago
To make a one-dish, veggie-full meal without the
fuss of grilling, simmer chunks of boneless
chicken breast or boneless thighs in the mixture
described in the recipe. Remove the chicken and
keep warm. Add a cup of chicken broth to the pan
and simmer chopped bak choy, plus more ginger
and garlic, until crisp-tender. Serve over rice. Add
sliced jalapenos if you like more heat.
Is this helpful? 128
Janet 6 years ago
This is a favorite. I use less mirin, more ginger
and add a touch of rice wine vinegar for added
sharpness. I've also tried it with a touch of dark
sesame oil and sprinkled sesame seeds and
cilantro on top. Probably not authentic "Yakitori",
but delicious nonetheless .
Is this helpful? 84
KH 6 years ago
I used boneless chicken thighs and broiled in
oven on a foil covered baking sheet. Instead of
sake or dry sherry I used shaoxing rice wine
because I had it on hand. I served it with rice and
green beans with sliced almonds and for dessert
a couple of orange slices served with a small
square of orange dark chocolate. My husband
raved about the chicken. This was a yummy
dinner.
Is this helpful? 31
ajea 6 years ago
The key here is the mirin, not the soy. If you ever
want to taste mirin heaven--I'm talking about an
entirely different universe--buy this "Mitoku
Organic Mikawa Mirin" from naturalimport dot
com. One guy in Japan makes this. Unlike
anything you've had before.
Is this helpful? 31
Mary 5 years ago
How can this possibly be prepared in 15
minutes? An hour to marinate, several minutes to
thread meat onto skewers, plus 13 minutes of
actual cook time for thighs--let's be honest.
Is this helpful? 29
MCA 5 years ago
Double sauce, use scant tamari sauce. Marinade
for a few hours. Drain sauce from chicken and
boil. Eight chicken thighs, at 350°, bake on one
side 30 minutes, turn over for another 20. Baste
on chicken when done. Sautéed in garlic some
vegetables: green peppers, carrots, bok choy,
some onion, water chestnuts. Can sprinkle with
cashews or peanuts. Serve over rice.
Is this helpful? 25
Mara 6 years ago
I made this over the weekend. It was delicious, I
added hot sauce to my sauce that I marinated the
chicken with. I made extra to drizzle the chicken
and my salad.
Is this helpful? 13
Teresa Holden 5 years ago
I used this substitution for the mirin: Add
between 1 and 2 tablespoons of sugar to 1/2 cup
of white wine, vermouth, or dry sherry to replace
1/2 cup of mirin.
Is this helpful? 13
JD 6 years ago
This is a good yakatori recipe.There's a big
difference between using tamari and dark soy
sauce. Tamari is more concentrated, so I found
myself adding more mirin and sugar to get to the
magic point where sweet balances salty. Next
time I will reduce the tamari by a tablespoon. I
haven't tried this with "conventional" soy sauce
like Kikkoman, but I suspect it would not need to
be reduced to get to the balance point. Used
metal skewers on a gas grill.
Is this helpful? 10
Emily 2 years ago
We dont have a grill so I marinated boneless
thighs and roasted them at 400 degrees on a
rack placed over a sheet pan, turning them after
15 minutes, basting with the marinating mixture,
and broiling for 3-5 minutes. My 10 year old son
said it was the best chicken I've ever made, and
my 13 year old son ate dinner without attitude,
which is enormous praise in and of itself!
Is this helpful? 7
doobieny 6 years ago
Great recipe! I use a lot of ginger - usually a
thumb size of ginger. I didn't have time to
marinate for longer than 30 minutes, so perhaps
that helped reduce some of the saltiness
mentioned below. I used boneless chicken thighs
on the grill.
Is this helpful? 5
Jada 6 years ago
Eeek - really really salty. I made this on the pan
though, so maybe it'd be different under the
broiler or grill?
Tastes wonderful, but I wouldn't let the chicken
marinade at all, just a quick toss in the sauce
would be enough.
Added zucchinis to the leftover sauce after taking
out the chicken, plan on frying eggs in the sauce
as well.
Is this helpful? 4
Sara 5 years ago
I didn't have sake otherwise I followed recipe
exactly and it was delicious!
Is this helpful? 4
C from Colorado 2 years ago
Use breast meat. bake @ 350
Is this helpful? 4
Starchgirl 6 years ago
11/5/15 Great weeknight meal! I used boneless
thighs, and marinated overnight. Served with
Summer rolls, Jasmine rice and Chinese
Restaurant-Style green beans. I didn't have
mirin, and subbed rice wine vinegar.
Is this helpful? 3
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Recipe Tags
Asian, Japanese, Chicken, Grilled Chicken,
Soy Sauce, Quick, Appetizer
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