Yakitori (Grilled Chicken Skewers)
Updated May 25, 2022
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
- Total Time
- 15 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
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
Nutritional analysis per serving
5 grams carbs; 48 milligrams cholesterol; 140 calories; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 4 grams fat; 1229 milligrams sodium; 18 grams protein; 2 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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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.
Private Notes
Comments
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.
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.
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 .
Way too salty and I love salt. So glad I read the comments before making this recipe. I was able to reduce the salty taste by adding more mirin, sugar and fresh ginger. Taste before marinating!
Add a pinch of white pepper
I keep ginger in a bag in the freezer and grate in on a microplane (no need to peel) while still frozen. Put whatever you didn't use back in the bag. Depending on the recipe, I sometimes substitute finely minced or coarsely chopped crystallized ginger instead.