Whenever my cousins and I meet, we treat ourselves to the tastiest yakitori. You can catch the aroma of the skewered yakitori from a distance, and its taste is delectable. If you are craving authentic yakitori, grilling is the best option. However, this guide will teach you to make the best homemade yakitori in a broiler. ‘Yakitori’ is a Japanese term which means ‘grilled chicken’ in English: ‘yaki’ means ‘grilling’, and ‘tori’ means ‘chicken’. Because of its simplicity and comforting flavour, this dish has to crack the list of the most popular Japanese cuisines. Before sharing the recipe, let us unleash why people prefer this dish.

What is Skewered Smoky Chicken?

Food enthusiasts aspiring to recreate this dish at home can prepare the sauce and soak the skewers beforehand. Thus, you only need to skewer, brush, and cook to prepare this dish. Making this dish in a broiler requires only ten minutes, and the finished product is ready to serve! Preparing this appetising sauce at home requires only four ingredients, and your yakitori sauce is ready. In short, making this dish is simple, and it is ready in a very short time.

What are the key ingredients for Making Yakitori?

Yields up to 12 skewers

For the yakitori sauce:

• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• ¼ cup sake
• ¼ cup water
• ½ cup mirin
• ½ cup soy sauce

For the chicken skewers:

• 1 lb boneless chicken thighs
• Neutral oil
• Shichimi togarashi (Optional)
• 2 Tokyo Negi

Substitute Ingredients of this Dish

• Soy sauce

If you wish to enjoy this dish gluten-free,  use tamari or coconut aminos.

• Chicken

This yakitori version uses chicken thighs as a main ingredient. However, you may use pork loin, pork belly, or sliced beef.

• Sake

Over the past few days, my loyal readers have flooded my blog with comments addressing the non-availability of sake. You may substitute sake with Chinese rice wine or dry sherry.

• Mirin

Mirin is a key ingredient in yakitori. If you do not have mirin, mix two teaspoons of sugar and two tablespoons of water or sake.

• Green onion/ Japanese green onion (Negi)

Japanese and seasoned yakitori shokunin use green onions or negi in yakitori. However, if you wish to give a fresh touch to this dish, use asparagus, mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, shishito peppers, or zucchini. And, if you are a vegan, you may make plant-based yakitori-style grilled vegetables. Do you want a detailed recipe for the vegan version of the traditional yakitori? If yes, comment below, and I will share its recipe with you.

Whenever I post recipes, my readers inquire about the equipment I use in my recipes. Thus, I have decided to update you on the products I use. To make yakitori, I used gun skewers or teppogushi.

Directions

Firstly, let us prepare the sauce. For this:

• Chop the white part of the scallions into tiny slices. Fold the green parts in half and cut them into chunks.

• Add water, and mix brown sugar, mirin, soy sauce, sake, and sliced green onions in a boiling pan.

• Boil this mixture. When your homemade yakitori sauce boils, reduce the gas flame and cook it on low. It will take half an hour.

• Cut the chicken thigh pieces into thin slices (around 3 cm).

• Now, place the chicken pieces and green onions on the skewered sticks. Repeat it till you have used all your ingredients and sticks.

• Preheat the boiler. Cover a baking tray with aluminium foil and set a wire rack on top. Drizzle oil on the rack so it does not stick, and lay the skewers.

• Broil the skewered sticks for five to seven minutes. Spread the sauce on one side and turn it to the other side. Spread the sauce on the other side and broil it for another five minutes. Broil it for another two minutes, and add spread more sauce to make it tastier.

• Remove the skewered sticks from the broiler, and enjoy!