Grilled & Glazed Japanese Chicken Yakitori Recipe (9 Ingredients, 30 Minutes) Chicken Recipes Grilling Dinner Asian Recipes Lunch Gluten-free High Protein Recipes Appetizers

Yakitori is simply Japanese chicken kebabs. This easy yakitori recipe starts with a flavorful sauce that's also used to baste the chicken while it cooks. The result is moist chicken skewers full of Asian flavors, and a dinner you can have on the table in about 30 minutes.

To make these grilled and glazed chicken skewers you will need just nine simple ingredients. Here is your shopping list for this Japanese chicken dinner: low-sodium soy sauce or tamari (tamari is gluten-free), mirin, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, fresh ginger, garlic, cornstarch and boneless/skinless chicken thighs.

The high-protein chicken skewers cook up on a grill or in a grill pan in less than 20 minutes. Serve the juicy yakitori chicken kebabs for lunch or dinner with your favorite side dishes. We like fried rice and a fresh cucumber salad. Sometimes I'll serve the chicken kebabs as a fun appetizer at family gatherings.

Cuisine: Japanese
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 16 to 20 minutes
Total Time: 26 to 30 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients

Sauce

• 2/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce (use tamari for a gluten-free dinner)
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons mirin
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 teaspoons cornstarch

Chicken

• 2 pounds boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks

Here's how to make it: 

1. Combine all the sauce ingredients in a saucepot. Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking, and cook about 1 minute. Remove 1 cup of the sauce to a bowl to use as a baste. Set aside the remaining sauce.
2. Thread the chicken onto skewers. If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 30 minutes first so they don't burn. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. You could use boneless chicken breasts instead of thighs.
3. Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for about 3 minutes on the first side. Turn them over and baste with the sauce. Cook about 3 minutes more. Continue flipping and basting until the chicken is cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes more. Garnish with chopped green onions or sesame seeds, if desired. Serve with remaining sauce for dipping. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.

Recipe cooking times, nutritional information and servings are approximate and provided for your convenience. However, 30Seconds is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe, nor may you have the same results because of variations in ingredients, temperatures, altitude, errors, omissions or cooking/baking abilities. Any nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and it is up to the individual to ascertain accuracy. To ensure image quality, we may occasionally use stock photography.

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