Backyard Yakitori-Style Chicken Skewers
Your backyard grill is about to earn some serious respect.
Sweet, smoky, and marinated in a sauce good enough to drink. These skewers are the reason you fired up the charcoal!
YIELD: 4 servings | MARINADE TIME : 1 hr | PREP TIME: 30 min | COOK TIME: 15 min | TOTAL TIME: ~5 hr
INGREDIENTS:
Marinade & Sauce
½ c Mirin
½ c Sake
½ c Low-sodium soy sauce
3 T Sugar
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 T Fresh ginger, grated
¼ t Red pepper flakes or Shichimi Togarashi
Skewers
3 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
4 Green onions, sliced into 1" pieces on the diagonal
20 small Button mushrooms, whole and brushed clean
1 Red bell pepper, cut into 1" pieces
Olive oil for grilling (as needed)
INSTRUCTIONS:
In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the mirin and sake and bring to a simmer. Stir in the soy sauce, sugar, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
Once cooled, measure out ½ c of the sauce and set aside — this becomes your drizzling sauce at serving. Pour the remaining sauce over the chicken pieces, cover, and refrigerate for 4 hours.
If using bamboo skewers, soak them in water for at least 1 hour before grilling so they don't burn. Prepare your charcoal grill to medium heat.
Thread the marinated chicken onto skewers, alternating with green onions, mushrooms, and red bell pepper pieces. Generously brush or spray all sides with olive oil to prevent sticking.
Grill the skewers 3–4 minutes per side, turning until the chicken is cooked through and nicely charred, about 15 minutes total. The internal temperature should reach 165°F.
Serve over steamed short-grain white rice or jasmine rice and drizzle generously with the reserved sauce.
NOTES:
Mirin and sake: Find both in the Asian foods aisle of most grocery stores or at any Asian market. Mirin is a sweet rice wine — don't substitute rice vinegar, they're very different. Sake is Japanese rice wine; a dry white wine works in a pinch.
Shichimi Togarashi: A Japanese seven-spice blend with gentle heat and complexity that red pepper flakes alone can't match. Worth finding if you can — it's increasingly available at regular grocery stores.
No charcoal grill? A gas grill works fine. A grill pan on the stovetop over high heat also gets the job done — you won't get the charcoal smokiness but the flavor is still excellent.
Make ahead: The sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated. The chicken can marinate overnight for even deeper flavor.
Plan ahead: Between the marinade and skewer soaking, give yourself at least 5 hours start to finish — this one rewards patience.
