Ready for a summer cookout? I highly recommend giving this Tsukune recipe a try. Drizzled with sweet soy sauce, these Japanese chicken meatball skewers are absolutely delicious. They are best on the grill but you can bake them in the oven too.
Tsukune (つくね) is Japanese chicken meatballs that are skewered and typically grilled over charcoal served in yakitori restaurants. Since I had received great feedback from readers on my oven-broiled yakitori recipe, I couldn’t wait to share this tsukune recipe! As summer is just around the corner, I highly recommend to bring these skewers out to outdoor grill and enjoy!
Watch How to Make Tsukune 鶏つくねの作り方
Tender ground chicken skewers with bits of shiso leaves and scallions, drizzled with sweet soy sauce. Make them in an oven or on the grill!
Tsukune is usually seasoned with salt or sweet soy sauce – yakitori “tare”. Ingredients for “tare” are similar to teriyaki sauce, but “tare” is much thicker and saltier. When the yakitori “tare” gets caramelized under the broiler (or over the grill), the tsukune becomes incredibly delicious. Slightly charred soft ground chicken with bits of shiso leaves and scallions and drizzled with tare…it’s hard to stop eating just one.
Usually tsukune recipes require eggs or panko to bind the ground meat together so that the meat won’t easily fall apart. However, I learned this trick from my mom to knead the chicken mixture until it becomes pale and sticky. The meat never falls off from the skewers and this method really works!
Technique for Springy & Juicy Chicken Meatballs
When you make chicken meatballs, you want to make sure they are fluffy, springy, and juicy. I learned this great technique from The Japanese Grill, one of Mr. JOC’s favorite grill cookbooks, and I’ve been following this method ever since.
With this method, you precook some of the ground chicken first, let it cool, and mix it in with the raw ground chicken instead of making meatballs from all raw ground chicken. This prevents the meat from shrinking too much. Sometimes when you grill meat you end up with much smaller pieces because the meat shrank after cooking. Also, this prevents the meat from losing a lots of juice. Although it an extra step, I find it’s totally worth it! Also, if you can’t find shiso leaves, it’s fine to omit but definitely tastes better with it.
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- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil (and more for coating your hands)
- 1 Tbsp miso (I use awase miso, which is a combination of red and white miso)
- 10 Shiso leaves (Ooba) (Perilla)
- 4 green onions/scallions
- Kosher salt
- ½ cup Yakitori Tare (See Notes for homemade recipe)
- Shichimi Togarashi (Japanese seven spice) (optional, for spicy taste)
Gather all the ingredients.
- Soak the bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes.
- Pile and roll up the shiso leaves, then cut into thin julienne slices. Cut the scallion into thin slices.
- Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. When it’s hot, add ⅓ of ground chicken and break it up into small pieces using a wooden spatula. Cook until no longer pink and transfer to a plate to let it cool.
- Combine the cooked chicken and uncooked chicken in a large bowl and mix well with rubber spatula.
- Add sesame oil and miso and mix well.
- Add the scallions and shiso leaves and combine well with silicone spatula.
- Now with your hand, knead 30 times clockwise. Then knead counterclockwise 30 times. The meat will become more pale in color and sticky. This part is very important for the meat to stay on stick so please do not skip this step.
- Grease the grill rack with brush. I use a roasting pan and rack as it can support the skewers very well while the excess oil drips down to the bottom of roasting pan when cooking.
- Lightly coat your hands with sesame oil to prevent the meat from sticking. Scoop a handful of the chicken mixture (1 ½ scoop for my hand using an OXO cookie scoop) and form into a round patty.
- Toss the meat to left and right hands to release the air pockets and gently squeeze to form the meat into a long oval patty, about 3-4 inches in length. Insert the skewer on the prepared wire rack.
- Lightly sprinkle salt over the chicken skewers.
- Put aluminum foil around the skewers to prevent them from burning.
- Preheat the oven to High Broil (550F) for 5 minutes. Boil in the middle rack, for 6 minutes. Then flip the skewers over and broil more for 4 minutes.
- When both sides are cooked, brush the yakitori sauce on the meat and broil for another 30 seconds. Transfer the skewers to a serving plate and brush the extra sauce on the meat. Serve with Shichimi Togarashi.
Yakitori Tare: Homemade recipe, click here.
Equipement you will need:
- 14 5-inch flat bamboo skewers
Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without my permission. If you’d like to share this recipe on your site, please re-write the recipe and link to this post as the original source. Thank you.
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Nolwenn
In France, tsukune might be one of the most loved dish at Japanese restaurant, I was surprised not to find it here in Japanese restaurant (but well… they also serve beef and cheese skewers in France, so…). Are they always made in this shape ?
Nami
Hi Nolwenn! I had no idea Tsukune is popular dish in France! Regarding its shape, sausage shape (like this) or ball shape are both common. 🙂
Nolwenn
It is 🙂
I’m doing your recipe tonight for dinner. I, however, don’t have shiso on hand so I will have to do without.
Nami
Hope you enjoyed this recipe, Nolwenn! Shiso is good to have, but it’s okay without it. 🙂
Gourmet Getaways
Thanks for the recipe and most especially, for the tip to eliminate shrinking. Another organized presentation. Superb!
Julie
Gourmet Getways
Sandra | Sandra's Easy Cooking
Incredibly delicious, and pictures speak for them self! Great recipe and video. You never disappoint!!!!
hotlyspiced
These do look very summery, Nami, and I like your tips on how to stop the meat from falling off the stick! I think serving food like this is great for casual summer barbecues with lots of family and friends xx
Laura @ Family Spice
I love how you wrapped the wooden skewers in foil! These remind me of Persian kabobs, but of course much different flavors. Interesting that you mix cooked chicken with uncooked. I’ve never seen that done before.
A_Boleyn
Combining cooked with uncooked chicken to form the meatballs is a very unique technique. The skewers themselves look very tasty, of course.
[email protected] Riffs
Really interesting technique to cook some of the meat, then mix it with the uncooked. I’ll have to try that! Great recipe — so much flavor. And I can never resist a meat ball. Or anything on a skewer. 😉 Thanks.
Coffee and Crumpets
These look so delicious, Nami! I love the glistening golden colour of them. It’s bedtime but now I’m hungry 🙁 I also love the trick of using some precooked meat mixed in, quite genius!
Chantal
Hi Nami,
Thank you for this great recipe!
We are fond of Yakitori and tsukune in France! I usually cook them but without shiso leaves.
I will try tsukune with them and taste your way.
Those skewers look amazing!
Have a great day
Chantal
Katerina
Count me in Nami! They look perfect to me and since I love teriyaki I am sure I will love tare too!
Millie l Add A Little
I love yaks tori and this looks so delicious as I’ve never tried tsukune!! Looks simple too!
http://youtube.com/addalittlefood
Rosa
Those meatballs look ever so good and tasty! A wonderful dish.
Cheers,
Rosa
Asmita
Hi Nami,
This looks insanely good! I love all your videos. Doing a fantastic job with that. I am a visual person so it helps.
Asami
We don’t get pre-ground chicken here… is it pure thigh or is it breast meat? A mixture of both?
Nami
Hi Asami! I’d use both so that it has enough fat from thigh. 🙂
SandyN
Yummy – can’t wait to make this! As usual, take a bow, simple and a delight to look at!!! Do I sense a Bento lunch after this? 😉
Nami
Hi SandyN! Hahaha well I’m writing a bento post right now… Good guess! It’ll be similar recipe, not this tsukune though. 🙂
Kitchen Belleicious
i really truly am drooling over this and trying to figure out when to make it soon! It looks delicious and sweet and salty and tender and I love it!
Mi Vida en un Dulce
I have the same grill rack in my kitchen, but I never used it…cna you imagine? Now I know that it’s useful.
Elizabeth Ann Quirino @Mango_Queen
What a delicious recipe. I’ve had this before at restaurants. But now that you shared the recipe I must try it at home. My family will love it. Thanks for the great step by step photos and video to explain it further. Have a good week, Nami!
cquek
I’m dying to bite into once of tsukune
Valerie | From Valerie's Kitchen
Nami, your recent posts have just been so mouthwatering! I’m still dreaming about the Ebi Chili Shrimp. I was actually describing it in great detail to my husband so I think it has to be made very soon! Haha. I love to do meatballs with ground turkey but haven’t done them yet with chicken. I LOVE the idea of putting them on skewers. People (especially kids) love food on sticks 🙂
Eileen
These sound just delicious! I’ve never had tsukune before, so I absolutely want to try it out soon. I bet this mixture would be great formed into meatballs too!
Lyn
This has my name written all over it…can’t wait to try. However, I know we don’t carry Shiso leaves in my area. Should I substitute basil? Thanks
Nami
Hi Lyn! I’d omit if you want to keep it Japanese style. Basil or mint are not very traditional Japanese herb. I know it’ll taste great with basil, but the taste won’t be Japanese (more like Thai/Vietnamese) style. Hope this helps. 🙂
Kristy
This sauce sounds delicious and I am sure these would be great on the grill. We’ll definitely try these this summer Nami!
Monica
Love your mom’s kneading tip. Thank you for sharing. These look very delicious – another food I’ve seen often and I now know how to make!
mjskit
Thanks for sharing the trick of precooking some of the ground chicken first. It certainly makes sense, but something I would never have considered. I’ve seen meatballs cooked this way a few times but have never done it myself. Thanks for the recipe!
Lynna
Nami, all of these look so drool-worthy! Also, perfect for outdoor bbqs, since they`re on skewers! Thanks for the grilling tip, too! Now I`m going to ask my mom if she can try this. >_<
Raymund
That glaze makes it even more appetizing 🙂
Jeanette | Jeanette's Healthy Living
Nami – these look so fun, perfect for summertime grilling. Love that trick of mixing some cooked + raw ground chicken – so interesting.
Sissi
Nami, do you believe in telepathy? I have been wondering all day what I should do with ground chicken…. Incredible isn’t it? All your tsukune look so succulent, I can almost smell the aroma of the shiso…. my beloved herb. You have made me decide to make tsukune this week too! I remember I cooked part of the chicken meat in a recipe taken from Shizuo Tsuji’s book too! So clever! Thank you for all the useful tips. I now feel ready to confront tsukune making process 🙂
Actually, tsukune is my favourite item on the menu when I go to Tokyo’s yakitori bars (together with the rare chicken breast, but it’s not available everywhere and I wouldn’t have it just anywhere). I remember I once went to a bar, where tsukune wasn’t on the – shortened – English menu; I wanted to taste it so much, I finally asked “do you have tsukune?” and it was the first question I dared asking in a bar in Japan 🙂 . Actually, they did have tsukune and it was extraordinary.
Jocelyn (Grandbaby Cakes)
Omg! These look so delicious! I bet the flavor in these is insane!
Ayako L.
Your photos are gorgeous as usual! Make me hungry every time 🙂
I love your method of cooking Tsukune in the oven. Who would thought of that?
I don’t have the outside grill at home right now, so this is great to know that I can cook this way.
I do Steak the same way.
By the way, do you grow your own Shiso in your garden?
Nami
Thank you Ayako! I use the broiler often to cook all kinds of meat instead of “bake”. 🙂
No, I don’t. I would love to since it’s easy to grow…. however deer visit our yard often, and I need to know they eat shiso…. 😀 Also our house gets pretty windy, that can be another issue. 🙁
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef
OMG I’m dying to bite into one of those! Absolutely mouth-watering!
The Ninja Baker
このポストは諸注意ばかり！誠にどうもありがとうございます。あまり肉を作りませんのでなみさんのティップスが助かります。肉の練り方はお母様から学んだことは素敵ですね。
[email protected]
These look so flavorful!! Never heard of this recipe but will try soon!
Albert Katsuyama
We have a Nagoya based Japanese restaurant in Honolulu that specializes in Tsukune:
http://www.tsukuneyarobatagrill.com/
Nami
Hi Albert! So nice! I don’t think I’ve been to a restaurant that only specializes in tsukune before!
Helene D'Souza
I think I had seen tsukune before but can’t remember where. They look lip smacking good Nami. Great cooking tip btw, need to try this soon!
Eha
The use of both cooked and uncooked chicken at the same time is quite new to me and I would have thought the cooked part of the meat would add dryness to the finished dish – obviously not! Looks very much worth trying!! Personally I do not use foil at the end of the skewers – just place them in water for half an hour before placing the ‘sausages’ on them [yes, I make most Eastern minced meat dishes in that shape 🙂 !
Nami
Hi Eha! I didn’t know the half cooked and half raw method before, but I really like this technique now! 🙂 I do soak the skewers for quite some time, but they still get dark (they won’t burn)… so I use foil for guests and blog posts. 😀 For home use, I skip that extra step. =P
TheKitchenLioness
Dear Nami, as some of the other commentators, I am also taken by the fact that you combine raw as well as cooked ground meat in this recipe – it does make sense if you want to have your final skewers keep their pretty shape after baking in the oven. Also, to wrap the wooden skewers with foil is a wonderful idea to keep them from turning too dark – these are all wonderful tips and and an outstanding recipe. And I like the third picture the best where you can marvel at the delicious, shiny sauce on your Japanese chicken meatballs.
Kate @ Diethood
These look absolutely amazing!! That glaze is making my mouth water. 🙂
Jessica
These look amazing and your pictures gorgeous. I have a ton of bamboo skewers that need to be used so looks like I’ll be making your chicken meatballs! Thx
Ramona
Wow.. these look fantastic!! My family will really enjoy these. 🙂
Bam's Kitchen
Nami-san, thanks for the great tip about placing aluminium foil around the wooden skewer to prevent burning. I have tried to make these before but it is very tricking turning them the first time as if they are not ready to turn the chicken meat sticks, even with non-stick cooking spray when you are making these on the grill. However, broiling them instead is a brilliant idea. Take care, BAM
Theresa
These are in the oven now. And my kitchen smells divine! I’ll let you know how they turn out.
Nami
Hi Theresa! Thank you so much for trying this recipe. I hope you enjoyed it. 🙂
Frank Mosher
Some hard to find ingredients in Canada, even in local Asian grocery stores. Shiso leaves-any substitute? Great blog still!
Nami
Hi Frank! I’m not sure where in Canada you live, but I heard there is a good Japanese supermarket in (or near) Vancouver (if you are in that area). If you can’t find shiso in Japanese or Korean grocery stores, you can omit. You can include other herbs or veggies if you like, but the best option is usually shiso or green onions. 🙂
Theresa
What type of miso do you use (white)?
Nami
Hi Theresa! I usually use awase miso for my cooking, if I don’t specify. Thank you so much for asking. I updated my recipe with miso info. 🙂
Janine
delicious! i didn’t have any shiso but found out mint was a good substitute for it so i used that instead. it was amazing! i was too excited and didn’t realize i had to boil down the tare (oops), but it still tastes great. luckily i saved the tare mix so i can easily boil it down next time. ha ha.
Nami
Hi Janine! Thank you so much for your kind feedback! I’m so glad to hear yours came out well and you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for trying this recipe! 🙂
May
I can’t wait to try this out this weekend! Do you think it will be ok to pre-make the skewers and refrigerate for overnight then cook just before serving? Also, how does the homemade tare sauce compare taste-wise to a store-bought terriyaki sauce? It sounds like it might be milder in flavor?
Nami
Hi May! Sure, you can prep the night before. You probably need to re-shape it once you pick up (raw) tsukune from the plate (it gets sticky, so use a parchment paper or plastic wrap on the bottom etc). Oh you must try this homemade tare! It’s not the same as teriyaki sauce. The store bought teriyaki sauce is very different from traditional teriyaki sauce in Japan, so I can’t imagine mixing these two… I would definitely suggest to make this tare to go with tsukune. If you say it’s “meaetballs”, I guess I can use store-bought teriyaki sauce… Tsukune needs the yakitori tare. 🙂
May
You’re the best. Thanks for the advice!
Darlene
Hi Nami,
I really want to try this recipe but I always thought that I could not mix cooked meat with raw meat.
Kennedy
Can you tell me why you cook 1/3 of the meat first. What happens to the meat when you toss it. The ground turkey and Chicken is very watery in Canada , do these two steps help
Nami
Hi Kennedy!
This method prevents the meat from shrinking too much. Sometimes when you grill meat you end up with much smaller pieces because the meat shrank after cooking. Also, this prevents the meat from losing a lots of juice.
If the meat is watery, make sure to drain well before mixing. 🙂
Julia
I made this recipe last week and it turned out great! I want to make it again a day before for a party and just heat it up right before serving–would that be ok? If so, would it make sense to brush on the sauce at that time too or doesn’t make a difference?
Nami
Hi Julia! Happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe and thanks so much for your kind feedback. Sure it’ll work. Store it in an air tight container and keep it moist. Also it’s good idea to keep the sauce and brush it on the meat again when you’re reheating. 🙂
Katie Lam
Hi Namiko,
What type of ground chicken should I use so that it won’t be so hard after I grill it? I tried some before and it was really dry. I bought a packet at the market and I think I must have picked the one with more lean% .
Which one did you use here or did you make your own? Thank you!
Katie
Nami
Hi Katie! Maybe yours was very lean (less fat). I didn’t make my own and got it from a Japanese supermarket. Sorry I wasn’t paying attention to the % (as it is the only kind available)… sorry I wish I could answer…
Debbie
This was good, but came out rather dry. Any suggestions to make it more moist? Also I prepared the tare according to your recipe, but 1) it never really thickened and 2) tasted very strongly of sake and shoyu. Any suggestions?
Thanks!
Nami
Hi Debbie! Thank you for trying this recipe!
Did you use broil? If you use “bake” option and cook for a longer time, it’s possible it gets dried out. Also it depends on the fat content of the ground chicken. I got mine from Japanese supermarket and I think it has good amount of fat in it.
About tare, did you uncover to reduce the tare? Since you mentioned that it never reduced, I was wondering if you cover with the lid. It should be reduced because the liquid evaporate. Since yours didn’t evaporate, I think the sake smell was strong. Tare is rather on salty side as it’s meant to brush on the chicken (not to dip in etc).
Hope this helps!
shirley
hi I already knead the chicken but it does not stick to the stick.why it is so? please advise thank you
Nami
Hi Shirley! Maybe your portion is too heavy/big for your skewer. Try reducing it a little bit. 🙂 Hope this helps!
shirley
Hi not really too big porton the chicken can’t hold together not sticky.thks
Nami
I really wish I can tell what went wrong or why you couldn’t do it… but without me being there to see the mixture and how you do it, I can’t really tell. 🙁 So sorry. Many people have tried it and I hadn’t received feedback on the meat not sticking to the skewer… Possible that maybe your skewer is very thin? My skewer is flat and thick. You also read my post where I said “I learned this trick from my mom to knead the chicken mixture until it becomes pale and sticky. The meat never falls off from the skewers and this method really works!” and follow, right? Sorry I’m really out of ideas why it didn’t stick…
Darlene
Hi Nami, It is hard to find fresh shiso leaves. What is a good substitute for shiso leaves? I made tsukune without shiso leaves and they were good but just missing a little something. Thanks.
Nami
Hi Darlene! Chopped green onions/scallions are good replacement. If you want to flavor this with this seasoning I created, I think it’s best to use green onion. Japanese don’t use herbs like other south East Asians cuisines so cilantro/coriander or mint are too strong (over kill) for this simple Japanese sauce. If you switch up the sauce, you can use other herbs of your choice. 🙂
Marc Hervais
Hi.
I made it.
I didn’t have al the good ingredients and my yakitori sauce was far too heavy and too salted (bought from a shop), but the texture of the tsukune was almost there. The idea of precooking a part of the chicken is simply great.
Even too salted,, the result is way better than what i got in my preceding attempts.
I think that what is missing in your recipe would be to put the preparation in the fridge for a while, so that the balls will be easyer to form when the mixture is colder.
Also they would cook better outside and stay more juicy inside.
I also put tiny breadcrumbs outside,,and i had nothing to complain about that.
Next time my tsukune will be perfect.
Thanks for the recipe.
Nami
Hi Marc! Thank you so much for your detailed feedback and tips! As I use a broiler for the recipe, make sure the mixture doesn’t get too cold. It takes longer to cook inside while the outside will get cook too fast (so inside will be raw). Maybe keep it out at room temp before putting in a broiler might help. Hope your next one will go well! Thank you for writing!
marc herv
thanks for your reply
now i did i almost by the book
what differences : it took me time to find shisho leaves, and i found leaves that look exactly like yours execpt that they are green on one side and purple on the other side. I didnt like the taste of these leaves so i simply decided not to add them.
i also forgot to buy miso, so i replaced it by a hot condiment and ginger. I like them.
I made myself a yakitori sauce but i chend the proportions by adding much less soy sauce, and i did well because it would have been far too salted for me. The tare was perfect
then i placed my tsukune above the middle of the oven like in your video at high broiler. and i must tell you that 6 minites on one side and 4 minutes on the other side is far too much
they didnt burn but they dried. I was fearing that it would happen, but i wanted to reproduce your recipe as much as i could
the textture was much better the first time when i cooked them with a very little sauce in a pan, because it was much more easy to stop the cooking wen done.
Mty tsukune was rather large so for sure, 6 minuts on one side and 4 on the other side at this temperature is far too much.
Unless the temperature of your oven is lower than you think (it is unlikely because the oven of your vedea seems to be very nice)
thankd for this. Anyway i know what to do the next time.
Best regards Marc
marc herv
sorry for the misstypings. You should have read this :
thanks for your reply.
Now i did it almost by the book.
What differences : it took me time to find shisho leaves. I found leaves that looked exactly like yours except that they are green on one side, and purple on the other side.
I didnt like their taste, so i simply decided not to add them.
i also forgot to buy miso, so i replaced it by a hot condiment and ginger. IT doesnt taste like miso, but i like hot dishes.
I made myself a yakitori sauce but i changed the proportions by adding much less soy sauce, and i did well because it would have been far too salted for me.
The tare was perfect. I used agave syrup instead of sugar, because i have diabetes. When it got caramelized, i added some sake to reach the texture that i wanted.
then i placed my tsukune above the middle of the oven like in your video at high broiler temperature,. and i must tell you that 6 minutes on one side and 4 minutes on the other side is far too much !
They didnt burn, but they dried. I was fearing that it would happen, but i wanted to reproduce your recipe as much as i could.
the texture was much better the first time when i cooked them with a very little oil in a pan, because it was much more easy to stop the cooking wen done.
My tsukune was rather large so for sure, 6 minutes on one side and 4 on the other side at this temperature is far too much.
Unless the temperature of your oven is lower than you think ( it is unlikely, because the oven of your video seems to be very nice).
thanks for this. Anyway i know what to do the next time.
Best regards Marc
Nami
Hi Marc! My readers will appreciate your input. Thank you for writing a thorough feedback! 🙂
Nicole Remnant
I cooked these over the weekend and my fussy kids loved them. They left 3 for my husband and I.
I subsituted shiso leaves with 1 tsp of cinnamon and 1 tsp of clove powder. And substituted mirin for chinese rice wine with 1/2 tsp of organic palm sugar.
It was still fantastic and I am going to add this recipe to our regular list. It was easy too!
Some issue sI found, even after needing for so long the mixture was too wet to put on skewers. It was the sesame oil..So I just cooked in a log shape and inserted the skewers after they were cooked!
oh and I cooked it under the grill for around 15 minutes, because it didnt brown up, and when put on the sauce, it took a while to caramelize. (this is my oven issue, not the method)
It was still very moist though. .
THANKS SO MUCH, LOVE IT!
Nami
Hi Nicole! I’m so happy to hear that your children enjoyed it. I share the similar stories. Sometimes the kids eat so much that Mr. JOC and I share a small portion! I’m glad you found substitute that work for you and your family. Thank you so much for sharing your feedback with us! I truly appreciate that you took time to write. xoxo