Glazed in a homemade yakitori sauce, these Japanese Grilled Chicken and Scallion Skewers are hard to resist! You’ll love this simple Yakitori recipe with an easy savory-sweet sauce that you can make ahead. It’s great for grilling outdoors or under the broiler oven.
My family loves yakitori, and we we make sure to enjoy it whenever we visit Japan. It’s hard to resist the mouthwatering aroma of perfectly grilled chicken brushed with savory, caramelized yakitori sauce. The combination is simple yet sublime. I also have fond memories of meeting with friends over small plates of yakitori and drinks to catch up on work, family, and life.
Yakitori is such a fun and shareable food that’s nutritious, satisfying, and full of flavor. Best of all, it’s easy to make at home under your oven broiler with simple ingredients. Let me show you how with my Yakitori recipe!
Table of Contents
What is Yakitori?
Yakitori (焼き鳥) refers to Japanese-style grilled chicken skewers, literally translating to “grilled” (yaki) + “chicken” (tori). Traditionally, they’re cooked over hot Japanese binchotan charcoal on a long, rectangular grill that’s the perfect width to rest the bamboo skewers across the top.
The yakitori tradition uses every part of the chicken, from meat to organs to cartilage. Each chicken part has a distinct texture, flavor, and appeal. To bring out their best qualities, yakitori chefs employ various methods of butchering, skewering, seasoning, and grilling, while sourcing the best-quality chicken available.
Although skewered game birds or chicken have been part of Japanese cuisine for centuries, yakitori only gained popularity in the late 1950s with the introduction of broiler chickens bred for meat production by the United States. This led to an increase in the number of yakitori restaurants.
Today, yakitori can be found throughout Japan at single-item specialty restaurants known as yakitori-ya (焼き鳥屋). Shinjuku, Tokyo, boasts a famous street called Yakitori Alley with over 80 yakitori eateries! There’s even a street in Shinjuku, Tokyo, called Yakitori Alley with more than 80 yakitori eateries! Friends and colleagues often meet up at Japanese bars and pubs called izakaya (居酒屋) to snack on small plates of yakitori with a beer. They’re a popular menu item at festivals, and Japanese love to make yakitori on camping trips, too!
Why This Yakitori Recipe Works
You don’t need specialty equipment or unique chicken parts to make one of the most popular versions, called Negima Yakitori—grilled chicken thigh and scallion skewers. This recipe is easy, juicy, and full of flavor!
- Convenient oven broiling: Use your home oven‘s broiler to develop a nice char and grilled taste.
- Simple ingredients: My recipe uses boneless, skinless chicken thighs that you can find in any grocery store. They’re tender, juicy, tasty, and more forgiving to cook than chicken breasts.
- Easy homemade sauce: It takes just 4 pantry ingredients to make this traditional sweet-savory seasoning for an irresistible caramelized flavor.
Ingredients for Yakitori and Yakitori Sauce
For this basic recipe, you only need a few ingredients. It’s easy to switch them up, and I’ve provided some substitution options in the next section.
- chicken thighs that are boneless and skinless; free-range, if you can find it
- Toyko negi or green onions
- sake, mirin, soy sauce, and brown sugar for the yakitori sauce (tare)
Substitution Tips and Variations
While my recipe is a classic version of yakitori, you can certainly use other ingredients:
- Chicken is traditional, but you could use other proteins like sliced beef, pork loin slices, or strips of pork belly. If you’re feeling adventurous, try other chicken parts—see below for ideas!
- Don’t miss out on trying yakitori with ground chicken meatball called Tsukune.
- Swap other vegetables for the Tokyo negi or green onion. Consider shiitake mushrooms, king oyster mushrooms, shishito peppers, cherry tomatoes, asparagus, zucchini, eggplant, and regular onions. You can even make plant-based Yakitori-style Grilled Vegetable Skewers for a vegan/vegetarian version.
- If you crave ginger and garlic flavors, try adding some to the saucepan before reducing the sauce.
- For a lighter seasoning, sprinkle salt (shio) on your skewers before cooking and skip the sauce (tare).
How to Make Yakitori
- Soak the bamboo skewers for 30 minutes. I use 5-inch bamboo teppogushi or “gun skewers” that have a flat tab for a handle. You can buy them at Japanese markets, on Amazon, or use regular bamboo skewers.
- Make the yakitori sauce.
- Thread the skewers with the pieces of chicken and Tokyo negi.
- Place the skewers on an oven-safe wire rack coated with oil or cooking spray and set it on a foil-lined baking sheet pan. Cover the handles with foil.
- Preheat the broiler to High, then broil the skewers for 6 minutes.
- Brush with the yakitori sauce, flip and brush the other side, then broil for 3–4 minutes to caramelize the sauce.
- Flip the skewers once more, brush them with the sauce, then broil for 1–2 minutes. Serve immediately.
How to Make the Best Yakitori Sauce
This traditional sauce (called tare in Japanese) is surprisingly simple, yet it’s all you need for an authentic yakitori flavor.
- Add the seasonings to a saucepan—soy sauce, mirin, sake, water, and brown sugar. Add the green parts of the Tokyo negi, too.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low.
- Simmer and allow the sauce to reduce, uncovered, to one-third of its original volume (about 30 minutes).
- Let it cool to room temperature. The sauce is now ready to use.
Skewering Tips and Techniques
- On a flat work surface, fold a slice of chicken in half. Holding the skewer at a 45-degree angle, pierce the side of the folded meat. Then, tilt the skewer down so it‘s parallel to the work surface and push it all the way through. Position the chicken next to the handle.
- Add a piece of Tokyo negi perpendicular to the skewer, tucking it snuggly next to the chicken.
- Alternate chicken and Tokyo negi pieces, ending with a chicken slice.
Other Chicken Parts for Yakitori
Here are some popular chicken parts that make delicious yakitori. How many have you tried?
- chicken thigh (momo, もも)
- chicken breast (mune, むね)
- chicken tender (sasami, ささみ)
- chicken skin (kawa, 皮)
- chicken wings (tebasaki, 手羽先)
- chicken tail (bonjiri, ぼんじり)
- chicken cartilage (nankotsu, 軟骨)
- chicken heart (hatsu, ハツ)
- chicken liver (rebā, レバー)
- chicken gizzard (sunagimo, 砂肝)
- ground chicken (tsukune, つくね) – Tsukune Recipe
How to Store
- Leftover skewers: You can keep them in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to a month.
- Leftover sauce: Remove the negi greens from the sauce and pour it into a mason jar. Keep in the refrigerator for up to 2–3 months.
FAQs
Can I use chicken breast?
You can use chicken breast, though it tends to dry out easily. You’ll need to watch carefully while broiling. Keep in mind that breast meat is not as flavorful as thigh meat, so your skewers will have a milder taste.
Can I grill it outside?
Absolutely! In addition to the traditional yakitori grill, you can also use a hibachi BBQ grill or a standard outdoor BBQ grill.
What to Serve with Yakitori
- Rice – Yaki Onigiri, Miso Yaki Onigiri, Japanese Corn Rice
- Soup – Tomato and Tofu Miso Soup, Glass Noodle Soup, Cold Miso Soup (Hiyajiru)
- Salad – Japanese Cucumber Salad, Harusame Salad, Japanese Potato Salad
- Sides – Grilled Corn with Miso Butter, Edamame Pods, Blistered Shishito Peppers
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Yakitori Recipe with Homemade Sauce
Video
Ingredients
For the Yakitori Sauce (“Tare“):
For the Chicken Skewers
- 2 Tokyo negi (naga negi; long green onion) (or 9 green onions)
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs (at room temperature)
- neutral oil (for brushing the wire rack)
- shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice) (optional; for a spicy kick)
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients. For this recipe, I use teppogushi or “gun skewers” that have a flat tab for a handle. You can buy them at Japanese markets or on Amazon. If you can‘t find them, you can use regular bamboo skewers.
- Soak 10–12 5-inch bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes.
- Separate the green part of 2 Tokyo negi (naga negi; long green onion) from the light green and white parts. Cut the white and light green parts into 1¼-inch (3-cm) pieces. Cut the green parts in half crosswise.
To Make the Yakitori Sauce (Tare)
- To a small saucepan, add ½ cup soy sauce, ½ cup mirin, ¼ cup sake, and ¼ cup water.
- Add 2 tsp brown sugar and the green part of the Tokyo negi.
- Bring it to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until the sauce reduces to one-third of its original volume. It will take about 30 minutes. Let it cool to room temperature before using. The sauce will thicken with a glossy shine as it cools. Tip: You can make the sauce ahead of time. To store, remove the green onion from the sauce and pour into a mason jar. Keep in the refrigerator for up to 2–3 months.
- Tip: If you want to serve your yakitori with extra sauce, reserve one-third of the sauce in a small bowl for final basting, just before serving. To prevent cross-contamination, use this reserved sauce with a clean brush only after the chicken is fully cooked.
To Assemble the Skewers
- Cut 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs into 1¼-inch (3-cm) squares.
- On a flat work surface, fold a slice of chicken in half. Holding the skewer at a 45-degree angle, pierce the side of the folded meat. Then, tilt the skewer down so it‘s parallel to the work surface and push it all the way through. Position the chicken next to the handle.
- Next, add a piece of Tokyo negi perpendicular to the skewer, packing it snuggly next to the chicken piece.
- Alternate skewering the chicken and Tokyo negi pieces.
- End with a piece of chicken. Each 5-inch skewer will hold about 3 chicken slices and 2 Tokyo negi pieces.
To Broil/Grill the Yakitori (recommended)
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy cleanup. Place an oven-safe wire rack on top. Grease the grate of the wire rack with neutral oil to keep the chicken from sticking.
- Place the skewers on top in two rows, with the handles resting along the edges of the baking sheet. Cover the top and bottom of the handles with folded strips of aluminum foil to prevent burning.
- Preheat the broiler to High and wait until the heating elements are hot, about 3–5 minutes. Then, place the skewers under the broiler. Broil for 6 minutes.
- After 6 minutes, brush the meat and Tokyo negi with the yakitori sauce.
- Flip the skewers carefully with a pair of tongs. Brush on the other side with the yakitori sauce. Continue to broil for 3–4 minutes to caramelize the sauce.
- Finally, flip one more time (this is the presentation side). Brush with the yakitori sauce and broil for 1–2 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven.
To Pan-Fry the Yakitori (optional)
- Heat a large frying pan on medium heat. When it‘s hot, add about 1 Tbsp neutral oil. When the oil is hot, place the skewers in the pan in a single layer (you may have to cook in batches). Cook until both sides are brown, about 5 minutes each side. Then, cover and cook on low heat for 2–3 minutes. Add the sauce to the pan and cook until well coated. Remove from the heat.
To Serve
- Transfer the skewers to a serving plate, presentation side up. Optionally, with a clean brush, baste the top of the chicken skewers with the reserved sauce. Serve with shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice) and enjoy!
To Store
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to a month.
Nutrition
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on Apr 13, 2014. It was updated with new step-by-step and final images on April 18, 2024.
I love your blog! Really authentic recipes!!
I went to Japan about 10 years ago and my husband and I ate in a great yakitori place in Tokyo. It was by Shubuya (sorry for incorrect spelling!). I’m sure that doesn’t narrow down where we ate, but at this one place they had this great mustard (I think?) spicy dipping sauce. Do you have any idea what this could be?
Thanks!
Hi Lisa! I took some time to look into the yakitori shops in Shibuya (you wrote close!) area that serves karashi mustard dipping sauce. I couldn’t figure out your restaurant (so many yakitori shops…) but some places serve karashi mustard by itself (you need to buy Japanese karashi mustard, see below link) or karashi miso sauce. If you remember tasting miso in it, yours might be this one. I’m sorry I’m not too helpful here…
https://www.justonecookbook.com/pantry_items/karashi-mustard/
Thank you so much! I’ll give that a try!
OK, after searching my notes, the name of the place is Akiyoshi Ikebukuro. After looking at pics they have a yellow sauce. I’m pretty sure it was mustard. Anyway, thank you very much and any info would be great.
I just checked, and it looks like they use Neri Karashi.
Picture: http://tabelog.com/en/tokyo/A1305/A130501/13016977/dtlphotolst/1/
Basically you can make it if you can buy Japanese mustard (karashi) powder. You can use Google chrome to translate this Japanese recipe to English.
http://www.sirogohan.com/recipe/karasi/
Hope this helps! 🙂
Thanks so much for your help! I’ll search for this mustard. I guess it’s not a “traditional” yakitori accompaniment- I didn’t see it at any other yakitori places. Thanks again!.
I think I read somewhere that it’s a regional way to enjoy with karashi (for non-tare yakitori). I think it was from Hokkaido and Hakata (Kyushu region). 🙂
So tomorrow is the day I’m finally making these!!! I’ve been wanting to make them for soooo long now… but I have to ask something first:
1. I bought yakitori sauce some time ago, namely this one: http://www.japanesekitchen.co.uk/user/products/large/yakitori_sauce.jpg
Is it ok to use it or should I make one myself? I bought teriyaki sauce once and it tasted nothing like the one you make yourself…
2. Can I use mushrooms instead of scallions? I can’t imagine eating a piece of scallion just like that… 🙂 And grilled mushrooms are delicios <3
Hi Alina! Here are my answers:
1. If you believe that homemade teriyaki sauce was good compared to store bought ones, I highly recommend you to make this yakitori sauce. It’s so good. Many of my readers have tried and they all loved it (and emailed me). So I hope you give it a try one day, if it’s not this time.
2. Sure, definitely! Make sure it’s tightly packed so it won’t fall off from the skewer. The grilled scallion is so sweet and delicious, and the little bitter part (which I almost can’t recognize, but…) adds wonderful flavor to the chicken. The char on the scallion is nice too. Ok, enough about raving grilled scallion. =P Hope you enjoy this recipe!
So I couldn’t wait till tomorrow and made it today… 🙂 It really takes you some time to prepare them! The sauce turned out delicious (I made it according to your recipe). Reminded me a bit of teriyaki chicken which is still my fav Japanese food along with Hijiki Salad 🙂
And you were absolutely right about the scallions,,, 😉 I think I liked them even more than the chicken itself! 🙂
Hi Alina! Haha! I’m so glad to hear the recipe and you tried it with scallion! 😀
Thanks for trying the sauce too! It’s funny – but teriyaki sauce or most of Japanese seasoning is involved sake, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar… Just each recipe has different ratio but the taster is very similar! 🙂
Hi, Nami! How do you recommend we use leftover tare?
Hi C, Thank you very much for trying this recipe! We recommend reheating the leftover tare first and cool it, storing it in the air-tight container in the refrigerator or brush on the Onigiri (rice ball): make rice ball bush the sauce on the rice ball, then grill it. https://www.justonecookbook.com/yaki-onigiri-grilled-rice-ball/
or use it as teriyaki sauce. (This is a very similar sauce) We hope this helps!
Is there a name for that special fixed cooking grate?
I’m interested in getting a large one to do it like the Izakayas.
I don’t think it’s a hibachi, most of the ones i’ve seen are quite small.
I’m thinking if I can find one, then I might make it instead.
Hi Doug! You might be interested in this one. I have a friend who purchased it form this site and he really enjoys it. 🙂
http://korin.com/Grillware_2/konro_grills_3
O’genki, Nami. I love your site and hope to use many recipes. It’s been 17 years since my family lived in Misawa-shi in Aomori prefecture. We love the country, people and foods. In fact, we asked to return to Misawa to live for a total of 7 years. One of my daughters was born there, too. Many HAPPY memories of traveling and camping. Cooking authentic recipes brings back SO many thoughts!! Thank you.
Hi Dori! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed your life in Japan! I’ve never been to Aomori but I always wanted to visit especially during the big festival. Thank you for following my blog and I hope you enjoy my recipes! 🙂
It happens I’m going to cook chicken thigh tonight and I think yakitori is a healthy way of cooking. I love bbq chicken. Just one problem I don’t have sake. Can I use Chinese wine instead? Thanks. I love your recipes.
Hi Gemma! Sure, you can use Chinese rice wine. As you know, sake and Chinese rice wine taste different, and alcohol should be gone, but the sauce might taste slightly different. I’ve never used Chinese rice wine before, but hope it’ll work! 🙂 Enjoy!!
なみさん、初めまして。私も関東から20代前半で渡米しました。どれも懐かしいメニューばかりで、全部試してみたいです(って何十年かかるんだか?)料理に不安の多い私にとっては、分かりやすいビデオのチュートリアルがあるのは、本当に心強い事です!焼き鳥はアメリカ人の主人の一番の好物なので、なみさんのレシピを早速試してみようと思っています。日本食が好きなお友達にも、「日本人はこういう物を食べているんだよ」と自信を持って勧められるレシピ集だと思いました。本当にありがとうございます!これからのレシピも楽しみにしていますね。
Yokoさん、初めまして!コメント、ありがとうございます!私は二十歳で渡米しました。もう少しで日本とアメリカ、ちょうど半分半分になります。材料さえ揃えば、比較的簡単なレシピだと思うので、是非試してみて下さい。焼き鳥、オーブンじゃなくても外のグリルでもOKですよ。タレはとても美味しいです。気に入ってもらえると嬉しいです。日本食の好きな方が、家で自分で作ってみようと思ってもらえたら嬉しいです。何か質問があったら、いつでもコメント・メール下さいね!
Hello! Do you turn the yakitori over when you apply the tare sauce to both sides or do you leave it on the same side up as before? Thank you! Should sweet sake be used or is regular sake fine?
Hi Jessica! Yes I turn the yakitori when I apply the sauce. So it’ll be…
Cook 6 min.
Pull out and apply the sauce on the cooked part of the chicken.
Flip and raw side is up. Apply the sauce.
Put it back in the oven for 3-4 min.
And remember, not to use this sauce for after cooked. The brush touched the raw chicken, so you won’t be using this sauce at the table. Make sure to take some sauce away first before applying on the chicken. 🙂
I use regular sake (drinking sake like this: https://www.justonecookbook.com/pantry/sake/) for cooking. 🙂
Hope that helps!
These were delicious! Thanks so much for the recipe!
Hi Jake! Thanks so much for trying this recipe and writing the kind comment! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed the Yakitori. 🙂
Thanks for sharing this recipe! I had no idea that this could be done without an open-face hot plate or grill. I know that I’ll be using my broiler oven this weekend… =)
You’re very welcome, Kimmi! I think people in the U.S. like using an oven for cooking, and I really wanted to make it work for yakiotri so everyone is willing to make yakitori at home! 😉 Hope you enjoy!
I love your recipes which brings fond memories of our trips to Japan. What brand of shoyu do you prefer ?
Hi Hana! I usually use this organic soy sauce from Kikkoman. 🙂
https://www.justonecookbook.com/pantry/soy-sauce/
Hello Nami-san!
I’m brazilian and my wife is a brazilian-born japanese and we absolutely love your site. Since she can’t speak english i aways translate the recipes for her so we can enjoy some delicious food.
We speacially loved your Yaki Udon and Omurice recipes. Thank you VERY much for your awesome job.
We wish you success!!
Hi Fabian! Thank you so much for reading my blog and I’m very happy to hear that you enjoy my recipes. Thank you for your support and kind words! xoxo
Hi Nami
I do not have a broiler. Can I use an oven instead? What temperature should I set the oven at?
Hi Carol! You can use oven, but it may take extra long time until the chicken gets nice char after chicken gets cooked. That could be a reason for dry chicken. Do you have a toaster oven or outdoor bbq grill? That might be a better option than using an “bake” option in oven. However, you may want to give it a try. It might not be too bad. I just never used bake option for making yakitori before, so this is my guess. 🙂
Thank you for your advice, Nami.
My mom loves Yakitori, especially negima, we might make them when we grill outside.
I love kawa and tsukune dipped in raw egg
Hi Asami! Thank you for your comment! Tsukune recipe coming soon… Hope you will like it too! 🙂
Hi Nami,
just wanted to say that we made your Yakitori last week and they were super delicious.
I don’t know if we can link here but a pic: http://imgur.com/OOuAs7e
Hi Asami! Yes I could view your picture! Thank you!!! Your Yakitori looks soooo good! I’m hungry looking at it! 😀 Thank you for sharing the photo!
Made this today on the bbq. So simple and delicious! Thank you Nami!
Hi Po! Yay! We are so happy to hear you enjoyed Yakitori. Thank you very much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback!
Hi Nami! Just reading today’s recipe just made me feel so nostalgic for the izakaya places in Japan: なつかしい! The sound of the grill, tapping of plates being finished, smell of chracoal and lovely chu-hai drink! Thank you for showing how to do it on the broiler (in Australia, we call it an oven grill). It looks just as delicious! Just like the last comment, I love tsukune! So I am looking forward to that recipe! (^O^)
Hi Maybelle! Aww I’m so glad you enjoyed this post! I feel 懐かしい by writing this post too… remembering how delicious yakitori is in Japan… LOL. Oh yes, with chu-hai サワー! Will share the tsukune recipe pretty soon… Haven’t started to edit photos/video yet. 🙂
Yesterday, I was dreaming about eating good Liver Yakitori! (Not sure why…since the Liver isn’t my favorite.)
I never thought of cooking Yakitori this way. Good idea!
This will make a nice summer party meal along with the Chicken Meatballs. I thought that the Chicken Meatballs were like Tsukune, perhaps.
Thanks for the fun recipe!
Thanks so much Ayako-san! It’s very easy to make, and hope you enjoy this recipe. Tsukune recipe coming soon, too! 😉