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.
When it comes to chicken on a stick, the Japanese have their own best version known as Yakitori (焼き鳥). The name directly translates to “grilled chicken,” but yakitori represents much more than that—it embodies the essence of good times and joyful hours in Japan.
These chicken skewers are a beloved classic dish often found in izakaya, which are Japanese-style pubs offering a combination of chilled beer, delectable bites, and lively conversations. They are the hallmark offering at specialty restaurants exclusively dedicated to serving Yakitori.
The great news is that making delicious Yakitori at home is easily within anyone’s reach. Allow me to guide you through the process!
Yakitori in Japan
Just like sushi and tempura, Yakitori in Japan is a serious business. At specialty restaurants, the chefs would go as far as sourcing special breeds of chicken from specific regions known for their unique texture and flavors. Various methods of butchering, skewering, and grilling are applied. And the patrons get to choose from an astonishing selection – from breasts, thighs, cartilage, wings, skins, tenderloin, livers to gizzards.
Here are the examples you’d get on the menu:
- Chicken Thigh (momo, もも)
- Chicken Breast (mune, むね)
- Chicken Thigh & Scallion (negima, ねぎま)
- 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)
Here, I’m sharing one of the most popular yakitori dishes called Negima Yakitori – chicken thigh and scallion skewer. This is a super easy recipe you’ll love!
3 Quick Tips for Making Delicious Yakitori
- Use boneless, skinless chicken thighs. They stay juicy and more flavorful compared to breasts.
- Soak the bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes before threading the ingredients.
- Alternate the chicken with big pieces of scallion on skewers, and make sure they are tightly snugged to each other.
The Seasonings (Shio or Tare)
Most yakitori joints will only offer two simple flavorings: salt (shio) or yakitori sauce (“tare” is pronounced [ta-reh]).
Tare is made of soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar. I tested several sauces over the years and we like this version best. It has a good balance between sweet and salty. You can add ginger and other ingredients for the sauce, but in this case, a minimalist is a great approach.
For the purest taste of grilled chicken, you can go without the sauce and simply sprinkle salt before grilling. It’s really amazing how the meat can transform into something so delicious with simple treatments.
Bamboo Skewers for Yakitori
For yakitori, the skewers are usually made from bamboo. We call the typical skewers “teppogushi” (literally means “gun skewer” from its shape). The tapered skewers have a flat tab on one end which makes them easier to turn or hold. They also won’t roll on the grill and allow the chef to grill one side at a time.
You can buy them at Japanese supermarkets or Amazon (regular bamboo skewers will also work).
Easy Oven Broil Method
While you may not be able to create the atmosphere of yakitori joints, you won’t go wrong with this easy oven broil method that I share here.
Start by making the tare sauce, then thread the chicken and scallions into skewers. When ready to grill, set the broiler on high at 500ºF, and let the oven does the job. Within 15 minutes, you’d be rewarded with some nicely char-grilled results for the chicken. The recipe works great for the outdoor grill, too.
Itadakimasu!
I love that we can easily recreate this izakaya favorite without any fuss. They are great as a main dish or as an appetizer or as a snack for movie night. There is really nothing not to love about these delicious chicken on the sticks.
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Yakitori (Chicken Skewers) with Homemade Yakitori Sauce
Video
Ingredients
For the Yakitori Sauce (“Tare“):
For the Chicken Skewers
- 9 green onions/scallions
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs (at room temperature)
- neutral oil
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- Soak about 10 to 12 5-inch bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes.
To Make the Yakitori Sauce (Tare)
- In a small saucepan, add ½ cup soy sauce, ½ cup mirin, ¼ cup sake, ¼ cup water, 2 tsp brown sugar, and the green part of 1 of the 9 green onions/scallions. 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.
- 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 Prepare/Assemble the Yakitori
- Cut the white and light green parts of the remaining green onions/scallions into 1-inch (2.5-cm) pieces.
- Cut 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs into 1-inch (2.5-cm) squares.
- On a flat work surface, fold each slice of chicken in half, insert a bamboo skewer into the chicken at a 45-degree angle, and press down on the skewer to pierce the meat through the center.
- Next, add a piece of scallion perpendicular to the skewer. Continue to alternate chicken slices with pieces of scallion, ending with a piece of chicken. Each 5-inch skewer will hold about 4 chicken slices and 3 scallion pieces.
To Grill/Broil the Yakitori
- Grease the grate of the broiler/wire rack (or oven-safe cooling rack) with neutral oil to keep the chicken from sticking to the grate. Place the skewers on top.
- Set the broiler to High and wait until the heating elements are hot. Then, place the skewers under the broiler. Broil for 6 minutes.
- After 6 minutes, brush the meat on both sides with the Yakitori Sauce. Continue to broil for 3–4 minutes to caramelize the sauce.
To Serve
- Remove the skewers to a serving plate. With a clean brush, baste the top of the chicken skewers with the reserved sauce. Serve and enjoy! Tip: If you accidentally cross-contaminate the reserved sauce (by dipping the same brush you used on the uncooked chicken during cooking), you will have to boil the sauce again.
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. The post has been updated and republished in July 2020.
The yakitori was delicious!! Thank you so much!! I’m hoping you’ll post some hints for putting chicken livers on skewers so that they stay on and cook nicely. I’ve tried many times, but no luck.
Hello, Connie. Thank you so much for taking the time to read Nami’s post!
A common technique for chicken livers is to insert the skewers in a zigzag pattern so that the livers stay on the skewers.
Another option is to use wider and flatter bamboo skewers.
We hope this helps! 😃
I’m curious about the sodium in the nutrition information (I’m on low sodium). 234 mg. is fine, but 1/2 cup of soy sauce by itself is 6700 mg.; almost three times that level of sodium per skewer. Does most of the sauce drip off while broiling? Or don’t you use the whole sauce recipe?
Thanks
Hello Jack! Thank you for giving Nami’s recipe a try.
The recipe includes extra sauce, and it is not necessary to use all of it. Additionally, while brushing and broiling, most of the sauce tends to drip off.
Our goal is to provide realistic data, but please note that the nutrition information is only an approximation. Please use it as a guide since cooking styles may vary depending on a person’s preference.
We hope this helps!
Very tasty I find the sauce does not thickens as much as I tried to reduce it. It’s still very runny. I did marinade my meat first before grilling them. Brushing it with the Yakitori sauce every so often. It turned out to be juicy and tasty. Thank u!
Hi Amy! Thank you so much for trying Nami’s recipe and sharing your Yakitori photo with us. It looks delicious!
If you like a thicker sauce, such as Teriyaki, a little sugar can be added to thicken the sauce. However, because of the sugar, it will easily burn. Yakitori sauce is typically runnier in consistency.
We hope this helps!
Great recipe, the yakitori tastes great! Only two issues.
1. I left the yakitori sauce on my stove for over an hour to reduce it and left it out to cool afterwards, but it didn’t get any thicker. Any idea what the issues might be?
2. A lot of yakitori sauce drips onto the foil i put underneath (probably because it’s so soupy) and caramelizes and then burns. Really stinky. How do you avoid this?
Thanks!
Hello, Lukas! Thank you for attempting Nami’s recipe!
Yakitori sauce does not thicken as much as Teriyaki sauce since it has less sugar. You can add additional sugar if you like.
Instead of brushing a large amount of sauce on at once, brush the sauce over the Yakitori meat a few times throughout cooking to add flavor. This will help to decrease dripping.🙂
We hope this helps!
Not sure what I did wrong in making this. I cut the chicken to the right size and put it under the broiler at 500, but even after 20+ minutes, the chicken wasn’t cooked. I don’t know if I needed to put it closer to the broiler, but my fiancee had to turn on the grill and finish it off for us. Usually don’t have issues with Nami’s recipes, so I feel like it’s user error on my part.
Hello, Ashley! Thank you for attempting Nami’s recipe!
Your chicken seemed too far away from the broiler heat element. Yes. Please bring them closer next time. It is usually best to keep around 8 inches (20 cm) away from the top heating element (in the middle of the oven).
We hope this was helpful!
Thanks, Naomi! I definitely think it was a little too far away from the broiler. For what it’s worth, the yakitori was delicious when we finished it on the grill!
I grilled it instead 😋 Great recipe! I’m looking forward to making a big batch and sharing this good food with friends and family.
Hi KayCee! Wow! 🤩 Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and sharing the photo with us! It looks so delicious!!!
Fabulous recipe, thanks Nami. Substitute the scallion with king oyster and yellow pepper. The missus love them!
Hi Lionel! Fabulous!🤩 Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and sharing your photo.
Happy Cooking!
Dear Nami, I grilled these yakitori outside for my summer bbq party with friends and it was a hit 🙂 Thank you!
Hi Addie! Thank you for trying Nami’s recipe!
Nami and JOC team are so happy to hear you and your friends enjoyed Yakitori!
Happy Summer!
Thank you very much for the recipe, Namiko . It was another hit with the fambam.
Hi Catherine-Ann! Great photo!🤩 Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback!
The skin is the best part IMO.
Hi Nathan!😁 We are glad to hear you enjoyed Yakitori!
I’ve seen other recipes that call for marinating the chicken in the tare sauce. How come you do not marinate the chicken in your recipe?
Hi Christina, Thank you very much for reading Nami’s post and trying her recipe!
In Japan, we usually do not marinate Yakitori meat, instead enjoy the simple meat flavor with coated Yakitori sauce on the outside.
If you prefer more sauce flavor in the meat, you can marinate them for about 20 minutes.
We hope this helps! 🙂
I want to make this again (so delicious) but serve as a main dish. What do you recommend I serve this with? I considered Onigiri and a salad or vegetable but would like your suggestions before I decide!
Hi Susan! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback!
Onigiri or Yaki Onigiri and Salad sound great!!!
You can also add simple miso soup if you like.
Please check out the “MAKE IT INTO A MEAL” recipes at end of this post for reference. (below this recipe post)
We hope this helps!
One time I went to an incredible yakitori restaurant in Japan. The chef had a metal shaker and shook seasoning over all the skewers and veggies before grilling. The veggies were the best I have ever tasted. Do you have any idea what the seasoning powder was? I don’t remember a distinct flavor other than salty and savory. Do you think it was MSG or some kind of salt/spice blend?
Hi Kat! Thank you very much for reading Nami’s post!
Each Yakitori restaurant has a secret seasoning. So we are not sure what was exactly inside the shaker. But we guess that it’s a mix of white pepper, salt, and spices.
We hope this helps!
Good chance there might have been some Sansho Pepper in there.
Shichimi Togarashi is a shaker spice that is really cool. No, it is hot. But mildy so. Possibly a starting point. Good stuff.
Really good recipe. I made it tonight. Both my Japanese wife and I liked it. Living in an apartment, we were not able to barbecue outside and I don’t like to broil or cook meats at high temperatures, so we baked the yakitori in the oven. I cooked them at 375 deg F for about 15 minutes, flipped and cooked for about ten more minutes. Put the yakitori sauce on and baked for about 5 more minutes on each side. Turned out really delicious.
I had some drumsticks and cut the chicken off the bone and used it for this recipe. Worked really well. I also cut up some red peppers and added them.
For those making it for the first time, a little sauce goes a long way. The sauce is so good, it is tempting to put a lot on. Don’t do that. Just a little is enough for our tastes.
Sauce was very good. My wife found the sauce a little salty for her taste. Maybe I boiled it down a little too much. Next time I might cut down on the soy sauce a little and add a little more sugar.
Thanks again. My favorite recipe site.
Hi Jim and Yuka! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and for sharing your cooking experience and tips!
We are so happy to hear you enjoyed Yakitori! Happy Cooking!
I just made this today on the grill outside with my husband and it was so delicious. Thank you so much for your recipes. My husband, 1-year-old baby, and I devoured every last bite.
Hi Rebecca! We are so happy to hear your family enjoyed Yakitori!
Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback!