World Flavors Cookbook

Yakitori

Bite-sized pieces of chicken skewered on bamboo sticks and grilled over binchōtan charcoal — either basted with sweet tare sauce or simply seasoned with salt. Japan's most beloved street food and izakaya staple.

Cuisine: Japan

Ingredients

• 500g chicken thigh, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 8 scallion segments (negi)
• Bamboo skewers, soaked in water
• Tare sauce: 100ml soy sauce, 100ml mirin, 50ml sake, 2 tbsp sugar
• Or: fine sea salt (shio) for salt-style
• Shichimi togarashi for serving

Instructions

1. Make tare: simmer soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar until slightly thickened (about 10 minutes). Cool.
2. Thread chicken pieces onto skewers, alternating with scallion segments.
3. Grill over high heat (ideally charcoal) 3–4 minutes per side.
4. For tare-style: baste with tare sauce during the last minute of grilling, letting it caramelize.
5. For shio-style: season generously with salt before grilling.
6. Serve immediately with shichimi togarashi.