Japanese Grilled Chicken Skewers with Scallions

You can’t go wrong with a grilled skewer of glazed Yakitori chicken.  This is a fairly traditional recipe that everyone loves.  I used to use chicken breasts  simple because they are so much easier to trim…but I’ve finally come to terms with the fact that chicken thighs are really far superior in this dish.

Japanese Grilled Chicken Skewers with Scallions

Print recipe
Japanese Grilled Chicken Skewers with Scallions
Serves 4-6
By author margaret @ The Right Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 cup lower sodium chicken broth
  • 3/4 cups soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup mirin (sweet rice wine)
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon wasabi paste
  • 6 thin slices fresh ginger (smashed)
  • 4 cloves garlic (smashed)
  • 1 1/2lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs (trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces)
  • 2 bunches scallions (trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces)
  • salt and pepper

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, combine chicken broth, soy sauce, mirin, honey, rice vinegar, lime juice, sugar, sesame oil, wasabi paste, ginger and garlic. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Mix the cornstarch and water until smooth then stir into the hot soy mixture. Simmer until thickened…another 5 minutes or so. Remove from heat and strain to remover garlic and ginger. Reserve 1/2 cup sauce for dipping and the rest will be used to glaze the chicken while grilling.
3. Thread chicken onto skewers, alternating with scallions. Brush with oil and season very lightly with salt and pepper. (if using bamboo skewers, be sure to soak in water for at least 30 minutes before you skewer the chicken)
4. Over a medium hot grill (charcoal or gas), grill the skewers for 2 minutes on each side and then start basting with the sauce. Baste and turn the skewers several times to create a thick, glossy surface until cooked through. The whole grilling process takes about 10 minutes. Serve with reserved dipping sauce on the side.
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9
  • Laura Peden
    June 12, 2013 at 9:09 pm

    Another trick for bamboo skewers…. Keep them in the freezer at all time then you dont need to soak them. I love the recipe too the best one I’ve seen, most recipes I find say you have to marinade the chicken but it burns too fast. Another thing I do when I’m a bit broke is get chicken wings and stretch them out stright and put a skewer though them. I might have to try this recipe with them instead.

  • meenunotes
    June 12, 2013 at 6:47 am

    This looks amazing! Going to try it out this week! Thanks!

  • Previse Skincare
    April 8, 2013 at 10:59 am

    Looks so fresh + easy! Perfect meal for Springtime – thanks for the share!

  • Meg Sylvia
    March 25, 2013 at 3:46 pm

    This looks and sounds amazing. Definitely giving this a try this week!

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    March 21, 2013 at 10:31 am

    […] These look yummy! Monkey Bread Muffins with 5 Minute Chocolate Sauce YUM! This looks so goood! New England Lobster Salad Roll HOLY GOODNESS! I want to make and eat these like RIGHT NOW!! Chocolate Cheesecake Chimichangas with a Strawberry Reduction Sauce DUDE! I want to make this!!! LOOKS SO AMAZING TO ME!! Chiles Rellenos con Picadillo (Poblano Chiles Stuffed with Spiced Beef) Oh and another from the same blog! Because I LOVE this blog! Hot & Spicy Italian Drip Beef Damn this looks so good and sounds amazing to me! Seared Salmon with Mushrooms and Asparagus over Coconut Noodles Yummy I would eat these! What about you? SWEET CHILLI AND ORANGE CHICKEN WINGS I need a popover pan! So I can make these babies! Popovers This Beverage looks good and pretty! Key Lime Raspberry Margarita True that! hahahahaha LOVE THIS! And here you are… HA! Here you go! Yes I cuss a lot! See it’s a good thing! Daily Fact YUM! I want to make these, like THIS weekend! Chinese Fried Dumplings I was just telling Normy I wanted to make Lasagna this weekend! maybe these:  Muffin Tin Mini Lasagnas YUM! Japanese Grilled Chicken Skewers with Scallions […]

  • ChgoJohn
    March 15, 2013 at 11:51 pm

    Great recipe and that sauce of yours sounds fantastic.

  • wee eats
    March 15, 2013 at 4:52 pm

    This looks so good. I’ve still not been able to really get behind chicken thighs, even though every chef in the world says I should like them more, something about the texture just puts me off. CHICKEN BREAST 4 LIFE! 🙂

  • Hunter Hodge
    March 15, 2013 at 11:10 am

    Thighs RULE!

  • Darya
    March 15, 2013 at 9:10 am

    Yummy!