RECIPE: Yakitori (Chicken Skewers) with Yuzu Miso Sauce

If you walk the streets of a Japanese town, you may be intrigued by the smells of smoky, savory yakitori wafting from the cozy surrounding restaurants. Yakitori is a favorite comfort food for Japanese people and you will see why once you try our recipe!

Yakitori is a classic and delicious Japanese food that can be translated to grilled chicken. Yakitori is found all over Japan, whether eaten as street food, grilled in izakayas (Japanese pubs and bars), or barbecued at festival food stands. You can tell how popular yakitori is with Japanese people just by the sheer amount of places to eat it! 

Yakitori is chicken smothered with a tangy, sweet sauce, then skewered and grilledl. It is versatile in the types of chicken meat, such as chicken breast, thigh, and wings. This recipe recommends you cook with chicken thigh meat because it is a prized, favorite meat in Japan but feel free to try making yakitori with your favorite type of chicken meat!

You will also see different types of meats and vegetables skewered alongside yakitori when eating at Japanese restaurants. Feel free to build on this recipe by glazing on the delicious yuzu miso sauce on other meats and vegetables.

This yakitori recipe will show you how to craft a traditional yakitori sauce made of sake, mirin, and sugar. It also adds a unique dimension to the traditional recipe with the addition of yuzu miso!

Yuzu is a citrus fruit popular in many Japanese products and ingredients and is best described as a combination of an orange, lemon, and grapefruit. The fresh flavor of the yuzu and the umami flavor of the miso will brighten the smoky flavor of yakitori.

You will love this unique version of a traditional yakitori recipe. The combination of ingredients will provide deep layers of flavor and will be the favorite dish of your next barbecue or dinner!

Servings: 5skewers

Ingredients: 

• 200 g boneless chicken thighs
• 1 negi (green onion)

For the sauce: 

• 2 tbsp yuzu miso*
• 2 tbsp sake
• 2 tbsp mirin
• 1 tbsp sugar

Instructions:

1. In a pot, combine the yuzu miso, sake, mirin and sugar. Mix and heat, stirring occasionally until blended. 
2. Cut the chicken thighs and negi into small pieces, suitable for skewers. 
3. Alternate placing the chicken pieces and the negi on skewers (bamboo skewers are traditionally used but steel or other materials also work). 
4. Heat the grill and once hot, add the skewers. 
5. Grill both sides until the chicken is cooked, brushing them with the Yuzu Miso sauce. Remove and serve hot. Pairs great with a cold glass of beer!

* Available in our Creative Beginnings: Redefining "Wa" Care Package of Japanese cooking essentials.

Recipes courtesy of Eleonora Badellino. You can find her at @everydayobento

Introduction courtesy of Kimberlee Laney

As a Japanese-Korean-American, my love for Japanese food first came from my grandmother's kitchen! Japanese food feels like home and I love being able to cook it anywhere in the world to connect with Japan in my own little way. I love diving deep into the layers of Japanese food and always marvel at the food diversity between prefectures. I'm currently eating my way through Tokyo and taking up photography with my Instagram account @capturingkim!