About this recipe

Yakitori is a beloved Japanese street food of bite-sized chicken pieces skewered and grilled over charcoal, basted repeatedly with a sweet-savory tare sauce until lacquered and caramelized. This home version uses a broiler or grill to achieve that signature char while keeping everything approachable. The tare sauce — a glossy blend of soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar — is the heart of the dish and doubles as a dipping sauce. Serve with cold beer, steamed rice, and a sprinkle of sesame seeds for an authentic izakaya experience at home.

Instructions

1. 1

   If using wooden skewers, submerge them in water and soak for at least 30 minutes to prevent burning. Metal skewers need no soaking.

2. 2

   Combine the soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over ^[medium-high heat], stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat to ^[medium-low] and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has reduced by about one-third and is slightly syrupy, about 10–12 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool — it will thicken further as it cools. Reserve half the sauce for basting and half for serving.

3. 3

   Pat the chicken thighs pieces dry with paper towels. Toss with the neutral oil and kosher salt in a bowl. Thread 4–5 pieces of chicken thighs snugly onto each skewer, folding any thin flaps of skin under so the meat is compact and even. Aim for about 8–10 skewers total.

4. 4

   GRILL METHOD: Preheat a gas or charcoal grill to ^[medium-high heat]. Clean and oil the grates. Place skewers on the grill and cook undisturbed for 3–4 minutes until the underside has grill marks. Flip and cook another 3 minutes. BROILER METHOD: Set your oven to broil (^[high]) and position a rack about 6 inches from the element. Place skewers on a wire rack set over a foil-lined baking sheet. Broil for 5–6 minutes per side until lightly charred.

5. 5

   Once the chicken thighs is mostly cooked through (internal temp around %[155°F]), begin basting. Brush the skewers generously with the tare sauce, flip, and baste the other side. Cook for 1–2 minutes per side. Repeat this baste-flip-baste cycle 2–3 more times until the chicken thighs is deeply lacquered, caramelized, and registers %[165°F] internally. The sugars in the sauce will create a gorgeous, slightly charred glaze — watch closely to avoid burning.

6. 6

   Transfer the finished skewers to a serving platter. Garnish with sliced green onions and toasted sesame seeds. Serve the reserved tare sauce in a small bowl alongside for dipping. Sprinkle with shichimi togarashi if desired for a light kick.