Grilled Chicken or Beef Yakitori (Japanese Skewered)

This is one of my favorite things to eat at Asian restaurants. I love this sweet, salty, savory grilled meat. It's very easy to make and can be prepared with chicken, pork, or beef. This is what you will need for 4 servings:

Photo byAlyssa

For the skewers

• 1 1/4 pounds chicken thighs or beef, cut into bite sized pieces
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon green onions sliced

For the sauce*

• 1/3 cup light soy sauce
• 1/4 cup water
• 2-3 Tbl mirin rice wine
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons minced ginger
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cornstarch

Other:

• Bamboo or metal skewers
• Steamed or fried rice

For the sauce

First, make the sauce by combining the soy sauce, water, mirin, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, honey, sesame oil and rice vinegar in a small to medium-sized pot over medium-high heat. Stir the mixture until the sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes, then increase the heat to high and bring it to a boil. In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water until fully dissolved. Add the cornstarch mixture to the boiling sauce and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until the sauce thickens.

For the chicken, thread the pieces onto bamboo skewers that have been soaked in cold water (or use metal skewers). Season the chicken or beef with salt and pepper, then brush the skewers with vegetable oil. Preheat an outdoor grill or grill pan to medium heat.

Grill the chicken of beef for 4 minutes on each side. Brush the sauce over the chicken and continue cooking for an additional 2 minutes per side. Repeat this process, brushing with more sauce and grilling for another minute on each side.

Once done, brush a final layer of sauce on the chicken, then place over a bed of rice and garnish with sesame seeds and green onions. Enjoy!

*Notes

I prefer using chicken thighs for this recipe since they offer more flavor and are less prone to drying out on the grill. If you prefer, chicken breasts work well too. You can also switch it up by using pork tenderloin cubes or sirloin steak.

Make sure to soak wooden skewers in cold water for at least 30 minutes to prevent them from burning on the grill.

The sauce can be prepared up to 5 days ahead and stored in the fridge. If you want, make a double batch of the sauce—it goes really well over rice and freezes well for future meals also!

You can also cook these in the oven or on the stovetop if necessary. Simply broil from the middle rack, basting and turning 6 minutes on each side. Then, move to the top rack and brown/crisp up to desired crunch factor. (Watch it close so the sugars don't burn though!)