Japanese Chicken Yakitori Kebabs Recipe

If “kebabs” makes you think of backyard cookouts and a suspiciously wobbly picnic table, you’re not wrong.
Yakitori is basically Japan’s brilliant answer to “Let’s put tasty things on sticks,” except it’s
laser-focused on chicken, cooked hot and fast, and finished with either simple salt
(shio) or a glossy, sweet-savory basting sauce called tare.

This guide walks you through classic chicken-and-scallion yakitori (often called negima),
plus the small details that make it taste like you ordered it from a proper yakitori spot instead of
“the skewers aisle” at a big-box store. We’ll talk sauce reduction, skewer strategy, grill vs. broiler,
and why chicken thighs are the MVP of staying juicy when your attention span wanders for 12 seconds.

What Is Yakitori (and Why It’s Not Just “Teriyaki on a Stick”)

Yakitori refers to Japanese-style grilled chicken skewers. The two common seasoning paths are:
shio (salt-forward, clean, savory) and tare (sweet-salty glaze brushed
on while grilling). In the U.S., yakitori sometimes gets labeled “teriyaki skewers,” but traditional
yakitori technique leans heavily on repeated basting and quick caramelization rather than a long soak in
a sugary marinade.

The most beginner-friendly style is negima: chunks of chicken thigh alternated with
scallion pieces. Thigh meat’s extra fat and connective tissue help it stay tender even if you cook it a
touch longer than plannedwhich is a polite way of saying “even if you got distracted looking for your
grill tongs.”

Ingredients That Actually Matter (and Smart Substitutions)

Chicken

Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are the classic home-cook choice: flavorful, forgiving,
and less likely to dry out than breast. If you prefer breast, you can use itjust keep the pieces slightly
larger, cook gently, and watch the temperature carefully.

Scallions

Use the white and light-green parts for sturdiness; save the dark greens for garnish or another recipe.
Cutting scallions into 1-inch segments helps them cook at a similar pace to chicken pieces.

Tare Sauce (Yakitori Glaze)

Most classic tare formulas build from soy sauce + mirin + (optional) sake + sugar,
simmered until slightly thickened. Some versions add aromatics like ginger or garlic, and some deepen flavor
with stock. The important part is the reduction: you want a glaze that clings, not a puddle that slides off
your chicken like it’s late for an appointment.

Alcohol-free note: If you avoid cooking with alcohol (or simply don’t have it),
choose “mirin-style seasoning” (often alcohol-free) and replace sake with water or chicken broth plus a tiny
splash of rice vinegar. You’ll still get a sweet-salty, shiny glaze.

Tools and Setup

• Bamboo skewers (or metal skewers). If bamboo, soak them in water for about 30 minutes to reduce burning.
• Grill (charcoal or gas) or an oven broiler and a wire rack over a sheet pan.
• Small saucepan for tare sauce.
• Basting brush (silicone works well).
• Instant-read thermometer for stress-free doneness checks.

Make the Yakitori Tare Sauce

Think of tare as “glaze with a purpose.” You simmer it so the flavors concentrate and the texture turns
syrupy enough to lacquer the chicken. It should coat a spoon lightly, not pour like soy sauce.

Tare Sauce Ingredients

• 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup mirin (or alcohol-free mirin-style seasoning)
• 1/4 cup sake or chicken broth/water (see note above)
• 2–3 tablespoons sugar (start at 2; adjust to taste)
• Optional: 1–2 thin slices fresh ginger or 1 small garlic clove, smashed

Tare Sauce Instructions

1. Combine all tare ingredients in a small saucepan.
2. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to a steady simmer.
3. Simmer 10–20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened and glossy.
4. Strain out aromatics if used. Cool to warm (not screaming hot) before basting.

Tip: Keep a “clean” portion of sauce for serving by setting some aside early.
Anything that brushes raw chicken should not go back into the serving bowl.

Prep the Chicken and Build the Skewers

Cutting for Even Cooking

Cut thighs into roughly 1-inch pieces. Try to keep pieces similar in size so everything finishes together.
If you have a couple of chunky pieces and a couple of tiny ones, guess which ones will be dry first.
(Spoiler: the tiny ones. They always get dramatic.)

Skewering: The “Negima” Pattern

1. Thread chicken and scallion segments alternately: chicken–scallion–chicken–scallion…
2. Leave a little space between pieces so heat can circulate.
3. If using larger thigh strips, consider using two parallel skewers to keep the chicken from spinning when you flip.

How to Cook Yakitori: Grill and Broiler Methods

Option A: Grill (Most Yakitori-Like at Home)

1. Preheat the grill to medium-high. Clean and oil the grates.
2. Place skewers over direct heat. Cook 2–3 minutes, then turn.
3. Once the chicken starts to color, begin basting lightly with tare.
4. Turn frequently and baste in thin layers. The goal is multiple quick coats that caramelize without burning.
5. Cook until the thickest piece reaches 165°F internally.
6. Rest skewers for 1–2 minutes, then give a final brush of the reserved “clean” tare.

Why thin coats? Sugar can scorch over high heat. Frequent turning plus light basting builds
that shiny lacquer without crossing into “campfire marshmallow that fell into the ashes.”

Option B: Broiler (The Weeknight Secret Weapon)

If it’s freezing outside, raining sideways, or your grill is currently hosting a spider condo complex,
the broiler method still delivers great yakitori vibes.

1. Heat broiler to high. Line a sheet pan with foil and set a wire rack on top.
2. Lightly oil the rack. Arrange skewers in a single layer.
3. Broil about 5 minutes, then flip.
4. Brush with tare on both sides and continue broiling 3–4 minutes more, turning once if needed.
5. Check for 165°F internal temperature. Brush once more with reserved sauce before serving.

Food Safety: The Unsexy but Important Part

Chicken is worth doing safely. Keep raw poultry and its juices away from ready-to-eat foods, use clean
utensils for serving, and cook chicken to 165°F. If raw chicken juice drips onto other foods,
those foods need to be cooked properly too. Wash hands, boards, and knives thoroughly after handling raw
chicken.

Serving Ideas (No Overthinking Required)

• Rice (steamed white rice or sushi rice) to soak up any extra glaze.
• Cucumber salad or a quick shredded cabbage slaw for crunch.
• Toasted sesame seeds and/or shichimi togarashi for a final hit of flavor.
• Grilled mushrooms or blistered shishito peppers if you want a full yakitori spread.

Variations You Can Try Next

Shio Yakitori (Salt Seasoned)

Skip the tare and season chicken generously with salt before cooking. Grill hot and fast. Finish with a
squeeze of lemon and a pinch of spice. It’s clean, savory, and excellent when you want the chicken flavor
to do all the talking.

More Yakitori-Style Skewers

• Tsukune (chicken meatballs): great with tare, especially if you like bouncy, juicy texture.
• All-scallion or mushroom skewers: baste with tare at the end for quick caramelization.
• Spicy twist: add a small pinch of chili flakes to your tare, or serve with a dab of yuzu kosho.

Common Yakitori Problems (and How to Fix Them)

“My sauce burned.”

Turn down the heat slightly, start basting later, and apply thinner coats. Sugar needs attentionlike a
toddler near an open marker set.

“My chicken is dry.”

Use thighs, cut slightly larger pieces, and stop cooking at 165°F. Overcooking is the #1 culprit.

“My skewers charred.”

Soak bamboo skewers and keep exposed ends away from the hottest part of the grill. You can wrap the ends
in a small strip of foil for extra protection.

Japanese Chicken Yakitori Kebabs Recipe (Printable)

Yield: 4 servings (about 8–10 skewers)   |   Prep: 20 minutes   |   Cook: 10–15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 6–8 scallions (white and light-green parts), cut into 1-inch segments
• 8–10 bamboo skewers, soaked 30 minutes (or metal skewers)
• Neutral oil, for grill grate or rack
• Optional garnish: toasted sesame seeds, shichimi togarashi, sliced scallion greens

For the Tare Sauce

• 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup mirin (or alcohol-free mirin-style seasoning)
• 1/4 cup sake or chicken broth/water
• 2–3 tablespoons sugar (to taste)
• Optional: 1–2 slices ginger or 1 smashed garlic clove

Instructions

1. Make the tare: Combine tare ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil,
   then simmer 10–20 minutes until slightly thick and glossy. Set aside. Reserve a few tablespoons in a
   separate bowl for serving.
2. Skewer: Thread chicken and scallion alternately onto skewers, leaving small gaps for heat
   circulation.
3. Cook (grill method): Preheat grill to medium-high and oil grates. Grill skewers, turning
   every 2–3 minutes. Begin basting lightly with tare once chicken starts to brown. Build 2–4 thin layers of
   glaze, turning frequently.
4. Cook (broiler method): Preheat broiler to high. Arrange skewers on an oiled rack over a
   foil-lined sheet pan. Broil 5 minutes, flip, brush with tare, then broil 3–4 minutes more. Brush again
   near the end for shine.
5. Check doneness: Cook until the thickest piece of chicken reaches 165°F.
   Rest 1–2 minutes.
6. Finish and serve: Brush with reserved “clean” tare. Sprinkle garnish if using. Serve hot.

Notes

• Don’t marinate in super-sugary sauce for hours: You’ll risk scorching. Yakitori shines with basting while cooking.
• Batch cooking: Keep finished skewers warm in a 200°F oven while you cook the rest.
• Make-ahead: Tare keeps well in the fridge; rewarm gently before brushing.

Extra: of Yakitori Experiences (Because the Stick Has Stories)

The first time most people make yakitori at home, there’s a moment of surprise that feels almost unfair:
“Wait… that’s it?” Chicken, scallions, a simple sauce, and suddenly your kitchen smells like a cozy little
Japanese grill bar you definitely can’t afford to visit every week. Yakitori is proof that technique is
sometimes more important than a shopping list the length of a novel.

One of my favorite “yakitori reality checks” happened in a tiny apartment kitchen with no grilljust an
oven broiler and a stubborn belief that skewers could still be fun indoors. I lined a sheet pan with foil,
perched a rack on top, and set those chicken-and-scallion sticks under the broiler like they were about to
audition for a cooking show. The first flip was promising; the second flip was when I learned the sacred
truth: tare needs patience. Brush too early and it burns. Brush too late and it tastes like
soy sauce that never got dressed for the party. But when you hit the sweet spotlight coats, quick turns,
one final glossy brush at the endit comes out sticky, shiny, and wildly satisfying.

The next “yakitori upgrade” moment was all about cutting and consistency. I used to cut chicken pieces
like a carefree artist: big chunk here, tiny nugget there, living on the edge. Yakitori does not reward
chaos. The tiny pieces overcook and sulk; the big pieces lag behind and force everyone else to wait. Once
I started cutting thighs into evenly sized cubes, everything cooked at the same pace and the glaze
caramelized evenly. It sounds boring, but boring is underrated when boring tastes amazing.

Then there’s the skewer strategy. If you’ve ever tried flipping a skewer and watched the chicken rotate
like it’s on a lazy Susan, you know the frustration. The “two skewers in parallel” trick is a game-changer
for larger pieces. Suddenly flipping is smooth, basting is neat, and you feel like a person who has their
life togethereven if your spice drawer is a disaster zone.

Yakitori also has a funny way of becoming a social food. People hover. They ask, “Are they done yet?”
every 90 seconds. They steal one “for testing.” And somehow that’s part of the charm: skewers are small,
shareable, and impossible to eat politely if the glaze is really good. The best yakitori nights end with a
plate that looks like a pile of clean sticks, a bowl of rice that mysteriously vanished, and everyone
agreeing that “we should do this again soon,” which is adult code for “this was so easy it should be a
regular thing.”

Finally, yakitori teaches you to respect the finish. That last brush of reserved, clean tare right before
serving is the difference between “tasty chicken” and “how is this so glossy and restaurant-y?” It’s the
culinary version of putting on a nice jacket before you leave the house: you were already fine, but now
you’re ready. And when your kitchen smells like sweet-savory smoke and caramelized soy, you’ll
understand why a simple Japanese chicken yakitori kebabs recipe can turn an ordinary night into something
worth remembering.