Meat on sticks? Sign us up! Simple and flavorful is the name of the game when it comes to these Japanese delicacies. What started as a guide for yakitori evolved into a whole Izakaya-style grilling guide, and we are A-ok with it.
Yakitori is translated literally to “grilled chicken, ” from the Japanese words yaki (grill) and tori (chicken). Yakitori is made of bite-sized pieces of meat (usually chicken) served on a bamboo skewer. We decided to up-the-ante and try it with a few of our favorite proteins, such as chicken thigh, whole squid, and king trumpet mushroom.
‘Izakaya’ is a type of informal Japanese bar that serves alcoholic drinks and snacks. They are casual places for after-work drinking, similar to a British or Irish pub, Spanish tapas bar, and American saloon and tavern. We chose this word to be the guide since we’re cooking more than just chicken!
In Japan, yakitori can be a street food dish or a casual meal served at the Izakaya, frequently paired with Japanese beer or sake. In America, yakitori is taking off at restaurants, with chefs using all parts of the chicken for their skewers and getting creative with other proteins and foods. At restaurants, chefs can prepare these grilled dishes tableside or at a central grill surrounded by bar seats.
When visiting a true Izakaya, expect to sit at a bar seat situated around a central grill. If there are tables, they will be very close to the bar so skewers can be brought to diners quickly.
Diners order from a menu featuring dozens of chicken cuts. It's not just white meat or dark meat at these restaurants, choices expand into chicken heart, cartilage, thigh, skin, and even bits of pure chicken fat. Sometimes there are other offerings, like pork belly, beef, or seafood, as well as some vegetable options.
After ordering, customers are brought one sizzling skewer at a time. They should be given a brief moment to cool and then be eaten immediately. Condiments including extra yakitori sauce (or tare), chile-based powdered spice mix, or seasoned salt will be provided at some more formal yakitori parlors. A server will supply a cup for used bamboo skewers.
It's likewise popping up at home, especially at dinner parties, where the communal experience of cooking dinner over a hot grill offers a unique adventure and non-typical technique for putting food on the table. They make great leftovers or meal prep for the week, with the grill cooking a lot at once and using less fat than a traditional saute or pan-fry.
One of the central flavoring ingredients in addictive yakitori is tare (pronounced tar-ay). This is a sauce usually made of soy sauce, mirin, sake, water, brown sugar, and scallion greens. The ingredients are simmered together until reduced by two-thirds and then cooled. This sauce is brushed over the skewers while they cook, caramelizing the sweet and savory flavors while cooking on the hot grill. Each restaurant will have its own special recipe for tare, which creates a house flavor for yakitori.
Traditional yakitori will always be prepared over binchotan, or Japanese white charcoal. This heat source burns clean to avoid adding any flavor to the skewers so that all charred flavor comes from contact with the hot grill. When binchotan isn't available, lump charcoal, briquette or gas can be used to get a similar grilled char.
This traditional grill burns low, around 200 degrees Fahrenheit, so the meat cooks slower. The chef will stand at the grill constantly rotating the meat and allowing it to be just kissed by the flames below. It is also up to this ever-present chef to monitor the moisture level of the meat and adjust it with the tare.
Once off the grill, they are given a final brush with the tare sauce, creating a lacquered surface on the chicken, squid, or mushroom that is sweet and salty but delicate enough to let the protein flavor shine through. It’s all about the balance!
We hope you enjoy this recipe and feel inspired to try cooking your own yakitori, bringing the flavor of the Izakaya home!
Izakaya Grilling Guide (Yakitori)
What started as a recipe for authentic yakitori evolved into an entire guide for grilling anything in the style! Using a few sticks, a flavorful tare sauce, and a hot grill, you can turn almost any protein or vegetable into a shareable treat. Great for a party or meal prep for the week!
Recipe and Photography by Sam Burgess
Forge To Table
Prep time: 40 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Serves 4-8 (about ½ cup tare sauce)
Ingredients:
Tare (Yakitori Sauce):
½ cup soy sauce
½ cup mirin
¼ cup sake
¼ cup water
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 each scallion, green part only
Skewers:
2 pounds mixed of boneless, skinless chicken thighs; king trumpet mushrooms; or whole squid with tentacles (see Chef’s Notes for more options)
10 each scallions, cut into 1 inch pieces
½ lemon, cut into quarters
Vegetable oil
Garnishes (optional):
Steamed rice, for serving
Kimchi, for serving
Scallions, sliced on a bias
Picked cilantro leaves
Toasted sesame seeds
Directions:
(PREPARE TARE) Soak bamboo or wood skewers in water for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine soy sauce, mirin, sake, water, brown sugar, and scallion green. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, and then reduce heat to low, and simmer, uncovered until the sauce has reduced by two-thirds, about 25-30 minutes. Let cool to room temperature and discard the scallion green before using.
(CHICKEN SKEWER) Slice chicken thighs into one-inch pieces. On a flat work surface, fold each slice of chicken in half, insert one soaked skewer into the chicken at an angle, and press down on the skewer to pierce through the center so it is secured in two points. Alternate each chicken slice with a piece of scallion onto the skewer until all the chicken is on a skewer. Reserve on a grill plate.
(SQUID SKEWER) Using two soaked skewers ¾ inch apart, line up the bottom of the whole squid and puncture through on an angle. Press the skewers through at least two other sections of the squid so it is secured to the skewers. Score the squid with 1-2 cuts to allow steam to exit while cooking. Slide the tentacles through the skewers and wrap them around as needed to secure them in place. Place a lemon quarter at the end of the skewer. Reserve on a grill plate.
(MUSHROOM SKEWER) Slice the king trumpet mushrooms in half and score with a sharp knife in a tight criss-cross pattern. Use two soaked skewers to press through the mushrooms so they are secured in place. Repeat with remaining mushroom pieces. Reserve on a grill plate.
(PREP GRILL) Place about 4 tablespoons of tare sauce into a separate small dish along with a small brush. Preheat the gas grill to high heat for 10 minutes. Alternatively, heat a charcoal grill on high for about 10 minutes. Grease the grill grated with non-stick grill spray or vegetable oil.
(COOK SKEWERS) Place yakitori skewers onto the hot grill grates. Be sure to cook them in the progression of internal temperature, which means mushroom, then squid, then chicken. Try to avoid cross-contamination as much as possible!
(BRUSH TARE SAUCE) Once the skewers have cooked for 3 minutes, flip them and brush with tare sauce. The sauce will caramelize on the meat and provide that delicious yakitori taste! Continue to flip and brush with tare sauce every 2 minutes, or until the skewers are done, about 5-8 minutes total depending on the protein.
(GARNISH) Transfer the cooked skewers to a serving plate. Using a clean brush, spread some of the remaining tare sauce over the cooked skewers with a final glaze. Serve the skewers with steamed rice, kimchi, sesame seeds, sliced scallions, and cilantro leaves (garnishes optional). Enjoy immediately!
Chef’s Notes:
Store any leftover tare sauce in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 months.
If tare sauce is accidentally contaminated with raw protein, simply bring it to a boil and cool to use again.
If cooking every skewer together, be sure to cook them in the progression of internal temperature, which means mushroom, then squid, then chicken. Try to avoid cross-contamination as much as possible!
You can skewer and grill almost anything, so try with shrimp or bok choy or diced flank steak or diced pork loin!
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