GrillJapanese
Chicken yakitori
Thigh cubes, a tare glaze, a hot grate. Skewers, not a pile.
Made it?
40 min · 30 min hands-on · pull 175°F · rest 2 min
Ingredients
3 lb on the fire · ~2.1 lb to the table · 4 plates at 8 oz
- boneless thighs, 1-inch cubes3 lb
- soy1/3 cup
- mirin1/3 cup
- sugar2 tbsp
- 2-inch piecesscallions
- for the first passsalt
Method
- 1
Reduce soy, mirin, sugar to a glaze, 5 minutes. Skewer chicken and scallion.
- 2
Hot grate, salt, 2 minutes a side. Brush tare, 1 minute more a side. 175°F.
- 3
The glaze burns if you paint it from the start. Char first, then lacquer.
If you don’t have it
- chicken thighs → a neighboring cut on the same animal. Keep the same pull. Leaner cooks faster and dries sooner.
- boneless thighs, 1-inch cubes → What you actually have, if it is the same muscle family. Liver, skin, and heart are traditional extra skewers. Thigh is the grocery cook.
Same cook, different day
Weeknight
Less time. Same seasoning, hotter fire, watch the probe. Do not skip the rest.
On the plate
With this, try
- With this dish, try making petite roasted potatoes.
Same pan as a roast or chicken. Or a sheet next to chops. Halve, oil, salt, rosemary. 425°F cut-side down until the faces brown. Toss in the meat drippings at the end.
40 min
- With this dish, try making grilled asparagus.
When the meat comes off to rest. Thick spears, oil, salt. Hot grate 2–3 minutes, roll, another minute. Lemon. Pencil spears go in a hot skillet, not on the bars.
10 min
- With this dish, try making vinegar slaw.
Anytime. Better after an hour in the fridge. Cabbage, carrot, cider vinegar, a pinch of sugar, salt, pepper. No mayo if the meat is already rich.
20 min