Michelles Chicken Yakitori Recipes

EASY CHICKEN YAKITORI

Steps:

• Soak 10 wooden skewers in cold water for 15 minutes.
• Thread chicken pieces onto the soaked skewers, alternating with scallions.
• Combine sake, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Reserve 1/2 of the sauce for dipping.
• Heat a grill pan over high heat and lightly brush with vegetable oil. Add skewers and cook until chicken is no longer pink in the center, basting frequently with 1/2 of the sauce, 7 to 10 minutes per side.

YAKITORI CHICKEN

Steps:

• Soak the skewers in a bowl of water while you prepare everything else, to prevent them from burning. Tip the soy, mirin, sake and sugar into a small saucepan, and cook over a medium heat for about 15 mins until the sauce is glossy.
• Remove the skewers from the water and thread each one with a piece of chicken, followed by a piece of spring onion. Repeat twice more so the skewer is well stacked. Fill all four skewers.
• Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat - you want to cook the chicken fairly gently so it soaks up the sauce. Put the skewers in the pan, then brush with the sauce. Cook for 10 mins, turning regularly and brushing in all the sauce. Serve immediately.

YAKITORI CHICKEN

Steps:

• Debone the drumsticks, including some of the cartilage. It's important to keep these components very cold. Place the meat along with the soft bone and meat grinder parts into the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes.
• Progressively grind the meat and soft bone on a 1/8-inch plate. Grind directly into a stainless mixing bowl set on top of an ice bath to keep the mixture cold.
• Add the minced onion, panko, salt and pepper to the meat mixture. Using a gloved hand, incorporate all the ingredients while mixing with vigor. The mixture should become sticky as the naturally occurring niacin is activated from the mixing motion. Immediately chill the mixture in the refrigerator.
• The skewers I use are square, so if the meat is loaded onto the sticks in a centered way, they should sit stable when resting on each side. If the weights are not evenly distributed, they will have a tendency to slip so the heavy side faces down - I tend to use other skewers as supports, so a little bit of over-crowding can work to your benefit.
• Divide the mixture into even 1 3/4-ounce (50g) portions, them form them along each skewer, working the meat lightly in your hands from the point of the skewer downward. Slightly wet your palm while shaping for cleaner results.
• The grill should be prepared high heat on one section, and much cooler on another section. This will allow quick searing as well as slow rendering of fats without flares of flames. Further, binchotan charcoal tends to snuff out when too much rendered fats drop on to it, causing more complications. Having a cooler section allows for a more intentional and thoughtful grilling process!
• Each skewer takes different lengths of time to grill, and how you build the coals into the grill, the atmospheric temperature and direction of wind will all contribute to slowing the cooking process down. During optimal conditions, the skewers should take 2 to 3 minutes tops to cook through, turning as the meat browns.

YAKITORI CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a medium dish, mix together the sake, soy sauce, sugar, garlic and ginger. Add chicken, and allow to marinate for 15 minutes.
• Preheat your oven's broiler. Grease six metal skewers, and thread alternately with 3 pieces of chicken and 2 pieces of leek. Place on a baking sheet or broiling pan, and brush with the marinade.
• Broil for about 5 minutes, baste again, then broil for another 5 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Discard remaining marinade.

CHICKEN YAKITORI

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, combine the first 4 ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from heat; set aside half the mixture for serving., Thread peppers onto 2 metal or soaked wooden skewers. Thread chicken onto 6 metal or soaked wooden skewers. Grill chicken, covered, over medium heat until meat is cooked through, 10-12 minutes, turning occasionally and basting frequently with soy sauce mixture during the last 3 minutes. Grill peppers, covered, until tender, 4-5 minutes, turning occasionally. Grill onions, covered, until lightly charred, 1-2 minutes, turning occasionally. Serve chicken and vegetables with reserved sauce for dipping.

YAKITORI (JAPANESE CHICKEN SKEWERS)

Steps:

• Marinade: Smash and peel garlic cloves, then place in a small saucepan. Slice unpeeled ginger into coins (about 5 slices); add to the saucepan, followed by the mirin, soy sauce, and honey. Over medium-high heat, bring to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally to prevent honey from burning; allow to simmer for about 1 minute. Set aside to cool by placing into a large skillet filled with cold water.
• Trim root ends from scallions; then cut the white and light green parts into 1-inch pieces. (Reserve green stalks for garnish.) Set aside. Slice each chicken thigh into 4 equal pieces. If using skewers, thread the chicken pieces onto the skewers, alternating with pieces of scallion.
• Place skewers on a rimmed baking sheet and pour marinade to coat chicken and scallions. Marinate for at least 30 minutes (and up to 3-4 hours), flipping the skewers in the marinade every 5-7 minutes. (Note: Chicken can be marinated the day before and stored, covered, in the refrigerator overnight.) While chicken marinates, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Heat grill pan over high heat, 5-10 minutes (time will vary, depending on pan). Reserving the marinade, place chicken skewers on the hot grill and cook for 2-3 minutes; place a heavy plate or skillet on the chicken and press down to create grill marks. Flip skewers and repeat, 2-3 more minutes. Place the chicken, still in the grill pan, in the oven and bake, 10 minutes. Meanwhile, finish the sauce.
• Pour the marinade back into a saucepan and add the miso. Bring to a boil (which will kill off any bacteria from the raw chicken) and reduce slightly, 15 minutes. Meanwhile, remove grill pan from oven and transfer skewers to a plate. When the sauce has reduced, brush it over the chicken. Slice reserved scallion greens and sprinkle over the skewers before serving.

KAWA YAKITORI

Steps:

• Soak skewers in water for at least 30 minutes to overnight.
• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate.
• Combine soy sauce, mirin, sake, water, brown sugar, and green onion in a saucepan. Bring to a light boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and let simmer until sauce has reduced slightly, 3 to 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• Meanwhile, thread chicken skin onto skewers lengthwise; skin should be slightly bunched up, but not too taut. Sprinkle skewers with salt.
• Cook skewers on the preheated grill until nicely browned and crispy but not until fat has completely rendered, about 5 minutes. Flip and cook until other side is crispy, about 5 minutes more.
• Blot each yakitori lightly with a paper towel before serving. Serve with cooled tare sauce on the side.