Recipe: Yakitori (Japanese Skewered Chicken)

I tried something out of my comfort zone for dinner tonight and it was a success!! I made Yakitori with brown rice. Here's a little blurb about Yakitori on Wikipedia:

Yakitori (焼き鳥/やきとり/ヤキトリ^?), grilled fowl, is commonly a Japanese type of skeweredchicken. The term Yakitori can also refer to skewered food in general. Kushiyaki (skewer grilled), is a formal term that encompasses both poultry and non-poultry items, skewered and grilled. Both Yakitori and Kushiyaki mean the same, so the terms are used interchangeably in Japanese society.

The average yakitori is made from several bite-sized pieces of chicken meat, or chicken offal, skewered on a bamboo skewer and grilled, usually over charcoal.

Diners ordering yakitori usually have a choice of having it cooked with salt (shio) or with tare sauce, which is generally made up of mirin, sake, soy sauce and sugar. The sauce is applied to the skewered meat and is grilled until delicately cooked.

So I started by making the sauce. I used: chicken broth, soy sauce, apple juice (used in place of mirin), sugar, garlic, ginger & sesame oil.   After this comes to a boil and then simmers for 10 minutes, a mixture or cornstarch and water are added. Bring to boil again and the cook for 5 minutes. Strain the sauce and reserve 1/2 cup for later.

Then the assembly of the skewers. I used chicken tenders cut into pieces that were 1 1/2 to 2 inches long and green onions the same length.   These were alternated on a pair of wooden skewers that had been soaked in water for at least 30 minutes (this keeps them from burning, kind of!). I used about 1 tender and 1 green onion per set of skewers.

Onto the grill. Preheat to medium to medium high (our grill was at about 350-400) and place the skewers on.

Then baste the top side.

Turn the chicken every 2-3 minutes, basting the top each time until the chicken is cooked through.

We served this with brown rice (and some store bought egg rolls).

We gave it 2 thumbs up for flavor. Even my 3 picky eaters enjoyed it.

 

Yakitori

(Adapted from Cuisine at Home Issue No 87)

SAUCE:

1 C low sodium Chicken Broth

3/4 C low sodium Soy Sauce

1/2 C  Apple Juice

1/4 C Sugar

4 cloves Garlic, smashed

1 tsp fresh Ginger, minced

1 tsp Sesame Oil

COMBINE:

1 TBSP Cornstarch

1 TBSP Water

SKEWERS:

1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken tenders cut into 1 1/2-2 inch peices

2 bunches green onions cut into 1 1/2 to 2 inch peices

Wooden Skewers

 

Combine sauce ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a boil then simmer for 10 minutes. Then add cornstarch/water mixture and bring to boil, then cook for 5 minutes. Strain and reserve 1/2 cup for dipping later.

Soak wooden skewers for 30 minutes. Alternate chicken and green onion on a pair of skewers. Place on a medium high grill and baste the top every 2 to 3 minutes until cooked through (about 15 minutes).