Japanese Yakitori – Grilled Chicken Skewers with Tare Sauce
Skewered chicken grilled over charcoal and basted with sweet-savory tare sauce — Japan's greatest street food.
About This Recipe
Yakitori is Japan's beloved grilled chicken skewer — small pieces of chicken threaded onto bamboo skewers and grilled over binchotan charcoal while being repeatedly basted with tare, a reduction of soy sauce, mirin, sake and sugar that builds into a deep, lacquered glaze with each pass over the heat. The result is chicken with an extraordinary flavour — smoky, sweet, salty, and deeply caramelised — and a satisfying char on the outside with a juicy interior. What makes yakitori special is the nose-to-tail approach to the chicken: dedicated yakitori restaurants offer every part of the bird — thigh, breast, skin, liver, heart, gizzard, cartilage — each part prepared differently and appreciated for its unique texture and flavour. The most popular skewer is negima (chicken thigh and spring onion alternated), where the spring onion softens and caramelises between the pieces of juicy thigh. Some skewers are ordered 'shio' (salt only) to appreciate the natural flavour of the chicken itself. At home, yakitori can be made under a hot grill or on a griddle, though charcoal is the authentic choice. The tare sauce is simple to make and improves with each use — many yakitori restaurants have tare that has been maintained for decades.
Ingredients
Serves 4
- 600 gboneless chicken thighs(skin on, cut into 3cm pieces)
- 4spring onions(cut into 4cm lengths)
- 100 mlsoy sauce
- 100 mlmirin
- 50 mlsake
- 2 tbspsugar
- 8bamboo skewers(soaked in water 30 minutes)
Instructions
- 1
Make the tare sauce
Combine soy sauce, mirin, sake and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer, cook 10–15 minutes until reduced by one third and slightly syrupy. Cool.
The tare should coat a spoon lightly — if it coats heavily, it will burn on the grill before the chicken cooks.
- 2
Thread the skewers
Alternate chicken pieces and spring onion on each skewer — 3 pieces of chicken per skewer.
- 3
Grill
Grill over high heat (charcoal, gas or under a hot grill) for 3–4 minutes per side.
- 4
Baste and finish
Brush generously with tare sauce. Cook 1 minute more per side. Brush again. Repeat 2–3 times to build up a lacquered glaze.
Pro Tips
- →
Thigh meat is far superior to breast — it stays juicy under the intense heat.
- →
Skin-on pieces develop the best char and flavour.
- →
Multiple thin layers of tare build a better glaze than one thick coat.
Variations
- •
Tsukune: minced chicken meatballs on skewers, served with raw egg yolk for dipping.
- •
Shio yakitori: grill with just flaky salt and a squeeze of yuzu — no tare needed for quality chicken.
Storage
Cooked yakitori keeps 2 days. Reheat under a hot grill for best results. Tare keeps 1 month refrigerated.
History & Origin
Yakitori became widespread in Japan in the Meiji era (1868–1912) when eating chicken was newly permitted after being taboo during the Buddhist-influenced period that preceded it. Dedicated yakitori-ya (yakitori restaurants) proliferated in the post-WWII era, particularly around train stations, serving as affordable protein for Tokyo's working population. The craft of yakitori — particularly the skilled management of binchotan charcoal — is considered an art form in Japan.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is tare sauce in yakitori?
Tare is the proprietary dipping and basting sauce used in yakitori — typically a reduction of soy sauce, mirin, sake and sugar. Every yakitori restaurant has its own tare, and many maintain a master tare pot that is continuously topped up, never emptied — some famous shops have tare that has been simmering for 50+ years. The accumulated flavour from decades of dipping chicken creates extraordinary depth.
Nutrition Facts
Per serving (250g) · 4 servings total
Time Summary
Have Questions?
Ask our AI cooking assistant anything about this recipe — substitutions, techniques, scaling.
Chat with AI Chef →More Japanese Recipes
Community
Join the conversation
Sign in to leave a comment and save your favourite recipes