Pan-Fried Yakitori (Chicken Skewers) — Sweet Soy Glaze
Ingredients
1 stick Green onion
1 tbsp Sake
to taste Salt and Pepper
a little Salad Oil
300 g Chicken thigh
Sauce
2 tbsp ★Soy sauce
2 tbsp ★Mirin
1 tbsp ★Sugar
2 tbsp ★Sake
Instructions
- 1
Cut the green onion into 3 cm pieces. Prepare 10 pieces for skewering two pieces each on a stick.
- 2
Trim excess fat from the chicken thigh and cut it into bite-sized pieces. Prepare 15 pieces to skewer three pieces each on a stick.
- 3
Place the chicken in a bowl, add the sake, salt and pepper, and gently massage to coat. Let it rest for 5–10 minutes to enhance the flavour.
- 4
In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the sauce (★).
- 5
Skewer the chicken and green onion alternately on the bamboo sticks, using three pieces of chicken and two pieces of green onion per skewer.
Tip: Keep the skewer flat on the cutting board as you thread the ingredients, making sure the chicken doesn’t stick out or lift. A flatter surface means better contact with the pan, allowing the chicken to cook more evenly and reducing patchy browning.
- 6
Repeat the process to make a total of 5 skewers.
- 7
Heat a small amount of oil in a frying pan, arrange the skewers in the pan, cover, and cook over medium heat for about 4 minutes.
- 8
Once the chicken turns opaque and lightly browned, flip the skewers over and cook uncovered for about 1 minute. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- 9
Wipe the pan lightly with a paper towel to remove any excess oil. Add the prepared sauce and cook over medium heat until it thickens slightly.
- 10
Return the skewers to the pan and cook, turning to coat evenly in the sauce. Once the glaze has coated the skewers, remove from the heat and transfer to a serving plate.
- 11
If desired, sprinkle with shichimi togarashi (a Japanese seven-spice chilli blend) before serving.
Tomoka's Note
About the Green Onion： In Japan, yakitori is traditionally made with naganegi — a thick, long green onion with a large white stem that becomes sweet and tender when cooked. In Australia, use the thickest spring onions you can find. If they are quite thin, you can bundle two together on each skewer to achieve a similar texture and flavour.