Yakitori is a classic Japanese dish of skewered chicken that gets cooked over a charcoal grill and topped with various sauces/flavors. My favorite yakitori that I had in Japan was a skewer of chicken and leeks, so I knew I wanted to recreate it at home. All the leeks I found were way too large, so I opted for using scallions instead. They get grilled in a sweet and salty glaze that imparts so much flavor and caramelization onto the skewers.
(See recipe notes for tips on what to eat these with!)
Ingredient highlight
Chicken! Chicken is a great way to get in high quality protein that’s packed with selenium, choline, niacin (Vitamin B3), and vitamin B6, and B12.
The inspo behind the recipe – our chicken and leek skewer at Kushikura in Kyoto, Japan!
Servings 4
Prep Time 10 minutes 
Cook Time 20 minutes Ingredients
- 1/2 cup soy sauce or tamari
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1 inch knob ginger, grated
- 1-1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 large bunches scallions, white/light green parts separated from dark green*
- *Try to pick out scallions with larger white bulbs so they are easier to skewer. If the scallions are super thin, then skip it or use yellow onion instead.
- Note: ~ Recommend eating as a rice bowl with raw crunchy veg topped with green scallions and leftover Miso Sesame Dipping Sauce as a sauce (just thin it out with water until drizzle-able).
Instructions
- Turn your grill on high to heat up for at least 10 minutes.
- In a medium pot, stir together the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, garlic, and ginger. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium to maintain a rapid simmer for about 15 minutes, or until reduced by half and the glaze coats the back on a spoon when dipped in.
- Cut the white/light green parts of the scallions into 1-inch pieces. Skewer the chicken and scallions (see video).
- Transfer about 2-3 tablespoons of the glaze into a separate small bowl and brush it onto the skewers on all sides. Grill for about 4 minutes, or until you have nice grill marks/a bit of charring. If it’s burning too much, turn down the heat. Flip and brush the remaining glaze over top, then cover and grill for about 3-5 more minutes or until cooked through.
- See note and "leftovers" section for serving ideas.
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Make the glaze
- Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces
- Prep the white/light green parts of the scallion
- Assemble the skewers
Substitutions:
- To make vegetarian/vegan, use tofu on the skewers and cook in the oven at 450F and/or broil on high to get them nice and charred. You could also try using portobello mushrooms in place of chicken on the grill.
Storage:
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Leftovers + Repurposing
- Use leftover chicken in a rice bowl with raw crunchy veg and topped with chopped green scallions. Use Miso Sesame Dipping Sauce as a sauce for the bowl (just thin it out with water until drizzle-able). This is how I ate these and it was SO good!
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