What is yakitori?
Yakitori is a Japanese dish made of skewered chicken and vegetables, grilled over charcoal, or another heat source.
It is a classic menu at Japanese izakaya (pubs) and is enjoyed by many Japanese people of all ages.
Yakitori is so popular in Japan that you can even find in convenience stores.
It is seasoned with either salt (shio) or sauce (tare).
Shio flavored yakitori is seasoned simply with a sprinkling of salt, enhancing the natural flavors of the ingredients.
Tare flavored yakitori is seasoned with a salty-sweet soy sauce-based sauce that has similar flavors to teriyaki sauce.
Yakitori and tare are a perfect match, and the flavors are sure to please your appetite for alcoholic drinks or rice.
The history of yakitori is long, and the origins of the dish can be traced back to prehistoric times, when grilling and eating chicken was already a common practice.
Yakitori became popular in Japan about 65 years ago, when broilers (young chickens that can be fattened up in a short period of time) were introduced from the U.S.
In recent years, new types of yakitori restaurants have emerged, including those offering wine pairings, reasonably priced restaurants requiring reservations only, and those that offer non-skewered yakitori.
Varieties of yakitori
A wide variety of chicken cuts are used in yakitori.
The following explains some of the cuts most commonly used.
Momo (thigh)
The top portion of the leg.
This part of the chicken is muscular, quite chewy, and each bite gives you a juicy flavor.
It is one of the most classic types of yakitori, and is recommended to be enjoyed with beer to wash down its rich flavor.
Negima (thigh and leek)
Yakitori made using chicken thigh and leek.
The crunchy texture of the leek and the juicy flavor of the thigh is irresistible.
While it is delicious with the tare flavor, we also recommend having it with salt if you want to fully appreciate the texture of the leek.
Tsukune (chicken meatballs)
Minced chicken, eggs, and chicken cartilage are mixed and grilled.
Enjoy the tender tsukune alongside the crunch of the cartilage.
Torikawa (skin)
Skin of the neck.
Well-fried torikawa has a crunchy texture, while soft-fried ones have a chewy texture.
This part is rich in sweetness and contains good amounts of collagen unique to fat.
Reba (liver)
Chicken liver.
This highly nutritious part contains high levels of vitamin A,and has a thick, melt-in-your-mouth richness unique to liver.
High-quality liver is soft and melts in the mouth.
It is sometimes compared to cheese because of its texture and richness.
How to make yakitori
Making yakitori is more than just simply cooking it; it requires craftsmanship with a set of delicate techniques.
The first step is to select fresh, high quality chicken.
Next is the preparation of the meat.
The chicken is cut into appropriately sized pieces.
The cutting method varies according to the portion of meat and should take advantage of the cut’s texture.
The cut meat is then skewered.
The thickness of the meat and the way it is placed on the skewer greatly affects how it is grilled; the skill of the chef is the key to success.
Once the skewering is complete, the meat is seasoned with a sauce or salt.
The sauce typically consists of soy sauce, sugar, mirin (sweet rice wine), sake, dashi broth, and other ingredients.
Each restaurant has its unique sauce blend, which creates its own secret flavor.
The timing of coating with sauce varies from one restaurant to another, including before grilling, during grilling, or after grilling.
The meat is grilled over a charcoal or gas fire.
The amount of heat, the rotation of the meat, the distance from the heat, and other details must be finely tuned; this is where the chef shows his skills.
How to eat yakitori
Choose tare (sauce) or shio (salt)
Select your preferred seasoning at the time of ordering.
The sauce has a salty-sweet taste, whereas the salt gives a simple and natural flavor.
We recommend choosing your seasoning depending on the cut.
Eat while hot
Yakitori is best enjoyed while it's hot, as it maximizes its aroma and juiciness.
Eat directly from the skewer
Generally, you can eat yakitori directly from the skewer.
This allows you to savor the natural flavors of the meat.
However, if it's difficult to eat, you can remove the meat from the skewer with chopsticks.
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