Yakitori is grilled, skewered chicken, often dipped in a teriyaki-like sauce. It’s a very popular appetizer at yakitori bars and other bar-style restaurants in Japan.
Yakitori in Japan
Yakitori can certainly be a dish served at your dinner table, but it’s more commonly enjoyed as a food to accompany drinks at bars. Many yakitori bars grill their chicken over charcoal, filling the streets with the irresistible aroma of smoky, grilled meat that draws in customers. In Japan, going out for drinks after work is a common tradition, and yakitori bars are among the most popular places to unwind. These bars typically serve basic yakitori like ours, but they also offer a wide variety of skewered items. Every part of the chicken is used — not just the breast and thighs, but also the skin, cartilage, hearts, and, well… everything else!
If you live in Japan and want yakitori for dinner, you can absolutely make it at home — or you can find it easily just about anywhere. Chicken butcher shops often sell yakitori to-go, grilled on the spot at a small stand by the corner of the shop. Supermarket delis also offer yakitori to-go, much like the roasted and fried chicken you’d find in U.S. supermarkets. And if even that feels like too much effort :-), you can always keep canned yakitori (not skewered) on hand to satisfy spontaneous cravings.
How to make Yakitori at home
- Prep skewers: You need bamboo skewers called kushi in order to make Yakitori. Bamboo skewers should be soaked in water for 30 minutes or so to prevent them from burning.
- Make the sauce (tare): Mix soy sauce, sugar, sake, and mirin in a small pot, and boil until slightly thickened. You can skip making the sauce if you prefer simple salt (shio) seasoning only.
- Assemble the skewers: Cut the chicken thighs into bite size pieces and thread them on skewers. You can use chicken only or skewer chicken and onion alternately.
- Cook the skewers: Grilling it over a barbecue is ideal. A charcoal grill, in particular, adds an amazing depth of flavor. Or follow our easy recipe below to cook in a frying pan.
- Dip the chicken in the sauce.
Short Video
More Yakitori Recipes
- Yakitori Restaurant Yakitori Recipe: Inspired by a Japanese Yakitori specialty restaurant, we made skewered ground chicken (Tsukune) and chicken tenders with Umeboshi plum sauce.
- Assorted Yakitori Recipe: we cooked chicken and various vegetables on the outdoor grill.
Yakitori Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup Sake
- 1/4 cup Mirin
- 1 lb chicken thighs
- 2 long white onions (or 5-6 green onions)
- salt
- vegetable oil
Instructions
- Soak bamboo skewers (6″ long) in water for 30 minutes.
- Mix soy sauce, sugar, Sake, and Mirin in a small pot, and boil for 8-10 minutes until the sauce gets a little thick. Set aside.
- Cut chicken thighs into 1″ cubes, and cut onions (white part) into 1″ long pieces. Skewer chicken and onions alternately.
- In a heated frying pan, spread oil very thinly, and cook skewered meat at medium high heat for 5 minutes. Turn and cook another 5 minutes until browned and cooked through.
- Immediately dip chicken in the sauce, and serve.
Yakitori with salt
- For Yakitori with salt, skewer just chicken pieces and sprinkle with salt. Cook in the same way as Yakitori with sauce (but don’t dip in sauce).
Video
This recipe was originally published in September 2013. The post was updated on May 5, 2025 with more useful content, new photos and a short video.
23 Comments
Hi Im Criz and I am living here in Japan for almost 9 months. The first time I ate yakitori I was so shocked because of the great taste of it also with beer and I can’t go everyday at the yakitori bars because of my busy schedule. But now I can eat yakitori everyday. Thank you for your simple recipe.
Criz,
Glad you liked the recipe!
Hello! I made this recipe and it was great!
焼き鳥レシピをありがとうございます！
またね。
ed,
glad you liked the recipe! またね！
Hi
Could you please mention which soy sauce to use ..there are hundreds variety in the market n they all have different taste.
Thanks
surabhi,
Kikkoman is a quality one.
No offense but my personal choice of soy sauce is Silver swan special..
It has a much bolder/ deeper taste.. high in sodium but you dont need as much to get that great soy flavor..Just saying..
tried it today my daughter loved it sooo much. thanks to you.
Junko,
glad your daughter liked Yakitori!
Does it has to have sake or is there something else you could use?
Mel,
you could add more Mirin instead of Sake.
Ichiban!
Walt,
hope so!
Hii there..
Im gonna ask about the sugar..should i have to use brown sugar or white sugar?
Thanks for the recipe..i will try it immediately.hope like it..
Gray,
they are interchangable in this recipe, and you can use brown sugar.
thanks for the answer..
1 more question..how to keep it?so the age of the sauce can be longer..and how long it is?
thanks 🙂
gray,
you can keep the sauce in the fridge for a week or so.
I made this with cubed super firm tofu instead of chicken and it came out great. The sauce is so very yummy! I had some sauce left over which I used on fried salted tilapia and rice.
Ms. Jody,
you’re so creative!
Is that okay if I do not use sake ingredient.
Is it have different taste?.
can we use ready made teriyaki sauce instead of making that soy sauce recipe
Hi! I lived and worked in Japan from 1978 to 2014 and yakitori was a staple in my diet. One of my best friends owned and operated a yakitori “restaurant” NOT a yakitori “bar”. Don’t think I ever saw a yakitori “bar” my entire time in Japan, although all yakitori “restaurants” in Japan do serve alcohol.
I had trouble with the sauce becoming thick. I used the same measurements and boiled it, but it never thickened up 🙁