Chicken yakitori recipe

“Skewer cooking is a favourite Asian cooking method, reaching great delicacy in street markets,” says Ray Mears.

“Almost any food can be cooked on skewers – broccoli, shrimps, asparagus, meat, fish or shellfish – but whatever the ingredients, all are elevated when cooked in a yakitori glaze.”

Print Recipe

Nutrition Facts

Chicken yakitori

Amount Per Serving

Calories 256 Calories from Fat 27

% Daily Value*

Fat 3g5%

Saturated Fat 1g6%

Cholesterol 72mg24%

Sodium 2130mg93%

Potassium 785mg22%

Carbohydrates 28g9%

Fiber 3g13%

Sugar 15g17%

Protein 30g60%

Vitamin A 2639IU53%

Vitamin C 84mg102%

Calcium 42mg4%

Iron 3mg17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Chicken yakitori

Ideal for rustling up on the bbq

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Skewer soaking time30 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Asian

Servings: 4

Calories: 256kcal

Author: Ray Mears

Equipment

• Skewers
• Small billycan

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts
• 2 leeks
• 2 red peppers seeded
• 6 mushrooms
• 3 tsp brown sugar
• 4 tbsp water
• 125 ml soy sauce
• 125 ml mirin
• 1 garlic clove
• ground black pepper or shichimi pepper
• pinch of salt

Method

• Prepare some skewers and soak them in clean water for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, beat the chicken breasts to an even thickness of 1cm. Cut into 3cm squares.
• Cut the leeks into 4cm segments and the pepper into 3cm squares, and trim the stems on the mushrooms.
• Prepare the skewers, alternately threading on the meat squares and the vegetables.
• In a small billycan, combine the sugar, water, soy sauce and mirin and heat to dissolve the sugar. While it’s heating, crush and add the garlic, and stir in the pepper. Once the sugar has dissolved, set the glaze aside.
• Begin cooking the skewers. It is traditional to have some skewers simply seasoned with salt, as well as those brushed with the sweet glaze.
• Once the cooking has reached what you consider to be the halfway point, glaze the skewers that will be sweet. Do not worry if the glaze seems thin, it is built up in layers. Season the remaining skewers with a pinch of salt.
• Continue glazing the sweet skewers little by little until they are cooked, and the glaze is a beautiful glossy brown. Cook the salted skewers until they too are golden. Serve hot.

Nutrition

Calories: 256kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 72mg | Sodium: 2130mg | Potassium: 785mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 2639IU | Vitamin C: 84mg | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 3mg

Wilderness Chef: The Ultimate Guide To Cooking Outdoors by Ray Mears is published by Bloomsbury. Photography by Ray Mears.

Read more: Ray Mears: ‘Things do taste better outdoors’

Wise Living Magazine may receive a small commission to help support the running of this site from purchases made from links on this page. Affiliate links do not influence our editorial or articles published by Wise Living.