Yakitori (Grilled Chicken Kebabs)

Yakitori is chicken and various other things (mainly chicken, as tori means chicken) skewered, brushed with a sweetish sauce, and grilled to perfection. My version utilizes a simplified sauce and is cooked under the broiler, although it can be grilled, too. Yakitori is best eaten fresh while still very hot. Try with a Japanese beer, if you drink beer. I like to serve it as a meal, but it's intended to be more of a snack. Besides the kebab ingredients here, you can also use chicken gizzards or livers, wing drummettes, little meatballs of minced chicken, shitake mushrooms, bell peppers, or gingko nuts. The skewers should be quite small--just enough for a bite or two each.

• Ready In: 45 mins
• Serves: 3-4

Ingredients

• Sauce

• 7  tablespoons sake
• 3⁄4 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 3  tablespoons mirin
• 2  tablespoons sugar

• Kebab ingredients

• 2  lbs  boneless chicken thighs
• 5  long onions (negi) or 5  thin leeks or 7 -8  green onions
•  short  bamboo skewer, soaked in water

Directions

1. To make sauce, combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, and set aside.
2. To prepare kebabs, cut thigh meat into bite-sized pieces. Cut thick parts of onions into 1-inch pieces, discarding the leaves. (See comments for additional suggestions for skewers.).
3. Thread pieces of chicken and onion alternately onto skewers, just 1-2 of each per skewer.
4. Dip each skewer into the sauce until well coated; place on a broiling pan.
5. Brush with additional sauce, and place under hot broiler, about 4-6 inches from heat.
6. Broil until the sauce begins to blacken around high points of skewers, about 4-5 minutes.
7. Brush again with sauce, flip and brush other side. Continue broiling for another 4-5 minutes or until just starting to char.
8. Repeat if necessary until chicken is cooked through.
9. Serve immediately. Discard any remaining sauce.