Japanese Yakitori Tare Marinade and Glazed Chicken Thigh Skewers

Name: Japanese Yakitori Tare Marinade and Glazed Chicken Thigh Skewers
Prep time: 33 min
Cook time: 32 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: ½ cup (120 ml) Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi); ½ cup (120 ml) mirin; ½ cup (120 ml) sake, any dry drinking sake; 3 tbsp (40 g) granulated sugar; 2 whole (30 g) scallions, white and light green parts only, cut in half crosswise and lightly smashed; 3 slices (15 g) fresh ginger, unpeeled, sliced ⅛-inch (3 mm) thick; 2 cloves (10 g) garlic, peeled and smashed; 1½ lb (680 g) boneless, skin-on chicken thighs, cold, trimmed of excess fat, cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces; 1 tbsp (15 ml) neutral oil such as canola, for oiling the grill grate; shichimi togarashi or ground sansho pepper, to taste, for sprinkling (optional)

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

A glossy, savory-sweet tare made by simmering soy sauce, mirin, sake and sugar with ginger and scallion, then used two ways: a short marinade for juicy chicken thigh skewers and a clean reserved glaze for basting and dipping.

Prep: 33 min
Cook: 32 min
Wait: 1 hr 3 min
Total: 2 hr 8 min
Makes: 8 skewers (4 servings) plus about ¾ cup (180 ml) extra tare for dipping

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Ingredients

4 servings

For the tare
½ cup (120 ml) Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi)
½ cup (120 ml) mirin
½ cup (120 ml) sake, any dry drinking sake
3 tbsp (40 g) granulated sugar
2 whole (30 g) scallions, white and light green parts only, cut in half crosswise and lightly smashed
3 slices (15 g) fresh ginger, unpeeled, sliced ⅛-inch (3 mm) thick
2 cloves (10 g) garlic, peeled and smashed
For the skewers
1½ lb (680 g) boneless, skin-on chicken thighs, cold, trimmed of excess fat, cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces
1 tbsp (15 ml) neutral oil such as canola, for oiling the grill grate
For serving
shichimi togarashi or ground sansho pepper, to taste, for sprinkling (optional)

Equipment (9)

Small saucepan, 2-quart (2 L)
Heatproof measuring cup or jar for storing tare
8 bamboo skewers, 8-inch (20 cm), or metal skewers
Shallow dish or baking pan for soaking skewers
Zip-top bag (1 gallon / 4 L) or shallow dish for marinating
Cutting board and sharp knife
Grill, or ridged grill pan, plus tongs
Pastry brush
Instant-read thermometer

Steps

Before you start

Read the timing: the tare must cool completely (about 30 minutes) before it touches raw chicken, so start it first.
Keep the reserved tare separate from the marinade. Any liquid that touched raw chicken must be discarded, never used for basting or dipping.
Use regular (not low-sodium or 'light') Japanese-style soy sauce, and real mirin (hon-mirin) if you can find it. Marinate no longer than 2 hours or the chicken will turn salty.
You can cook the skewers on a charcoal grill, gas grill or a ridged grill pan; the heat should be medium-high.

1
Simmer the tare
- In a 2-quart (2 L) saucepan, combine the soy sauce, mirin, sake, sugar, smashed scallions, ginger slices and garlic.
- Set over medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves.
- Bring to a gentle simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Keep the bubbles small and lazy, not rolling.
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Ready when: The liquid has reduced by about one third to roughly 1¼ cups (300 ml), looks glossy, and lightly coats the back of a spoon. It will thicken more as it cools.
Tip: Don't boil hard or reduce too far. Over-reduced tare turns bitter and burns quickly on the grill.
2
Strain, cool, soak skewers
- Pour the tare through a fine strainer into a heatproof measuring cup and discard the solids.
- You should have about 1 cup (240 ml).
- Let it cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, submerge the bamboo skewers in a shallow dish of water so they soak while the tare cools.
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Ready when: The tare feels cool, not warm, when you dip a clean finger in it.
Tip: If you're in a hurry, set the cup in a bowl of ice water and stir for 5 to 8 minutes.
3
Cut the chicken
- Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towels.
- Trim away any thick lumps of fat or gristle, then cut each thigh into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces, keeping a bit of skin on most pieces.
- You should have about 24 to 28 pieces of similar size.
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Ready when: All pieces are roughly the same size so they cook at the same rate.
Tip: Chilled chicken is much easier to cut cleanly. Wash the board and your hands well afterward.
4
Thread the skewers
- Drain the skewers.
- Thread 3 to 4 chicken pieces onto each skewer, packing them snugly with the skin sides facing the same direction.
- Leave about 2 inches (5 cm) of skewer bare at the handle end.
- Make 8 skewers.
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Ready when: Pieces sit flat and tight against each other without gaps or crowding.
Tip: Pushing the pieces through the thickest part, not the edges, keeps them from spinning when you flip.
5
Marinate the chicken
- Divide the cooled tare: pour about ⅓ cup (80 ml) into a zip-top bag or shallow dish for marinating, and keep the remaining roughly ⅔ cup (160 ml) covered in the fridge as clean basting and dipping tare.
- Add the skewers to the marinade, turn to coat, and refrigerate for 30 minutes (up to 2 hours), turning once halfway.
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Ready when: The chicken looks evenly glossy and dark brown on all sides.
Tip: Never baste with the marinade the raw chicken sat in. Discard it after removing the skewers.
6
Heat the grill
- Preheat a grill or ridged grill pan over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes.
- Fold a paper towel, dip it in the neutral oil, and use tongs to rub it over the hot grate.
- Take the skewers out of the fridge and let the extra marinade drip off.
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Ready when: A drop of water sizzles instantly on the grate, and you can hold your hand 5 inches above it for only 3 to 4 seconds.
Tip: Wrap the bare skewer ends in a small piece of foil to stop them from burning.
7
Grill and baste
- Lay the skewers on the grate and cook for 5 minutes without moving them, until the underside is browned with some charred spots.
- Flip and cook 3 minutes more.
- Brush generously with the reserved tare, flip, and cook 1 minute.
- Brush the other side, flip once more, and cook 1 to 2 minutes until the glaze bubbles and darkens.
- Repeat the brush-and-flip once more if you like a thicker glaze.
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Ready when: The chicken is deeply browned and lacquered, the juices run clear, and an instant-read thermometer in the thickest piece reads 165°F (74°C).
Tip: The sugar burns fast. If the glaze blackens, move the skewers to a cooler part of the grill or lower the heat.
8
Rest and serve
- Move the skewers to a platter and let them rest for 3 minutes so the juices settle.
- Brush once more with a little reserved tare, sprinkle with shichimi togarashi or sansho if using, and serve the remaining tare in a small dish for dipping.
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Ready when: The glaze looks shiny and sticky, not wet.

Good to know

Tips

Keep the cooked-down tare and the marinade strictly separate for food safety.
Skin-on thighs give the best flavor; the fat bastes the meat and the skin crisps under the glaze.
Glaze in thin layers, building up shine with 2 or 3 brushings, rather than one thick coat that will burn.
The tare works on chicken wings, meatballs (tsukune), mushrooms, eggplant and rice bowls too.

Make ahead

The strained tare can be made up to 1 week ahead and kept in a sealed jar in the fridge. Skewers can be threaded and marinated up to 2 hours before grilling.

Storage & reheating

Unused tare (never exposed to raw chicken): refrigerate in a sealed jar up to 2 weeks or freeze up to 3 months. Cooked skewers: refrigerate in an airtight container up to 3 days; reheat in a skillet over medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes, turning, with a splash of tare, until hot (165°F / 74°C). Do not leave at room temperature for more than 2 hours. Cooked skewers freeze up to 2 months; thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.

Substitutions

sake → dry sherry or Chinese Shaoxing wine. Use the same amount; the flavor will be slightly nuttier.
mirin → ¼ cup (60 ml) sake plus 2 tbsp (25 g) extra sugar. Use this in place of ½ cup mirin if you can't find it; the tare will be less complex.
boneless, skin-on chicken thighs → skinless boneless chicken thighs. Cook 1 minute less per side and watch closely as they dry out faster.
Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi) → tamari. Makes the tare gluten-free; check that the sake and mirin are also gluten-free.