Yakitori

About Yakitori

Yakitori is the Japanese art of grilling bite-size chicken on bamboo skewers over charcoal, a fixture of izakaya counters and festival stalls where cooks fan the coals and turn the sticks by hand. The version that carries a glaze rather than just salt is built around tare, a lacquer-like sauce simmered from soy, mirin, sake, and sugar until it reduces to something glossy and clinging. Threading the chicken with sections of scallion between the pieces is the classic negima style, so every bite alternates savory meat with a sweet, slightly charred allium.

The eating experience is all contrast: caramelized, sticky edges from the sugars in the tare hitting the fire, tender juicy chicken underneath, and the mellow onion sweetness of the scallion. Because the skewers are brushed and turned repeatedly, the glaze builds in thin layers that lacquer the surface rather than pooling, which is what separates a good yakitori from a gummy one. It works as an appetizer with cold beer or sake, or as a light main over rice with the last of the tare spooned on top. At roughly half an hour it is fast enough for a weeknight, and the tare itself keeps, rewarding you the next time you grill.