Japanese Yakitori Chicken Skewers

Video

Recipe

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

These yakitori skewers are sticky, caramelised and deeply savoury thanks to a classic sake–mirin–soy glaze. Normally you’d simmer the glaze on the stovetop and grill over charcoal, but here’s the clever part: the

Panasonic 34L 4-in-1 Air Fry Convection Microwave Oven NN-CD88QS

handles it all.

The glaze cooks in minutes in the microwave. The grill mode gives you golden edges and beautifully rendered chicken skin. It’s fast, reliable and genuinely delicious, a modern shortcut that still tastes like the izakaya favourite.

In collaboration with

Panasonic Australia

What is Yakitori?

Yakitori is a Japanese style of skewered, bite-sized chicken grilled until smoky and lightly charred. It’s traditionally cooked over binchotan charcoal in specialty yakitori restaurants, brushed with a sweet–savory glaze known as tare.

This version keeps all the flavour but makes it doable at home, using the

NN-CD88QS

to mimic that glossy, caramelised finish.

Special Ingredient Notes

Sake

Adds aroma and helps the glaze reduce to a syrupy finish. Japanese cooking sake is ideal.

Mirin

A sweet Japanese rice wine that gives the sauce its signature shine. If you can’t find true mirin, use aji-mirin.

Japanese soy sauce

Adds depth, saltiness and that classic yakitori flavour. Kikkoman or Yamasa are perfect.

Chicken thighs with skin on

The skin renders beautifully under the grill setting and keeps the meat juicy. If you can’t find skin-on, skinless chicken thigh fillets or even chicken breast is fine to use also.

Spring onion

A traditional pairing. Grilling it gives soft, sweet layers that balance the savoury chicken.

What You Need

sake

mirin

Japanese soy sauce

brown sugar

skin-on chicken thighs

spring onion

Steps

Place the sake, mirin, soy sauce and brown sugar into a microwave-safe bowl. Stir to dissolve the sugar slightly. Cover the bowl with cling film, leaving a small gap so steam can escape. Microwave on

1000W for 7 minutes

or until the glaze is glossy and slightly thickened. Set aside.

Cut the chicken thighs into large bite-sized chunks. Slice the spring onions into 3 cm lengths. Thread alternating pieces of chicken and spring onion onto your skewers.

Place the enamel tray into the

Panasonic NN-CD88QS

and set the

grill rack

on top. Arrange the skewers in a single layer. Select

Grill 1 mode

and cook for

15 minutes.

Brush the skewers generously with the yakitori glaze. Flip the skewers, brush again, and cook for a further

15 minutes

until the chicken is caramelised, glossy and lightly charred at the edges. Serve warm.

Japanese Yakitori Chicken Skewers

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PREP TIME

15 minutes

COOK TIME

30 minutes

SERVES

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Ingredients

Yakitori glaze:

¼ cup sake

¼ cup mirin

¼ cup Japanese soy sauce

¼ cup brown sugar

Yakitori skewers:

500g chicken thighs, skin on

3 spring onions

wooden or metal skewers

Instructions

Make the Yakitori Glaze

Place the sake, mirin, soy sauce and brown sugar into a microwave-safe bowl. Stir to dissolve the sugar slightly. Cover the bowl with cling film, leaving a small gap so steam can escape. Microwave on

1000W for 7 minutes

or until the glaze is glossy and slightly thickened. Set aside.

Prepare the Skewers

Cut the chicken thighs into large bite-sized chunks. Slice the spring onions into 3 cm lengths. Thread alternating pieces of chicken and spring onion onto your skewers.

Grill the Yakitori

Place the enamel tray into the

Panasonic NN-CD88QS

and set the

grill rack

on top. Arrange the skewers in a single layer.

Select

Grill 1 mode

and cook for

15 minutes

Brush the skewers generously with the yakitori glaze.

Flip the skewers, brush again, and cook for a further

15 minutes

until the chicken is caramelised, glossy and lightly charred at the edges. Serve warm.