Yaktori

Last week was another busy one, dinners included a trusty Ragu and, of course, Fried Rice. Though seemingly ambitious, but really easy, we had Fish in a Parcel and a quickie Mexican Night. Here's another simple recipe which you can either prepare in advance, or prep it the second you walk into the door. 

A favorite appetizer/drinking snack of Japan, yakitori refers grilled bite-sized pieces of chicken on a stick, but can also refer to any type of skewered food, including various bits of chicken, such as wings, liver and gizzards. Vegetables include shiitake mushrooms, gingko nuts and asparagus (use two sticks for these, to keep them from spinning 'round). Yakitori is prepared two ways, either just with salt (shio) or with a salty-sweet sauce (tare). Here is my version of a classic, Yakitori Negima. 

8 free-range chicken thighs, boneless and skinless, trimmed of excess fat and cut into bite-sized strips

8 thick green onions, white and light green parts only, into 1” (25mm) lengths

5 Tbsp reduced-sodium tamari or soy sauce

1 Tbsp mirin* (or white wine)
1 Tbsp sesame oil

1 Tbsp GF brown rice syrup or turbinado sugar
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tsp sea salt

• Soak bamboo skewers in water for an hour (to prevent the wood from burning).
• Combine the soy, mirin, brown rice syrup, sesame oil, garlic, and salt together and marinate the chicken pieces for 20 minutes to an hour. 
• To assemble, skewer the meat, alternating with green onion, beginning and ending each skewer with chicken. Fill each stick only halfway, so you have a handle. 
• Grill on the barbecue or broil in the oven on a baking sheet with the oven broiler set to high. Place pan on the second tier from the top, with the sticks pointing away from the center of the oven (so they don’t burn). Broil for 12-15 minutes, turning every 3 minutes for even cooking. 

VARIATION: Instead of chopping the meat into small pieces, marinate whole thigh pieces overnight and grill to make a delicious teriyaki burger. Serve in a bun with mayo, cucumber and lots of crisp lettuce.