Air-Fryer Chicken Yakitori (Japanese Chicken Skewers)

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Chicken Yakitori

I love eating Chicken Yakitori, but I don’t have the patience to cook on the BBQ with coals (even though its more tasty)…However, I made this quick air-fryer version so you can have tasty chicken at home. The sauce is super easy to make and the only hard part is putting the chicken on the skewers. Its all worth it when you have delicious chicken ◡̈

If you don’t have an air-fryer, you can place them in your oven instead! If you’re not feeling skewers or you don’t have the sticks on hand, you can cook your chicken by itself in the oven. It would make a yummy chicken teriyaki rice bowl as well.

Baking Method (If you don’t have an air-fryer)

Place the chicken skewers on parchment paper on a sheet pan. Very similar to the air fryer, but you will need to cook your chicken little bit longer! I recommend to cook at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 6-7 minutes on one side. Add sauce, flip it over and cook for 4-5 minutes or until your desired char 🙂

INGREDIENTS YOU NEED FOR YOUR CHICKEN YAKITORI:

• 1.5 lb chicken thigh (skin-on), cut in 1 inch pieces
• 5-6 green onions
• bamboo skewers soak in water for 30 minutes
• roughly 1/4 cup marinade
• 1/2 cup sauce (leave 1/4 cup for brushing sauce during air-fry and 1/4 cup of sauce for dipping)

marinade (Makes roughly 1 cup sauce):

• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 3-4 garlic cloves, grated
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup mirin
• 1/2 tbs sugar
• 2 tbs sake
• 1/4 cup water

garnish:

• roasted sesame seeds
• brush on marinade

STEPS TO MAKE THE CHICKEN YAKITORI

1. Soak bamboo sticks in water for 30 minutes. After you start prepping the marinade and chicken, it will be around 30 minutes ◡̈
2. Grate ginger and garlic cloves and set aside.
3. To make the marinade, add grated ginger, grated garlic, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup mirin, 1/4 cup water, 1/2 tbs sugar, and 2 tbs sake in a saucepan. Heat marinade on saucepan on medium heat for 7-8 minutes until the sauce starts bubbling. Cool marinade for 10 minutes.
4. Cut chicken thigh in 1 inch pieces. Make sure the marinade has cooled down and add 1/4 cup of the marinade to the chicken. Marinate for 15 minutes.
5. Cut green onions in 3 inch pieces. Get your skewer and add a piece of chicken then add 1-2 green onions. Repeat until the chicken reaches the end of the stick.
6. Cut parchment paper to fit your air fryer (see above for baking instructions). Cook skewers for 4-5 minutes on 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 5 minutes.
7. After 5 minutes, brush sauce on top. Flip over and brush sauce on the other side (both sides sauced!). Cook for 4-5 minutes until slightly charred.
8. To serve, brush some sauce at the top and garnish with sesame seeds.

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See more delicious asian inspired Air-Fryer Recipes below!

• Taiwanese fried chicken – This Taiwanese inspired chicken is super flavorful and crispy!
• Shrimp Toast – light and airy toast that has a tender shrimp filling will be your go to appetizer.

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