Yakitori is one of those dishes that proves simple food can still feel special.
A few pieces of chicken, fresh spring onion, a glossy sauce and a hot pan are all you need to create something full of flavour. It is not complicated, but it does rely on balance — salty, sweet, savoury and just enough caramelisation to make each skewer shine.
Traditionally, yakitori is cooked over charcoal, where the smoke adds beautiful depth. In this Kitchen Confidence version, Chef Ian shows how to bring that same idea into the home kitchen using a stovetop pan, making it practical, achievable and perfect for a weeknight meal.
The sauce is built from Japanese soy sauce, mirin, cooking sake, chicken stock, brown sugar and Gozen Dashi Powder from the Underground Chef Pantry. Together, they create that classic savoury-sweet glaze that makes yakitori so enjoyable.
Served with steamed rice and a refreshing cucumber pickle, this is a lovely introduction to Japanese-inspired cooking at home — simple, balanced and full of flavour.
Serves: 4
Cooking Method: Stovetop pan, with charcoal or wood-fired grill option
Cooking Time: Approximately 20–25 minutes, plus pickle resting time
Skill Level: Easy to moderate
Best For: Japanese-inspired cooking, weeknight dinners, pantry confidence, simple entertaining, learning sauces and glazing
600 g chicken breast
1 bunch spring onions, cut into 4 cm lengths
Wooden skewers
Light oil spray, for cooking
Steamed rice, to serve
100 ml Japanese soy sauce
100 ml mirin
100 ml cooking sake
100 ml chicken stock
2 tablespoons brown sugar
¼ teaspoon Gozen Dashi Powder
½ continental cucumber
2 teaspoons salt
50 ml rice vinegar
25 ml mirin
25 ml soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon dried wakame
1 cup boiling water
Place the Japanese soy sauce, mirin, cooking sake, chicken stock, brown sugar and Gozen Dashi Powder into a small pot.
Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer.
Allow the sauce to reduce until it slightly thickens. It should still be brushable, but have enough body to coat the skewers as they cook.
Set aside until ready to use.
Cut the chicken breast into small, even pieces suitable for threading onto skewers.
Cut the spring onions into approximately 4 cm lengths.
Try to keep the chicken pieces similar in size so they cook evenly.
Thread one piece of chicken onto a wooden skewer, followed by one piece of spring onion.
Repeat this process two more times, so each skewer has 3 pieces of chicken and 3 pieces of spring onion.
Continue until all the chicken and spring onion have been used.
Heat a pan on the stove over medium heat.
Lightly spray the pan with oil.
Place the skewers into the pan and lightly brush with the yakitori sauce.
Allow the skewers to cook, then turn and brush again with more sauce.
Continue turning and glazing the skewers until the chicken is cooked through and the outside is glossy and lightly caramelised.
Slice the cucumber in half lengthwise and remove the seeds.
Slice the cucumber into thin pieces and place into a bowl.
Add the salt, mix well and leave for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, hand-squeeze the cucumber to remove the excess liquid.
In a separate bowl, combine the rice vinegar, mirin, soy sauce and sugar. Mix well until the sugar has dissolved.
Pour the dressing over the cucumber and mix well.
Leave for another 30 minutes to allow the cucumber to absorb the flavour.
Place the dried wakame into a bowl and pour over 1 cup of boiling water.
Leave for 10 minutes to soften.
Hand-squeeze the wakame to remove excess water, then add it to the cucumber pickle.
Mix well to combine.
Serve the chicken yakitori skewers with steamed rice and cucumber pickle on the side.
Brush or spoon a little extra yakitori sauce over the skewers before serving.
Yakitori is best known for being cooked over charcoal. If you have access to a charcoal or wood-fired grill, it will give the skewers a beautiful smoky flavour.
If cooking over charcoal or a wood-fired grill, soak the wooden skewers in water overnight. This helps stop them from burning too quickly during cooking.
The stovetop method is a great home option. Use a medium heat rather than very high heat so the chicken cooks through without the sauce burning.
The sauce should be reduced until it slightly thickens, but not boiled down too far. You still want to be able to brush it over the skewers as they cook.
For a lovely glossy finish, you can thicken the yakitori sauce with a small cornflour slurry once it has reduced. Brush this over the skewers once they are cooked to create a beautiful glaze.
The Gozen Dashi Powder adds a subtle savoury depth to the sauce. It is one of those small pantry ingredients that makes a big difference when cooking Japanese-style food.
The cucumber pickle is even better if it has time to sit before serving. The salt draws out excess moisture, while the dressing adds a fresh, savoury and slightly sweet flavour.
This recipe is designed to work beautifully in a pan on the stovetop.
A charcoal grill will give you that traditional smoky flavour, but you can still achieve a delicious result at home by cooking the skewers in a hot pan and brushing them regularly with sauce.
The key is not to rush the cooking. Turn the skewers as they cook, glaze lightly each time, and allow the sauce to build up in layers.
If the pan gets too hot and the sauce starts to catch too quickly, reduce the heat slightly and continue cooking until the chicken is cooked through.
The stovetop method makes yakitori much more accessible for everyday home cooking, while still giving you that glossy, savoury-sweet finish.
This recipe is a great introduction to building flavour with Japanese pantry ingredients.
The sauce uses a simple balance of soy sauce, mirin, cooking sake, chicken stock, brown sugar and Gozen Dashi Powder.
The soy sauce brings salt and depth.
The mirin adds sweetness and shine.
The cooking sake adds balance.
The chicken stock gives body.
The brown sugar helps the sauce caramelise.
The Gozen Dashi Powder adds that gentle umami flavour in the background.
Together, these ingredients create a sauce that is simple, but layered.
Once you understand this flavour base, you can start using it in other ways. It can be brushed over chicken thighs, prawns, tofu, mushrooms, vegetables or grilled fish.
This is where kitchen confidence starts to grow - learning one sauce, then seeing how many ways it can be used.
The cucumber pickle brings freshness to the dish.
Yakitori sauce is rich, savoury and slightly sweet, so the cucumber helps balance the meal. It gives you crunch, acidity and a clean finish alongside the chicken and rice.
Removing the seeds from the cucumber helps stop the pickle becoming watery.
Salting the cucumber first is important. It draws out moisture and improves the final texture.
If using wakame, make sure it is rehydrated, drained and squeezed well before adding it to the cucumber. This keeps the pickle fresh rather than watery.
Serve the yakitori skewers over or beside a small mound of steamed rice.
Place the cucumber pickle to the side so it stays fresh and crisp.
Brush the skewers with a little extra sauce just before serving for a glossy finish.
For a simple meal, serve three skewers per person with rice and pickle.
For a more generous meal, add extra skewers and serve with a simple salad or miso soup.
If serving this as part of a shared table, place the skewers on a platter, garnish with sliced spring onion if desired, and serve the cucumber pickle in a small bowl alongside.
Chicken thigh can be used instead of chicken breast for a juicier result. It may take slightly longer to cook, but it works beautifully with yakitori sauce.
You can also make vegetable skewers using mushrooms, zucchini, capsicum or eggplant.
Prawns also work well with this sauce. They cook quickly, so brush with sauce towards the end rather than from the beginning.
For a stronger glaze, reduce the sauce a little further or thicken it lightly with a cornflour slurry.
For a little heat, add a small amount of chilli, shichimi togarashi or finely grated ginger to the sauce.
If you would like a richer flavour, brush the skewers with sauce at the end of cooking and allow them to rest for a few minutes before serving.
The Gozen Dashi Powder used in this recipe is available from the Underground Chef Pantry.
The remaining ingredients — chicken breast, spring onions, soy sauce, mirin, cooking sake, chicken stock, brown sugar, cucumber, rice vinegar and rice — should generally be available from your local supermarket.
Having a few Japanese pantry staples on hand makes recipes like this much easier to bring together at home.
This is a lovely recipe for showing how simple Japanese cooking can be when you understand the balance of flavour.
A few pantry ingredients, some chicken, spring onion and a simple cooking method can create something that feels special without being difficult.
Yakitori teaches us a lot about layering flavour. The sauce is not just added at the end. It is brushed on gradually as the skewers cook, building colour, shine and flavour with each turn.
Served with steamed rice and a fresh cucumber pickle, this is a beautiful example of Japanese-inspired home cooking — simple, balanced and full of flavour.
It is also a great reminder that confidence in the kitchen often starts with one good sauce, one good method, and the willingness to give something new a try.