Where does Yakitori come from?

Yakitori — country of origin: Japan.

What is Yakitori made of?

Chicken, soy sauce, mirin, sugar, chicken liver, spring onion, salt.

Which allergens does Yakitori contain?

Contains cereals and gluten-containing products. Contains soybeans and soybean products.

How do you pronounce Yakitori?

焼き鳥 (Japanese) is pronounced /jakitoɾi/.

Yakitori

焼き鳥Pronunciation (IPA) /jakitoɾi/

Japanese chicken skewers grilled over binchotan charcoal and glazed with tare sauce or seasoned with salt. Sold in yakitori-ya and izakaya across Japan.

Also known as: yakitori skewers · Japanese chicken skewers · kushiyaki

Allergens & declarations

Contains

Cereals (gluten)

Wheat

Contains cereals and gluten-containing products

Soybeans

Contains soybeans and soybean products

This describes the classic recipe, so you know what to ask about. It is not a declaration for any particular kitchen — recipes and suppliers vary, and only the restaurant can tell you what is in the dish it serves.

In detail

Yakitori is bite-sized pieces of chicken, and sometimes other poultry parts or vegetables, threaded on bamboo or metal skewers and grilled over charcoal. The name means "grilled bird" in Japanese.

What it really is

Classic yakitori is made from chicken thigh, chicken breast, skin, liver, heart and cartilage, cut into pieces of similar size and threaded onto skewers. The skewers are grilled over binchotan charcoal, turning them often, and brushed with tare, a sauce of soy sauce, mirin and sugar that is simmered until thick, or seasoned with plain salt (shio). Different parts are cooked to different degrees, with the liver and heart often kept slightly pink in the centre.

The word is used in two senses. Yakitori-ya are specialist restaurants where the skewers are the main menu, and the term can also cover any grilled chicken skewer in Japan. Kushiyaki is the broader term for grilled skewers of any food, including pork, beef and vegetables, so yakitori is the chicken-specific form. Tsukune, a chicken meatball on a skewer, is usually served as a separate item within a yakitori menu.

How it's served

Served hot off the grill, usually two or three skewers per order, often on a small plate.
Eaten directly from the skewer, pulling the pieces off with the teeth or chopsticks.
Commonly ordered with cold beer or sake at an izakaya, and often served with shichimi chilli pepper on the side.
Salt-seasoned skewers are often eaten first, then tare-glazed ones, and the meal may finish with rice or a bowl of soup.

Name the cut and seasoning, for example "chicken thigh with tare" or "chicken thigh with salt", since guests order by both.
State that the dish contains soy sauce and wheat, which appear in the tare glaze, and that tare sauces may contain sesame.
List any variants offered: tsukune (chicken meatball), negima (chicken and spring onion), or liver and heart, so guests can choose offal.
Mention that the dish is cooked on bamboo or metal skewers over charcoal, and that the chicken is not fully cooked when served pink in the middle.

Typical ingredients

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Frequently asked questions

What is Yakitori?: Japanese chicken skewers grilled over binchotan charcoal and glazed with tare sauce or seasoned with salt. Sold in yakitori-ya and izakaya across Japan.
Where does Yakitori come from?: Yakitori — country of origin: Japan.
What is Yakitori made of?: Chicken, soy sauce, mirin, sugar, chicken liver, spring onion, salt.
Which allergens does Yakitori contain?: Contains cereals and gluten-containing products. Contains soybeans and soybean products.
What is Yakitori also known as?: Yakitori skewers, Japanese chicken skewers, kushiyaki.
How do you pronounce Yakitori?: 焼き鳥 (Japanese) is pronounced /jakitoɾi/.