My current food crush on Japanese food continues with yakitori, or Japanese grilled chicken skewers. If you have tried yakitori before, chances are you have tasted these legendary grilled chicken meat balls.
Known as Tsukune in Japanese, I am nuts for yakitori. They are juicy, yummy, and definitely my favorite and a must-have item at yakitori restaurants or izakaya (Japanese pub-like restaurants serving sake, yakitori and small dishes).
I got this Yakitori recipe from “Japanese Cooking” by Emi Kazuko and these homemade grilled chicken meat balls weren’t half bad.
All in all though, I enjoyed the cooking process and was pleased with the results, especially the pictures of my yakitori…
You can try to make yakitori/grilled chicken meat balls at home. If you have any questions about the yakitori recipe, please drop me a comment.
How Many Calories per Serving?
This recipe is only 243 calories per serving.
What Dishes to Serve with This Recipe?
For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
5 Secrets to 20 Min Dinners
Get tricks for quick & easy meals!
Yakitori (Grilled Chicken Meat Balls)
Yakitori (Grilled Chicken Meat Balls) recipe - these are juicy, yummy, and definitely my favorite and a must-have item at yakitori restaurants.
Ingredients
- 11 oz. skinless chicken, minced
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons plain all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons corn starch
- 6 tablespoons dried bread crumbs
- 2 inches fresh ginger root, grated
For the "tare" yakitori sauce:
- 1/3 cup mirin
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sugar
Directions
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1
Put all the ingredients for the chicken balls (except the ginger) in a food processor and blend well. Wet your hands and scoop about a tablespoonful of the mixture into your palm. Shape it into a small ball, about half the size of a golf ball.
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2
Squeeze the juice from the grated ginger into a small mixing bowl. Discard the pulp. Add the ginger juice to a small pan of boiling water. Add the chicken balls and boil for about 7 minutes, or until the color of the meat changes and the balls float to the surface. Scoop out and drain on a plate covered with paper towels.
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3
In a small pan, mix all the ingredients for the yakitori sauce, bring the mixture to boil, and then reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes or until the sauce slightly reduced. Transfer to a small bowl.
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4
Thread 3-4 balls on to each bamboo skewer. Grill the skewers with an indoor grill or broiler or on a barbecue (preferred). Brush them with the yakitori sauce and turn the skewers frequently until the balls turn brown. Serve hot and sprinkle with shichimi togarashi (Japanese chile powder with sesame seeds) and some yakitori sauce if you like.
Bob
Where’s the recipe?
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Bob, oops thanks for telling me. It was deleted by accident. I have added it back.
Rachel Page
I don’t’ have a good recipe for meatballs so thanks for this very user friendly post, my kids love them so will have to give it a go.