Yakitori With added Veg

A relatively simple marinade-slash-sauce which gives you sticky, gingery, garlicky and slightly (if you wish) fiery chicken. A super simple family meal that comes together quickly over a bowl of rice! I love adding some vegetables too, for more flavour and fibre.

Crunch and flavour

I am “stealing” this recipe (and then making my own adjustments!) from Lord Byrons Kitchen. I believe I came across it when I was searching for what to do with chicken thigh fillets (skinless, boneless chicken thighs) as I keep falling into the habit of just using chicken breast and I want to use chicken thighs more. They are so much more flavourful and I prefer the texture too, they’re easy to cook well without becoming tough. And this is the perfect recipe for that, in my opinion! So quick (that is the word we want to hear when we are standing in front of the fridge trying to decide what’s for dinner when it really should be on the table asap), but also genuinely tasty and this went down a treat with big and small in our house. You can’t really go wrong with a marinade and sauce that combines salt and sweet, plus ginger and garlic - always big flavour winners.

My adjustments from the recipe above are mainly to add vegetables, but also to put everything in the marinade/sauce (easier for my tired brain to not have to separate ingredients!). I’m also cutting down on garlic and brown sugar a bit! And I add a tiny bit of a kick with some hot sauce. This is totally optional!

Yakitori

2-4 servings

• 8 chicken thigh fillets (skinless, boneless chicken thighs)

• Some veg, for example 2 carrots and a handful of edamame or green beans (whatever you choose, have it chopped into bite size)

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

• 3 cloves fresh garlic, minced

• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely grated

• 1 teaspoon ground ginger

• 1/3 cup soy sauce

• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 3 tablespoons mirin

• 3 tablespoons brown sugar

• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

• 1 tablespoon hot sauce

• 1/3 cup water

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

• Rice (or noodles if you prefer!) on the side

First things first; if your sesame seeds aren’t already toasted, do it now. I’m saying this because they need such a short time and if you’re like me you’ll forget them if you have anything else on the go. So toast the seeds for about 30-60 seconds and then leave them to cool, you’re just topping the dish with it at the end. Do not skip toasting them, it really enhances the flavour!

In a bowl, mix oil, minced garlic and ginger, ground ginger, soy sauce, pepper, mirin, sugar, rice wine vinegar and hot sauce.

Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces and put in a large bowl. Add the vegetables of your choice too. Pour about half of the mix you just made over the chicken and cover the chicken well in it, let it marinade for a little bit (doesn’t have to be too long, just while you’re washing the rice or something!).

Get the rice cooking, and then get a wok pan or similar and fry the chicken and veg well. If your pan isn’t quite big enough for the quantity, do yourself a favour and do it in a couple of batches so it fries properly. When it’s all well cooked, turn the heat all the way down to a simmer and add the rest of the sauce you made.

Then, mix the water and cornstarch in a small cup and add gently in with the chicken and sauce. When it’s all nice and sticky, put the rice in bowls and top with the chicken/veg. Sesame seeds on top!

Do let me know if you tried the yakitori and share a photo on social media - don’t forget to tag me!