Tsukune (Japanese Chicken Meatball Skewers)

• servings: 8 servings
• total time: 51 minutes

Ingredients

¼ cup water

¼ cup sake

½ cup mirin

½ cup soy sauce

2 tsp brown sugar (packed tightly and leveled off)

2–3 green onions/scallions

6 shiso leaves (perilla/ooba)

1 lb ground chicken (use half white meat + half dark meat if grinding your own)

1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil (plus more for coating your hands)

1 Tbsp miso (any type of miso works)

coarse sea salt (for sprinkling)

shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice) (optional, for a spicy kick)

Directions

Gather all the ingredients.

Soak 8 bamboo wooden paddle skewers (6 inches long) in water for 30 minutes. Soaking will prevent the sticks from burning while broiling.

To Make the Yakitori Sauce

In a small saucepan, combine ¼ cup water, ¼ cup sake, ½ cup mirin, ½ cup soy sauce, and 2 tsp brown sugar.

Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Once boiling, lower the heat to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, start preparing the tsukune mixture.

When the sauce has thickened and reduced by half, remove from the heat. Remember, the sauce will continue to thicken as it cools and moisture evaporates.

To Make the Tsukune Mixture

Heat an ungreased frying pan over medium heat. When it’s hot, add one-third of the 1 lb ground chicken. If your ground chicken package includes both a fatty and lean part (like the kind sold at Nijiya Market near me), use the lean part here and keep the fatty part for later. Tip: Precooking some of the meat mixture prevents the meatball from shrinking too much while cooking and keeps the tsukune juicy.

Cook the meat—without browning it—until no longer pink. While cooking, break it up into small pieces with a wooden spatula.

Transfer the cooked meat to a large bowl and let it cool completely.

Stack and roll up 6 shiso leaves (perilla/ooba), then cut into thin julienned slices.

Cut 2–3 green onions/scallions into thin slices.

When the cooked ground chicken is completely at room temperature, add the remaining uncooked ground chicken to it and combine. Then, add 1 Tbsp miso and 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil.

Using the wooden spatula, knead the mixture well.

Add the julienned shiso and knead well.

Add the chopped green onions and knead well.

With the wooden spatula, spread the mixture around the bowl and then mix. Repeat it a few times.

Now, switch to mixing by hand. Knead and fold the mixture in a clockwise direction 30 times. Then, knead it counterclockwise 30 times. The meat will become paler in color and sticky. This process is very important for the meat to stay on a stick, so please do not skip this step. Tip: If the fat in the mixture starts to look melted, refrigerate it for 10 minutes, then continue kneading until the mixture is pale and sticky.

Now, divide the mixture into 8 equal portions. Patties that are the same size will cook at the same rate and finish cooking at the same time.

To Shape the Tsukune

Prepare a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Place an oven-safe wire rack on top and brush it with cooking oil. Why use a rack? It allows the excess oil from the meat to drip down to the baking sheet while broiling. This way, the meat chars nicely and comes out juicy. To achieve a restaurant-style tsukune, we don‘t want to cook it in a pool of oil.

Lightly coat your hands with sesame oil to prevent the meat from sticking. Scoop up one portion of the chicken mixture.

Toss the meat back and forth between your hands to release the air pockets. Then, gently squeeze and shape the meat to form it into a long and oval patty, about 4 inches (10 cm) long.

Flatten the patty a bit. Now, place the top half to two-thirds of a skewer along the center line of the patty. Then, gently close the two sides of the patty around the skewer to encase the stick‘s tip and top part.

Seal the edges of the patty together and form it again into a long, cylindrical shape. This thin shape allows the heat to penetrate the meat quickly.

Gently toss the skewered patty from one hand to the other a few times to make sure the front and back sides are nicely formed. Press and form the meat gently into shape.

Do a final check, making sure the skewer is secured in the center.

Place the finished tsukune on the prepared wire rack, and repeat to shape the remaining tsukune. Space them apart on the rack and position them so the skewer handles line up along two of the rack‘s sides and the meat points toward the center. Lightly sprinkle coarse sea salt over the meat.

Prepare strips of aluminum foil to cover the skewer handles and keep them from turning black and burning while broiling.

To Broil in the Oven

Five minutes before cooking, preheat the oven broiler on High (550ºF/288ºC). After heating for 5 minutes, place the baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven, about 8 inches (20 cm) away from the heating element. Cook for 6 minutes. Watch the chicken closely while broiling so it doesn‘t burn. If your oven is small/strong, try broiling on Medium (500ºF/260ºC) or lower the rack. Tip: When broiling, you can‘t set the exact temperature. You adjust two things—the distance of the rack and the broiler settings (Low, Medium, or High). I usually use High and move the rack closer or farther away from the heating element.

Take out the baking sheet from the oven.

Using a pair of tongs, flip the tsukune.

Return the baking sheet to the oven and broil the other side for 4 minutes, or until the chicken‘s internal temperature is 165ºF (74ºC).

When both sides are cooked, brush the yakitori sauce on the meat (I use a silicone brush). Broil for another 45–60 seconds to caramelize the sauce a bit.

Flip and brush the sauce on the other side of the meat and broil for another 45–60 seconds until sizzling.

Transfer the skewers to a serving plate and brush extra sauce on the meat. Serve immediately. Sprinkle optional shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice) for a spicy kick. You can try it dipped in Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise or yuzu kosho, too.

In Japan, tsukune is often served with raw egg yolk (which is safe to consume in Japan). Optionally, dip in the raw egg yolk and enjoy!

To Cook on the Grill (optional)

Clean and grease the grilling grate. Preheat the grill to medium-hot heat, about 400ºF (200ºC). Gently place the skewers on the grill and cook until the bottom side is nicely brown, 3–4 minutes. With both a stainless steel spatula and tongs, gently rotate the tsukune and cook the other side for 2–3 minutes. Turn to the remaining sides where you want to grill more for another 1–2 minutes. To check if it‘s fully cooked, insert a bamboo skewer to see if the juices run clear or check that the chicken‘s internal temperature registers 165ºF (74ºC). Brush with additional yakitori sauce, cook briefly until sizzling, and remove from the heat.

To Store

You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and in the freezer for a month.

Nutrition

• Calories: 65 kcal
• Total Fat: 4 g
• Saturated Fat: 1 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
• Trans Fat: 1 g
• Cholesterol: 28 mg
• Sodium: 341 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 2 g
• Dietary Fiber: 1 g
• Total Sugars: 1 g
• Protein: 6 g