Vietnamese Yakitori
These Vietnamese yakitori skewers are my personal take on the Japanese classic! Every bite is sticky, salty-sweet, and charred right at the edges from a fish sauce caramel glaze. They're high in protein, easy to double, and make the tastiest meal prep over rice and fresh herbs all week long!
Servings: 3
Equipment
- Skewers
- Grill
Ingredients
Fish sauce glaze
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ tablespoon oil
- ½ cup coconut water
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- 4 garlic cloves smashed
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- salt pinch
Chicken skewers
- 1 ½ lb chicken thighs
- 20 scallion stalks white part only
- 12 skewers
- salt for seasoning
For serving
- rice
- lettuce or fresh herbs
Instructions
- To a large container or bowl, add water and soak your skewers for at least 20 minutes.12 skewers
- Cut the chicken thighs into cubes and slice the scallion whites into 2-inch pieces.1 ½ lb chicken thighs, 20 scallion stalks
- In a pot over low heat, add the sugar and oil. Let it melt and caramelize, shaking the pot often so it caramelizes evenly. Resist the urge to stir it with a spatula, as this will cause the sugar to crystallize.½ cup sugar, ½ tbsp oil
- Once caramelized, add the coconut water and stir aggressively. It'll bubble and seize up at first, but keep stirring on low heat until most of the sugar has dissolved back into the liquid. This may take a few minutes. If you're having trouble dissolving the sugar, cover it with a lid for a couple minutes until the sugar has mostly dissolved.½ cup coconut water
- Stir in the smashed garlic cloves, fish sauce and a pinch of salt. Add the black pepper and continue stirring until everything is combined and the sauce has thickened slightly. Remove from heat and set aside ⅓ of the glaze for serving.3 tablespoons fish sauce, 4 garlic cloves, ¼ tsp black pepper, salt
- Skewer the chicken and scallions onto your soaked skewers, alternating them between chicken and scallion. Season the skewers with a little salt.salt
- Preheat your grill on medium low.
- Once heated, place your skewers on the grill. Cook one side for 2-3 minutes until lightly seared. Brush the top-facing side with glaze. Flip every 1-2 minutes, brushing on fresh glaze after each flip, until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165F and the outside is caramelized and slightly charred. Enjoy with rice and fresh herbs!
Notes
- Storing and reheating - Store the Vietnamese chicken yakitori in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To reheat, slide the chicken off the skewers and warm it in a skillet over medium heat with a splash of water until warmed through.
- Keep the caramel on low heat - Sugar goes from amber to burnt fast. Aim for a light amber color.
- Be cautious adding the coconut water - It will sputter and seize. This is normal. Keep stirring and it'll melt back down. If you're having trouble dissolving the sugar, cover it with a lid for a couple minutes until the sugar has mostly dissolved.
- Don't glaze too early - Sear the first side before brushing. If you glaze raw chicken, the sugar burns before the chicken cooks through.
- Cut the chicken evenly - Same-size cubes cook at the same speed.
- Save a little glaze for serving - Set aside some of the glaze before you start brushing so you have clean glaze.
