Delicious, tender, tasty chicken appetizers, mildly seasoned Japanese style–a real hit with everyone. Mirin, tamari soy sauce, and sake are easy to find in a good grocery store–sake is usually in the wine aisle.

Put the skewers in water to soak, then stack charcoal 2 deep across the bottom of the grill (a hibachi works best). Wash chicken, pat dry. Cut the chicken into bite-sized cubes–20 cubes per breast is what you're going for. Wash the green onions and cut off the root end. Cut roughly 1" chunks of onion–you'll get two, maybe three, from each onion, then discard the green tops. Combine the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan, and bring to a simmer just to warm everything up, dissolve the sugar and combine the flavors. Use 1/4 tsp. GINGER to start with, taste the sauce after it has warmed up and add a little more GINGER if desired. Fire up the coals when you start skewering the meat. The object is a nice hot fire, since the yakitoris cook for only a few minutes and should be nicely browned. Thread each skewer with 3 pieces of chicken and two pieces of green onion (see photo), putting the skewers on a baking sheet as you finish them. Pour about 1/3 Cup of the sauce into a small bowl and set aside to use as a dip for the finished yakitoris. Pour the rest of the sauce over the yakitoris before cooking, making sure to get all sides by swirling them on the pan. Place the skewers on the grill - they should sizzle or the grill isn't hot enough. Total cooking time should be about 6 minutes, 3 per side. If the ends of the skewers are off the grill, it is easy to turn them by simply picking up the cool end and flipping the skewer. Have a good metal spatula at the ready in case the skewers stick to the grill, as sometimes happens with low-fat items like boneless/skinless chicken. Just wiggle the spatula under any offender and they'll easily flip. Remove to serving plates–best eaten right away, and serve with dipping sauce.

Prep. time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 6 minutes
Yield: 20 yakitori skewers.