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Bon Appétit

Soy-Basted Chicken Kebabs with Sesame-Citrus Sprinkle

By Chris Morocco

4.3

(7)

4 soybasted chicken kebabs on a plate.
Photo by Ted Cavanaugh

Soy adds saltiness along with a deep color to these skewers; the glaze would also be great on short ribs.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    4 servings

Ingredients

For the sprinkle:

2 tablespoons toasted white and/or black sesame seeds
1 tablespoon thinly sliced chives
1 teaspoon Aleppo-style pepper or other mild red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
Kosher salt

For the chicken and assembly:

1/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/3 cup mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine)
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
1 1/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs
Vegetable oil (for grill)
Kosher salt

Special Equipment

8 (8–12-inch-long) metal skewers

Preparation

  1. Make the sesame-citrus sprinkle:

    Step 1

    Mix sesame seeds, chives, Aleppo-style pepper, and lemon zest in a small bowl to combine; season with salt.

  2. Make the chicken kebabs:

    Step 2

    Combine brown sugar, mirin, soy sauce, and vinegar in a small saucepan. Transfer 1/4 cup mixture to a large resealable plastic bag. Working one at a time, slice chicken thighs in half lengthwise. Add to bag with marinade and massage marinade into chicken. Chill at least 2 hours or up to 12 hours.

    Step 3

    Meanwhile, bring remaining marinade to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook until reduced by half and slightly thickened (just shy of syrupy), 8–10 minutes. Remove glaze from heat.

    Step 4

    Prepare a grill for medium-high, indirect heat (for a charcoal grill, bank coals on one side of grill; for a gas grill, leave one or two burners off). Oil grates. Thread chicken onto 6–8 skewers, folding and piling onto itself to form a compact shape. Season lightly with salt and grill over direct heat, turning every minute or so, until browned and beginning to char in spots, about 4 minutes. Move to cooler side of grill and continue to grill, basting lightly with glaze and turning every 30 seconds or so, until cooked through and coated with glaze, about 5 minutes longer. Serve chicken topped with sesame-citrus sprinkle.

  3. Do Ahead

    Step 5

    Glaze can be made 12 hours ahead. Let cool; cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before using.

TagsSkewerChicken ThighChickenPoultryMainStarterLunchDinnerDairy FreeNut FreeMake AheadGrillingBon Appétit

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