Chicken Yakitori Air Fryer Recipe

Learn how to make air fried Japanese chicken skewers with green onion (Negima Yakitori). Yakitori is a charcoal grilled chicken skewers dish made from bite sized pieces of meat from various parts of the chicken, including the breasts, thighs, skin, liver and other innards. It is typically prepared using bamboo skewers and seasoned with tare or salt before grilling over a charcoal fire.

There are many different types of Yakitori dishes but in this recipe, we will be preparing an air fried version of a Japanese chicken skewer called Negima Yakitori (salt flavor). Negima Yakitori is made from both the chicken thigh and the firm white part the green onion. The chicken and green onion skewers are lightly seasoned with salt and air fried on high heat for around 10 minutes. The result is a juicy and tender dish that tastes just as good as restaurant made Yakitori.

Types of Kushi (Bamboo Skewers)

The chicken in Yakitori is cut into small bite-size pieces and skewered with kushi. Kushi is a skewer made of lightweight bamboo. There are two types of kushi that are typically available:

Round Type

Tab Design Type

I prefer to use the tab design type with the handle. It allows for improved stability when holding them. The rectangular cut also prevents the meat from spinning when flipping the skewers over.

Traditional Grilling Method

The chicken skewers are typically seasoned and grilled over charcoal. Charcoal is the preferred method of cooking as it produces high heat and strong flames. This allows the ingredients to cook quickly while imparting a crunchy texture to the skin.  We will be recreating this effect using the high heat on the air fryer.

Types of Seasoning

Yakitori seasonings are primarily divided into salty or salty-sweet flavors. The salty type, as seen in the photo, uses plain salt as the main seasoning. The salty-sweet variety, tare, uses a special sauce consisting of mirin, sake, soy sauce, and sugar. I have also included the tare flavor instructions for those who enjoy a sweeter taste.

Ingredients

• 1 lb Chicken thigh
• 1 bunch Green onion
• 12 Bamboo skewers

Salt Flavor

• Salt and pepper to taste

Tare Flavor

• ¼ cup Sake
• ¼ cup Mirin
• ½ cup Soy sauce
• ¼ cup Sugar
• 1 tsp Grated ginger

Instructions

Salt flavor instructions

• Cut the chicken thighs into 1.5 inch pieces
• Cut the firm white portion of the green onion into 1.5 inch long pieces.
• Alternately thread 3 to 4 chicken and green onion pieces onto the skewers.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste
• Air fry at 375F for 10 min. Turn the skewers over once at the 5 min mark.

Tare flavor instructions

• Mix tare ingredients in a sauce pan and simmer over medium heat for 4 min. Let the sauce cool and set 1/4 cup aside for basting.
• Cut the chicken thighs into 1.5 inch pieces
• Cut the firm white portion of the green onion into 1.5 inch long pieces.
• Place chicken in a ziplock bag and marinate for at least 30 min. 
• Alternately thread 3 to 4 chicken and green onion pieces onto the skewers.
• Air fry at 375F for 10 min. Turn the skewers over and baste at the 5 min mark.

Here are links to some other air fried chicken dishes:

• Air fried chicken karaage