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Yardbird’s Yuzu-and-Miso-Marinated Chicken Tender Yakitori

By Matt Abergel
Single skewer of yuzu miso marinated chicken fillets garnished with yuzu zest served on a square white plate.
Photo by Alex Maeland

In Japan, the chicken fillet or chicken tender is most often served rare, just lightly grilled on the outside. This is because there is no fat and no real connective tissue except for the one easily removed tendon. Unfortunately eating rare or raw chicken is not something my customers tend to appreciate, so we decided to marinate the fillet in a slightly sweet yuzu miso so that we could get some caramelization on the chicken before it is fully cooked and dry.

Editor's note: It's helpful to keep a small spray bottle of sake on hand for finishing this yakitori recipe. If you don't have a spray bottle, pour about 1 Tbsp. sake into a small bowl and brush a small amount onto each skewer to finish. Additionally, if you can't find fresh yuzu near you, you can substitute lemon.

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