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–+ servings

Yakitori Donburi (Japanese Chicken Rice Bowl)

Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Author Yuto Omura
Servings 2 portions

Ingredients 
 

Yakitori-Style Sauce

Yakitori Don

  • 300 g boneless chicken thigh skin-on, cut into large bitesize pieces
  • 1 pinch salt and pepper
  • ½ tbsp cornstarch or potato starch
  • 1 tbsp cooking oil
  • 1 zucchini roughly cut
  • ½ Japanese leek (naganegi) cut into 5cm (2") pieces
  • ½ bell pepper any color, cubed
  • 2 portions cooked Japanese short-grain rice
  • kizami nori (shredded nori)
  • finely chopped green onions
  • Japanese chili powder (shichimi togarashi) optional

Instructions 

  • Mix the sauce ingredients in a bowl (2 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu), 2 tbsp mirin, 2 tbsp sake, 2 tsp sugar, 1 tsp honey, ½ tbsp grated garlic and ½ tsp Chinese-style chicken bouillon powder) until well combined and set by the stove for later.
    whisking yakitori sauce in a small glass bowl
  • Cut 300 g boneless chicken thigh into large bitesize pieces and place them in a bowl. Add 1 pinch salt and pepper and ½ tbsp cornstarch and mix until evenly coated.
    large bitesize pieces of chicken thigh coated with starch in a steel mixing bowl
  • Heat a large frying pan on medium and add half of the cooking oil (save the other half for later). Once hot, add 1 zucchini, ½ Japanese leek (naganegi) and ½ bell pepper. Stir fry until the surface of the vegetables are slightly charred and then transfer to a plate.
    zucchini, green onion and red bell pepper frying in a frying pan
  • Using the same pan, add the other half of the oil and place the chicken pieces in with the skin side down. Once golden and crispy, turn them over and brown on the other side.
    chicken thigh frying in a pan with skin side down
  • Add the vegetables back to the pan along with the sauce from step 1.
    chicken and vegetables cooking in a yakitori style sauce
  • Mix thoroughly and cook until the sauce becomes thick and glossy, then remove the pan from the heat.
    Stir frying chicken and vegetables in yakitori style sauce until thickened and glossy
  • Divide 2 portions cooked Japanese short-grain rice between serving bowls and sprinkle the top with kizami nori (shredded nori).
    cooked white rice in a black bowl topped with shredded nori seaweed
  • Divide the chicken and vegetables equally between each serving bowl and sprinkle with finely chopped green onions and Japanese chili powder (shichimi togarashi).
    yakitori donburi in a black bowl topped with chopped green onion and shichimi
  • Enjoy!