What is Yakitori Don?
Yakitori don is a relatively new dish that has gracefully emerged in the contemporary food scene. It is usually served as one of the rice dishes at izakaya (Japanese-style pubs) and other restaurants that serve yakitori.
At its core, Yakitori don is mainly made with chicken and green onions, all brought together with the signature yakitori sauce. Yet, its beauty lies in its versatility. With no rigid recipe blueprint to adhere to, each restaurant crafts its own rendition, adding a unique flair and character to the dish.
While yakitori is traditionally recognized as chicken skewered and grilled over a charcoal flame, Yakitori don takes a slight detour. It encapsulates the essence of yakitori, not in skewered form, but as a hearty rice bowl drenched in a sauce reminiscent of the classic yakitori.
How I Developed This Recipe
My main challenge in developing this Yakitori Don recipe was to make it stand out from the Teriyaki Chicken Don recipe I had already created.
Since teriyaki and yakitori sauces are so similar, it was really important to make sure this recipe had its own unique identity.
So, I added garlic and chicken stock powder to give the sauce a different flavor, and red bell pepper and zucchini for color. The steps are simple and easy to follow. Give it a try!
Ingredients & Substitution Ideas
- Cooked Japanese short-grain rice: New to cooking Japanese rice? Check out my “How to Cook Japanese Rice Recipe” for top U.S.-available brand recommendations and a foolproof stovetop cooking guide.
- Boneless chicken thigh: While chicken breast can work in a pinch, I’d say boneless chicken thigh is the star here. If you can, go for the skin-on thighs.
- Cornstarch: No cornstarch on hand? Potato starch or tapioca starch make excellent substitutes.
- Vegetables: I really like the combination of zucchini (also known as courgette), Japanese leek, and red bell pepper because it offers a nice balance of flavors and textures. Feel free to mix it up however you like! You can use crisp cucumber in place of zucchini, regular leek if you can’t find Japanese leek, and any color bell pepper adds a sweet crunch.
- Soy sauce: For brand recommendations, check out my complete soy sauce guide.
- Mirin: When shopping, look for “hon mirin” (本みりん) for the most authentic flavor.
- Other ingredients: Our flavor-packed sauce also includes sugar, Chinese-style chicken bouillon powder, honey, and freshly grated ginger and garlic.
- Toppings: Top your bowl with a sprinkle of shredded nori seaweed (kizami nori), chopped green onion, and a dash of shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven-spice blend).
Visual Walkthrough & Tips
Here are my step-by-step instructions for how to make Yakitori Donburi at home. For ingredient quantities and simplified instructions, scroll down for the Printable Recipe Card below.
If you prefer to watch the process in action, check out my YouTube video of this recipe for a complete visual walkthrough!
Take a small bowl and add soy sauce, mirin, sake, sugar, honey, grated garlic and Chinese-style chicken bouillon powder. Mix until well combined and set by the stove for later.
Cut the chicken into large bitesize pieces and place them in a mixing bowl. Add a sprinkle of salt, pepper and cornstarch and mix until evenly covered.
Roughly cut the zucchini and bell pepper, and cut the green onion into 5cm (2 inch) cylinders. Heat a pan on medium and once hot, add the oil.
Fry the vegetables together until the green onion is lightly charred and then transfer to a plate for later.
Using the same pan, add a little more oil and place the chicken pieces with the skin side facing down.
Once browned, flip them over and seal on the other side.
Once the chicken is sealed all over, add the vegetables from earlier back to the pan and pour in the homemade yakitori-style sauce.
Mix thoroughly and continue to cook until the sauce becomes thick and glossy. Once it gets to this point, remove the pan from the heat.
Divide the cooked rice between serving bowls and top with a sprinkle of shredded (kizami) nori.
Divide the chicken and vegetables and place them on top of the rice. Top with chopped green onion and a sprinkle of shichimi (Japanese chili powder).
Enjoy!
Jump to Full Recipe Measurements
How to Store
Leftover rice and chicken/vegetables should be stored separately. For more information about how to store leftover rice, check out my post here.
The cooked yakitori-style chicken and vegetables can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days and reheated in the microwave. It can also be frozen for up to 2 weeks, but keep in mind that the taste and texture will deteriorate after freezing.
Storage summary
Room temperature – Not recommended.
Refrigerated – 2 days for chicken & vegetables only.
Frozen – Up to 2 weeks for chicken and vegetables only.
I hope you enjoy this Yakitori Don recipe! If you try it out, I’d really appreciate it if you could spare a moment to let me know what you thought by giving a review and star rating in the comments below. It’s also helpful to share any adjustments you made to the recipe with our other readers. Thank you!
More Donburi Recipes
If you love rice bowls, why not check out some of my other recipes?
Want more inspiration? Explore my Donburi Roundup Post for a carefully selected collection of tasty rice bowl recipe ideas to spark your next meal!
Yakitori Donburi (Japanese Chicken Rice Bowl)
Ingredients
Yakitori-Style Sauce
- 2 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu)
- 2 tbsp mirin
- 2 tbsp sake
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp honey
- ½ tbsp grated garlic or garlic paste
- ½ tsp Chinese-style chicken bouillon powder
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Add the vegetables back to the pan along with the sauce from step 1.
- Mix thoroughly and cook until the sauce becomes thick and glossy, then remove the pan from the heat.
- Divide 2 portions cooked Japanese short-grain rice between serving bowls and sprinkle the top with kizami nori (shredded nori).
- Divide the chicken and vegetables equally between each serving bowl and sprinkle with finely chopped green onions and Japanese chili powder (shichimi togarashi).
- Enjoy!
Love love love your recipes. They are so practical and delicious . Can’t wait to make this
Thank you so much, Luisa! It means a lot! 🙂