Tsukune

Japanese chicken meatball skewers: ground thigh with scallion, ginger and a little egg, grilled until charred and lacquered with sweet-savory tare. Serve the traditional way with a raw egg yolk for dipping.

Notes

Use thigh, not breast; the fat keeps them juicy. Keep the reserved tare separate from the basting brush that touched raw chicken. Shaped skewers can be made a day ahead and kept covered in the fridge. Under the broiler: 4 inches from the element on a rack over foil, 4–5 minutes per side.

References

Technique informed by Serious Eats: Tsukune.

RECIPE CARD

Tsukune

Yield: 8–10 skewers (serves 4 as an appetizer) | Time: 1 hour, including 30 minutes chilling

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Ingredients

Tare

½ cup soy sauce
½ cup mirin
¼ cup sake
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp rice vinegar

Tsukune

1½ lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, skin-on optional for richness (or ground chicken thigh)
4 scallions, finely minced
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated
1 clove garlic, grated
1 large egg
⅓ cup panko
1 Tbsp white miso
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
½ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp white pepper

To serve

Toasted sesame seeds and sliced scallion greens
Shichimi togarashi
4 very fresh egg yolks (optional, for dipping)
8–10 flat or doubled bamboo skewers, soaked 30 minutes

Instructions

Make the tare. Simmer soy, mirin, sake and sugar 8–10 minutes until reduced by about a third and slightly syrupy. Stir in the vinegar off heat. Set aside half in a clean bowl for serving.
Grind the chicken. Cut thighs into 1-inch pieces and chill 15 minutes in the freezer. Pulse in a food processor in two batches until finely ground but not pasty. (Skip if using pre-ground thigh.)
Mix. Add scallion, ginger, garlic, egg, panko, miso, sesame oil, salt and pepper. Knead and slap the mixture against the bowl for 2–3 minutes until it turns sticky and holds together; this gives tsukune its springy texture.
Test. Fry a teaspoon of the mix, taste and adjust salt.
Shape. With wet hands, form about ⅓ cup of mixture into an elongated oval around each skewer, pressing firmly so it grips. Chill on a parchment-lined tray at least 30 minutes so they hold on the grill.
Grill. Over high heat (binchotan or a hot gas grill), cook, turning every 2 minutes, until browned all over and cooked through to 165°F, 8–10 minutes.
Glaze. Brush with tare in the last 2–3 minutes, turning and brushing 3–4 times until glossy and caramelized.
Serve. Brush once more with the reserved tare, sprinkle with sesame, scallion greens and shichimi. Serve with an egg yolk in a small dish for dipping.

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