Yakitori are small skewers of chicken that are grilled over glowing charcoal and brushed with a sweet, glossy tare sauce made from soy sauce, mirin and sugar. In the Japanese izakayas they are street food’s answer to comfort food — something you eat with your fingers between two sips of beer, while the smell of caramelised soy hangs heavy in the air.
Advertisement: The page displays ads and contains advertising links (affiliate links). See our advertisers here.
Over here they normally call for a charcoal barbecue and a fair bit of patience, but the air fryer gets surprisingly close. The dry, circulating heat gives the chicken that same dark, caramelised edge, and the sauce thickens into a syrupy glaze over the last few minutes. From the moment the chicken comes out of the fridge until the skewers are on the serving dish, 32 minutes go by.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Table of Contents:
Why I love Yakitori in the Air Fryer
Yakitori is all about surface. The pieces of chicken are small, so they need plenty of heat in a short time — otherwise they cook in their own liquid and turn grey and dull instead of getting the dark edge that carries the whole dish. That is exactly the discipline an air fryer is built for: 200 °C with powerful air circulation around every single piece of meat.
At the same time you avoid the thing that usually ruins homemade yakitori — the uneven charcoal heat, where the skewers closest to the embers burn while the ones at the edge are still raw. In the air fryer basket every skewer gets the same temperature, and you can keep an eye on things without standing hunched over a barbecue in the wind.
The difference between a charcoal barbecue and an air fryer
A charcoal barbecue gives you smoke, and you have to be honest about that: an air fryer cannot reproduce that flavour. On the other hand, the air fryer gives you far more precise control over when the sauce is allowed to caramelise. Tare sauce contains both sugar and mirin, and sugar burns in a split second over an open flame. In the air fryer you brush it on right at the end, where the heat is constant and predictable — and then the glaze turns glossy instead of black.
My Yakitori test in the kitchen
I made the skewers in my Cosori Dual Blaze at 200 °C, and 12 minutes of cooking is the sweet spot for chicken cut into 2-3 cm cubes. The core temperature hit 75 °C, which is the point where the chicken is cooked through and still juicy. Between the cutting, the marinating and the threading onto skewers I spend about 20 minutes on the preparation, so the whole recipe comes in at 32 minutes from start to serving dish.
One thing is not up for negotiation: use metal skewers. Wooden and bamboo skewers belong on the charcoal barbecue, not in an air fryer, where the powerful fan can move light skewers around and where the thin ends come far too close to the heating element. Metal skewers sit steady, conduct heat into the meat from the inside and can be washed and used again.
Only brush the tare sauce on for the last three or four minutes. Do it from the start and the sugar burns, and you end up with bitter skewers instead of a glossy glaze.
Tips and tricks from the author: Morten Jensen
The typical mistakes and how to avoid them
The mistake I see most often is sauce on too early. Tare sauce is thick with sugar, and sugar at 200 °C turns black long before the chicken is done — so only brush it on during the last few minutes, ideally twice with a short pause in between. The second mistake is uneven pieces: a 2 cm cube and a 4 cm cube cannot be done at the same time, so the small one is dry by the time the big one finally hits 75 °C. Cut the meat to size, not by eye. The third is an overcrowded basket. If the skewers are lying on top of each other, the air cannot get round, and then the chicken is steamed instead of browned — lay them out in a single layer with air in between, and cook two batches instead.
How to serve Yakitori
Yakitori are small portions that thrive on side dishes. Here is how you build a whole meal around the skewers:
- Steamed sushi rice with a sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds
- Finely chopped spring onions and a dollop of Japanese mayonnaise
- Pickled cucumber or a quick salad dressed with vinegar that cuts through the sweetness
- Edamame with sea salt flakes as a starter
- A cold lager or ice-cold green tea
Storing and reheating
Leftovers keep for two or three days in the fridge in an airtight container. Reheat them in the air fryer at 180 °C for three or four minutes — the microwave makes the glaze gluey and the meat rubbery. If you have tare sauce left over, it can be reduced down and kept in a clean jar for up to a week; the flavour only gets rounder for standing.
Yakitori is one of those dishes where the air fryer does more than save time — it removes the very reason you would otherwise keep the dish for barbecue season. Cut the meat evenly, hold the sauce back until the end, and you have izakaya food on the table on a perfectly ordinary Wednesday.
FAQ
No, use metal skewers. The air fryer’s powerful fan can move light wooden skewers around, and the thin ends come too close to the heating element. Metal skewers sit steady and at the same time conduct heat into the meat from the inside.
75 °C. At 200 °C, 2-3 cm chicken cubes hit that temperature after about 12 minutes. Measure in the thickest piece and not close to the skewer, which is hot itself.
Yes. The sauce is reduced down and keeps well in the fridge for a week in a clean jar. The flavour only gets rounder over a couple of days, so it is worth making a double batch.
Recipe
Yakitori in the Air Fryer
Cooking Guide
Keep the screen on and follow the recipe step by step while you cook.
Step 1:
Avoid the screen turning off while you cook.
Step 2:
Start the guide and follow the recipe one step at a time.
Cost of the dish
Prices may vary depending on where you shop.
Our estimate is based on average food prices for the current year 2026.
Estimated price for the whole dish:
Airfryer size
All our recipes are tested in a Philips Airfryer 2000 Series NA230/00 – 6.2 L
Does the recipe fit my Airfryer?
If you’re unsure, you can always reduce by one serving in the recipe, or click the 0.5x button.
You can also Ask the AI Chef
It’s easy! Just press the Ask the AI Chef button you see at the bottom.
Shopping list
Ingredients
Chicken skewers
- 700 g chicken thighs (Boneless and skinless)
- 4 pcs spring onions (Cut into 3 cm pieces)
- 1 tbsp neutral oil (For brushing)
- 0.5 tsp salt
Tare sauce
- 100 ml soy sauce
- 100 ml mirin
- 50 ml sake (Can be replaced with dry sherry)
- 2 tbsp soft brown sugar
- 1 clove garlic (Crushed)
- 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
To serve
- 1 tsp sesame seeds (Toasted)
- 1 tsp shichimi togarashi (Japanese chilli spice blend, can be left out)
How to make it
Preparation
- Cut 700 g chicken thighs into bite-sized 3-4 cm pieces. Cut 4 pcs spring onions into pieces about 3 cm long.
- Put 100 ml soy sauce, 100 ml mirin, 50 ml sake and 2 tbsp soft brown sugar into a small saucepan together with 1 clove garlic and 1 tsp grated fresh ginger. Bring to the boil, then leave the tare sauce to simmer over a low heat for 8-10 minutes, until it is slightly syrupy and coats the back of a spoon. Strain the sauce and leave it to cool.
- Thread the chicken and spring onions alternately onto 8 metal skewers, with 4-5 pieces of chicken per skewer. Brush the skewers with 1 tbsp neutral oil and season them with 0.5 tsp salt.
Cooking in the air fryer
- Preheat the air fryer to 200 °C fan.
- Place the skewers in a single layer in the basket so they do not overlap, and cook them at 200 °C for 6 minutes.
- Turn the skewers, brush them with a thin layer of tare sauce, and continue cooking at 200 °C for 4 minutes.
- Brush the skewers with another layer of tare sauce and give them 2 more minutes at 200 °C, until the glaze is glossy and sticky and the chicken has a core temperature of 75 °C.
Serving
- Leave the skewers to rest for 3 minutes. Sprinkle them with 1 tsp sesame seeds and 1 tsp shichimi togarashi, and serve the remaining tare sauce alongside.
Our notes for the recipe
Use chicken thighs rather than breast — they stand up to the high heat and stay juicy instead of drying out. Only brush on the tare sauce for the last few minutes; the sugar in the sauce burns easily if it goes on from the start. Always use metal skewers in the air fryer. Variation:
Make shio-yakitori with no tare sauce at all, where the skewers are seasoned with just salt and get a squeeze of lemon at the end. Chicken wings or chicken hearts can be used in the same way. Serving:
Serve the skewers with steamed jasmine rice, quick-pickled cucumber and a bowl of miso soup. Portion size:
If your air fryer is smaller, you can cook the dish in two batches. Keep the first batch warm under a piece of foil.
Your notes for the recipe
Nutrition per serving (Guideline)
Important about shelf life and nutrition
Nutrition per serving (guideline): Calculations are based on data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Shelf life (guideline): Shelf life data is provided, as far as possible, by public institutions, including national food authorities. Our information is therefore only indicative, and it is your responsibility to obtain and calculate accurate information about shelf life and nutrition for all recipes on airfryerkogebogen.dk
Easily share the recipe with others:
Via email or on Facebook
Open the recipe on your phone
Scan the QR code with your phone and get the recipe directly on your mobile while you cook.
Author
Airfryerkogebogen.dk
