Yakitori Chicken

You have to make this!  This recipe is taken from "Food" by Guy Fieri. Instead of buying a whole bottle of sake, I just bought a 300ml size of draft sake. The mirin I found at Supervalu.

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon roughly chopped garlic
2-inch piece ginger, plus 2 tablespoons peeled, roughly chopped ginger
2 green onions, roughly chopped, plus more for garnish
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
2 quarts of water
Yakitori Sauce (recipe follows)
Cilantro leaves, for garnish
Sesame seeds, for garnish
Cayenne pepper, for garnish
Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce (recipe follows)


Special Equipment: Twenty 6-inch bamboo skewers, soaked in water


1. In a food processor, pulse together the chicken, eggs, garlic, the chopped ginger, green onion, salt, flour, cornstarch, and panko until well combined. Form the chicken mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls. To keep the mixture from sticking to your fingers, wet your hands with water between rolling the balls. Place balls on a plate, leaving space between them.
2. Meanwhile, bring the water to a boil over high heat, then adjust the heat so that the water is at a simmer. Roughly chop the 2-inch piece of ginger and add it to the pot. Add 8 to 10 balls at a time into the water. Cook for about 6 minutes or until cooked through. (the balls will float to the top and change color; make sure there's no pink on the outside.). Remove from the water using a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Repeat until all the balls are cooked. When the balls are cool enough to handle, thread 3 per skewer, leaving 1/4-inch space between each ball.
3. Lightly oil a grill and preheat the grill to medium. Grill the skewers for 7 to 10 minutes, turning gently as they brown lightly. When the chicken is browned, lightly baste the balls with the yakitori sauce. Place the skewers on a serving plate and drizzle with additional yakitori sauce. Sprinkle with cilantro, green onion, sesame seeds, and cayenne pepper and serve immediately with the sweet chili dipping sauce.


Yakitori Sauce
(makes about 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup sake
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup mirin
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons cornstarch


1. Whisk together all the ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 2 minutes.


Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce
(makes about 3/4 cup)
3/4 cup sweet chili sauce
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon minced green onion
1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper


1. In a small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients.