When I make over a conventional recipe, I work hard to stay as true to the original as possible. And this mouthwatering chicken yakitori recipe keeps all of the luscious umami flavor while cutting out the unnecessary sugars.
Yakitori is a classic Japanese street food featuring juicy grilled chicken skewers brushed with a savory-sweet glaze. Similar to Keto Teriyaki Wings or Asian Steak Bites, it has that irresistible sticky, caramelized finish.
Eat it as an appetizer or serve with some Chili Garlic Green Beans or some Keto Sesame Noodles for a light and healthy meal!
And the best part? My whole family loves it, even my three picky teenagers. That’s a rare phenomenon, as many parents would know. They devoured the skewers hot of the grill and requested it again the very next week. It’s a huge win when I can serve something that’s low carb enough for me and gets thumbs up from the kids.
Reader’s Thoughts
“This is NOT an understatement… You are a genius and have made our keto diet manageable. Tonight we enjoyed your chicken yakitori along with the buster bar. Thank you for sharing your talents with us all!” — Karen
Why we love this recipe
- Juicy and tender: These easy chicken skewers are cooked quickly over a hot grill to lock in the juices and flavors.
- Easy to make: Prepare the sauce and marinate the chicken. Then three onto skewers and you’re ready to go!
- Flavorful sauce: It has all the salty-sweet flavor of the original without the added sugar.
- Grill or broil: It’s great for grilling season but you can also cook them in the oven.
- Low carb: Swapping out the sugar for keto-friendly sweeteners means it won’t spike your blood sugar.
- High protein: When served as a full meal, this chicken yakitori recipe has 35 grams of high quality protein per serving.
Ingredient Notes
- Soy sauce: I know many keto and paleo proponents recommend coconut aminos but it simply doesn’t have that classic umami flavor, and I find it a weak substitute for keto Asian recipes. Additionally, it has more carbs than real soy sauce or tamari (gluten-free soy sauce).
- Sweetener: I used brown sugar substitute, with a bit of allulose to make the sauce more syrupy and sticky.
- Toasted sesame oil: Toasted sesame oil has more flavor. You could use another oil like avocado if you prefer.
- Flavor: Fresh garlic, ginger and hot pepper flakes.
- Xanthan gum: This is used to thicken the sauce. You could also try using glucomannan in the same amount.
- Chicken thighs: I like using boneless chicken thighs for more succulent, juicy skewers.
- Garnishes: Toasted sesame seeds and green onions.
Overview: How to Make This Recipe
- Prepare the sauce: Combine the tamari, water, sweeteners, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and hot pepper flakes and bring to a boil. Sprinkle the surface with the xanthan gum and whisk vigorously to combine. Cook until somewhat thickened then remove from heat and cool completely.
- Marinate the chicken: Combine chicken with 2/3 of the sauce and chill for 2 hours to marinate.
- Grill: Thread the chicken onto the skewers and grill over medium high heat, brushing the chicken with the marinating liquid.
- Serve: Remove to a platter and sprinkle with sesame seeds and scallions. Serve with the reserved sauce at the table.
Tips for Success
Appetizer size: This makes a wonderful appetizer when served on smaller skewers. You would likely get 12 to 15 skewers out of this recipe.
Oven-baked method: You can easily cook these skewers in the oven as well. Heat the broiler to high and place on a broiling rack 8 to 10 inches from the heat. Broil about 4 minutes per side, until nicely browned. Be sure to keep your eye on them as broilers differ in intensity.
Sweetener options: You can sweeten the sauce with any sweetener you like best. However, I find that brown sweeteners give a deeper flavor and a little allulose (or xylitol) helps to give it that sticky Asian quality.
Frequently Asked Questions
These Japanese skewers are traditionally made with many parts of the chicken, including gizzards and hearts, along with thigh and breast meat. Sometimes it includes pieces of green onion as well. It’s all cut into bite-sized pieces, and then basted in a sweet and savory sauce and grilled over charcoal.
If you are using bamboo skewers, be sure to soak them for at least half an hour before threading the meat onto them. Soaking them ensures that they don’t catch on fire over the hot flames.
This keto chicken yakitori recipe has 1.1g of carbs and 0g of fiber per serving.
More delicious keto Asian recipes to try
Keto Chicken Yakitori Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup brown sugar replacement
- 2 tbsp allulose, or xylitol
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp minced fresh ginger, or 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp hot pepper flakes
- 1/4 tsp xanthan gum, or glucomannan
- 2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, chopped into bite sized pieces
- 2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
- 1 medium scallion, chopped
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the tamari, water, sweeteners, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and hot pepper flakes. Bring to a boil.
- Sprinkle the surface with the xanthan gum and whisk vigorously to combine. Continue to boil 2 to 3 minutes until somewhat thickened. Remove from heat and cool completely.
- Place the chicken in a bowl and toss with 2/3 of the sauce. Refrigerate 2 hours to marinate. Reserve the remaining sauce for serving with the chicken.
- If you're using bamboo skewers, place in a pan with water to soak for at least an hour. You will need 6 to 8 large skewers or 12 small appetizer-sized skewers.
- Preheat the grill to medium high and grease the grates to prevent sticking. Thread the chicken onto the skewers. Place the skewers on the grill and brush the the marinating liquid.
- Grill 5 to 6 minutes per side, brushing frequently with the marinating liquid. Remove to a platter and sprinkle with sesame seeds and scallions. Serve with the reserved sauce at the table.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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Chicken is my favorite meat
Tried this on the family during football games Sunday. What a hit. Made WAY too few. Everybody got one but everybody wanted more. This one goes in the “must have” book!
Mike
I was happy to have most of the ingredients (except green onions which would have made it perfect) but wowza! What a great recipe! Chicken delicious and recipe pretty easy
So yummy!
Can you make this in an air fryer?
You’re welcome to experiment!
Carolyn,
I love your keto recipes!! Please keep ‘em coming. I have most of not all of your cookbooks and love them.❤️ Thank you for your hard work on making the recipes taste good. The mark of a genuine chef! I saw a recipe for cheesecake in a bowl without the crust and have had no luck in finding the recipe for it, can you help with this recipe please? I have been on ketovore since 2020 except for a year mostly off when I had a knee replacement.
Sincerely a fan,
Frances Mason
Thank you so much!
This was delish! I skipped the skewering and cooked bite-sized chicken in the sauce. Over cauliflower rice and mixed veggies – this recipe is a keeper! Thank you so much!
Delicious!! Just made this for dinner for my family. Big hit!!! I had to substitute monk fruit for the bochasweet as I couldn’t find it in my local stores. I made cauliflower rice and steamed broccoli for a complete meal. I can’t wait to make it again.
hi can i substitute bochasweet for erytherol please i’m in the uk thanks
Your sauce may recrystallize if you do, but it it’s all you have…
This is amazing!! EVERYONE loved them! No BBQ so I baked them on parchment lined baking sheet for 5-10 min one each side basting when turned at 375. Will be keeping this one in the rotation for sure!
Can this be cooked in the oven? If so what temp and time would you suggest?
Broil it… not sure how long, it depends on how strong your broiler is. Mine is ridiculously powerful so I have to watching things carefully.
I made your chicken yakitori for dinner tonight and it was a great success! Even the rather picky teen loved it! I may have boiled the sauce a pinch too long – it was not very liquidy, though I was using only for basting. Next time I might double the sauce and reserve half to use for dipping. Thank you!
Glad you all enjoyed it!
Carolyn, this recipe is fantastic! I only had chicken tenders and was able to marinade them most of the day. Hubby even loved it and he often makes fun of the way I eat. I made cauliflower fried rice for me and a teriyaki rice for him. This will be on regular rotation in our house! Thank you for a great recipe!
Sounds like a wonderful meal!
This recipe is excellent. Easy to make and tastes like what you would get in a restaurant. I’ll make this many more times!
It’s one of our faves!
So good I didn’t have time to marinate the chicken so I made it like a stir fry I added onions mushrooms and zucchini while family loved it
These Yakitori Chicken Skewers were so very tasty. Followed recipe exactly, marinated 2 hours and then placed on the gas grill. I will be making these again!
Just made these for dinner….lovely! That sauce is a keeper. Thank you for your great recipes!