Chicken yakitori is an easy and delicious appetizer or main dish. And this keto yakitori recipe is sugar-free and yet maintains all the classic flavor.
Before I go any further, let me just tell you that this chicken yakitori recipe was a huge hit with my whole family. Call me jaded, but it’s always a shocker for me when all three of my kids agree on a meal.
And it’s a rare treat to see my reserved 15 year old son be so enthusiastic about anything I’ve made. He’s in that delightful phase of being naturally suspicious of anything his parents do. He always eats what I make, because he’s growing like a weed and is extremely hungry. But there is often plenty of grumbling to go along with it.
When I stated that we were having chicken yakitori for dinner, his expression was a muddled look of confusion and distain. But upon one bite of this asian-inspired grilled chicken, his faced opened up to pure happiness.
He’s been raving about it ever since and keeps asking me to make it again. And since it’s so easy and delicious, I am happy to oblige!
What is chicken yakitori?
I had only heard of these Japanese grilled chicken skewers myself a few years ago. They really are just that: Japanese chicken skewers.
They often use many parts of the chicken, including gizzards and liver, as well as thigh meat. It’s all cut up into bite-sized pieces, and threaded onto bamboo skewers, then basted and grilled.
Chicken yakitori has plenty of that classic umami flavor. And it makes a great handheld appetizer or an easy dinner recipe.
Making keto friendly chicken yakitori
When I saw chicken yakitori for the first time, I inquired about the sauce and whether it had sugar in it. That was a strong affirmative, so I had to give it a pass at the time.
But I started researching homemade yakitori recipes to see if I could make a keto-friendly version. The sauce is usually made of soy sauce, mirin, brown sugar, sometimes sake, and sometimes other seasonings like ginger and garlic. It’s also often thickened with cornstarch.
This combination results in a salty sweet sauce that pairs perfectly with grilled chicken.
For my keto chicken yakitori, I used tamari instead of soy sauce, because it’s gluten-free. 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’s actually much higher carb than real soy sauce or tamari.
I skipped the mirin because it tends to have a high sugar content as well. I also skipped the sake.
For the sweetener, I used mostly Swerve Brown, with a bit of BochaSweet so that the sauce wouldn’t recrystallize as it cooled. And then I added garlic, ginger, and a dash of hot pepper flakes, as I love that spicy kick in Asian inspired dishes.
Finally, I used xanthan gum as my thickener. You could also try using glucomannan, if you prefer.
This sauce. Oh, this sauce! People, if I could drink the sauce alone, I would. It was so good and I think it’s easily going to become my favorite keto stir fry sauce.
How to serve chicken yakitori
Chicken yakitori can be an appetizer, if you serve it on small skewers. This keto recipe would probably make 12 to 15 small skewers.
As a main course, it can be paired with any sort of vegetable. I’ve seen yakitori include veggies like zucchini or mushrooms right on the same skewers.
Cauliflower rice is an ideal side dish for chicken yakitori, and the extra sauce can be tossed in to give it a true Asian flavor. You could also serve it with sautéed zucchini noodles or shiritaki noodles. Or with these delicious Broccoli Stem Noodles.
More delicious keto Asian recipes to try
Keto Chicken Yakitori
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup Swerve Brown
- 2 tbsp BochaSweet, (can use allulose)
- 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
- 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, Swerve, BochaSweet, 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.
Nutrition
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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!
I made this recipe for dinner tonight. Delicious! Even my non keto eating husband loved and gobbled it up. I used the extra sauce to marinate small whole mushrooms, pieces of peppers & zucchini and made skewers out of them too. Definite keeper. Thank you!
It’s one of our favorites too!
Do you think it would be ok to let the chicken marinate for 24 hours? I use whole boneless skinless thighs, if that makes a difference.
As long as it’s in the fridge!
I’m not sure if I’m just missing this or not, but how many thighs and or breasts is typically used for this recipe. I want to make it this week and just need to be sure I have enough meat. Thank you
Totally depends on the size (they vary a lot) so weight is a much more accurate way of giving you an amount. You should be able to purchase by weight, even if it’s pre-packaged.
I made this because I am trying to eat more healthy and my whole family scarfed these down!! THANKS!
You’re right, my whole family loved it! Good flavor and pretty easy to make.
Absolutely fantastic and the sauce was amazing!
This was a winner in our house….my family is still talking about how tasty it was! Definitely will make this again.
Hi, I would love to try this recipe, but I don’t have bochasweet or allulose. Can those be omitted and if so, do I increase the amount of Swerve sweetener? Thanks!
You can do that… but the sauce will re-crystallize. It’s just a fact when working with only erythritol based sweeteners.
This dish sounds to delicious. However, we do not want to start the grill just for these. Can you air fry them?
No idea, you may need to experiment.
Did you air fry them?
Excellent! I have made it twice with chicken tenders and everyone loves it. Thank you for the countless AMAZING recipes you share wit us, Carolyn!
This was so delicious, I will make over and over…Thanks so much for this great recipe….
Another 5 star winner! Non keto hubby gobbled it up. I didn’t skewer, although I love the idea for another time. I put boneless thighs in my Cuisinart double sided griller. Thanks so much for keeping our meals new and exciting!
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!
Yay, I am so happy someone made this. It’s seriously our new fave keto dinner.
Doubling the recipe tonight (with chicken breast as it is what I have). Going to use broiler (grill does) and serve with stir-fried cauliflower rice. Can’t wait!
Oof-grill died, not does!
We loved these! It is always such a pleasure when a recipe is enjoyed by both the keto and nonketo members of the family…AND THAT SAUCE!!! (always a nice surprise when I have all the ingredients on hand the day you post a new recipe)
I have to avoid soy products due to its estrogen content (breast cancer). Tamari is made from soybeans. Any thoughts as to acceptable substitutes?
Read the blog post! I talk about that.
For umami flavor, check out Trader Joe’s Mushroom & Co Multi-Purpose Umami Seasoning Blend. I don’t see anything in its listed ingredients that are inflammatory no-no’s for a therapeutic diet. I’d try that mixed with coconut aminos, but again, beware of carb count on coconut aminos.
This sounds like it would be a winner on my house as well. Ok to just marinate the thighs whole and then bake?
Can’t see why not! Still save some of the sauce for serving at the table.
I did mine the way Michelle suggested. The only problem – no leftovers! Yum
This was amazing, I know I’ll be making again and again! Next time I’ll use metal skewers since, even though I soaked the bamboo ones they burnt.
So glad you like them!