Teriyaki Chicken on a Stick

Several pineapple teriyaki chicken skewers on a silver plate.

5 from 5 votes

Teriyaki Chicken on a Stick is an easy and delicious appetizer perfect for Super Bowl, dinner parties, or just a regular family meal. The sauce is flavorful enough that the dish can be made on the spot (no need to marinade the chicken beforehand.)

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Japanese

Servings: sticks

Calories: 111kcal

Author: Zen

Equipment

2 baking tray
2 parchment paper
15 Wooden Skewers

Ingredients

0.8 lb chicken thigh 360g skinless, boneless cut into 1 inch cubes. (The size of the chicken pieces will impact the cooking time so if you make them too big/ small, they may be undercooked or overcooked.)
0.7 lb pineapple Cubed. (About 317g) You can use fresh or canned- the canned would make the chicken skewer sweeter. Use 2 to 3 pieces per teriyaki chicken satay, which amounted to 0.7lb for me (just about 1 can of pineapple cubes, minus 2-3 pieces that I snacked on.) If you don't have any on hand, just omit it or substitute with cut bell peppers.

Sauce Ingredients

3 Tablespoons sake
3 Tablespoons mirin Do not omit. This is crucial to give the characteristic teriyaki glaze and flavor.
3 Tablespoons light soy sauce
3 Tablespoons brown sugar Can substitute with white sugar
1 inch fresh ginger peeled and grated: we will use both the juice and the grated ginger flesh in the marinade. The easiest way to peel ginger is to use the back of a spoon
3 Tablespoons sesame oil Omit if you don't have it.
½ Tablespoon honey To add to the boiled marinade and use to baste the skewers, to give them a nice char. See recipe post (Step by Step Instructions) for the difference in color between basted and unbasted chicken sticks.
2 Tablespoons pineapple brine If using canned pineapple. If not, omit or substitute with a tiny amount of rice vinegar.

Garnish

½ Tablespoon sesame seeds Lightly toasted. Omit if you don't have them, but they do add a nice burst of freshness.
1 sprig green onions sliced. Also known as spring onions and scallions- click here for green onion substitutes.

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 400F/ 200C
Mix the sauce ingredients- mirin, sake, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and grated ginger- till the brown sugar has dissolved.
Add the sauce ingredients to a Ziplock Bag large enough to hold the chicken. Add the 1 inch chicken cubes to the sauce. Remove the air from the bag, seal tightly, and flip a few times so that the chicken is all covered with the sauce.
The chicken needs about 15-20 minutes to reach room temperature, and we'll let the meat marinade in the sauce for that time. (Don't cook cold chicken straight out of the fridge or it'll be tough.) Ideally, turn the bag every 5 minutes.
Whilst the chicken is marinating, soak or wet the skewers and prepare the cubed pineapples. (If using canned pineapple, you don't want them larger than the chicken pieces.)
After 15 minutes, start skewering the chicken and pineapple. Use about 2-3 pineapples per skewer. (There should be the same amoutn or more chicken than pineapple on each stick)
Place the sticks on the prepared baking sheet, ensuring there's a gap in between each. (We don't want them to steam!) Bake for 20-25 minutes, till the internal temperature at the thickest part of the meat is 165ºF (75ºC).
Whilst the chicken is cooking, transfer the marinade to a pot and boil till reduced to about half. (As the raw chicken was in it, it's crucial that you boil it well to kill all the germs.) After reducing, stir in ½ Tablespoon of honey.
To give the chicken a nice char, take it out of the oven 1-2 minutes early (i.e. after 18 minutes or so), lightly glaze with the thickened sauce then return to the oven for 1- 2 minutes. (Keep an eye on it to ensure it doesn't burn.)

Notes

During the summer, you can also grill these chicken teriyaki skewers during a BBQ. If doing so, you MUST soak the wooden skewers in water for at least 30 minutes to prevent them from catching fire.

Note: the nutritional information is an estimate automatically calculated using the WPRM recipe maker and I am not responsible for its veracity.

Nutrition