From the Japanese Fire Cooking Class with Chef Kate Fortescue
Yakitori is one of Japan’s most beloved street foods: the skewers of tender chicken glazed in a sticky, smoky tare sauce and grilled over glowing coals. In the Charlie Oven, you can recreate that same irresistible balance of sweet, salty and charred flavour with ease. The even heat and gentle charcoal smoke work together to caramelise the sauce beautifully while keeping the chicken juicy inside. It’s simple food, done brilliantly; it's the kind of dish that turns any evening into a celebration around the fire.
Ingredients (serves 6)
Skewers
- 6 Charlie Turkish skewers (or large bamboo skewers if preferred)
- 6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
- 2 medium leeks (use firm white and pale green parts)
Tare Sauce
- 120ml soy sauce
- 120ml mirin
- 60ml sake
- 60ml water
- 20g brown sugar or honey (15g honey + 5g sugar is ideal)
- Green tops of the leeks (use white parts for skewers)
Garnish
- Shichimi togarashi (Japanese 7 spice), optional
- Lemon wedges
Charlie Oven Setup
Light a basket of good quality lump charcoal (never briquettes) and bring the oven up to 200°C (390°F). Place the Charlie Turkish Skewer Rack in the lower third of the oven. Lightly oil the skewers to prevent sticking.
Method
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Prepare the skewers: Cut the leeks into 3–4cm pieces, keeping the white and pale green parts for skewering and reserving the darker tops for the sauce. Cut chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces.
- Make the tare sauce: Combine soy sauce, mirin, sake, water, sugar/honey and the leek tops in a small pan. Bring to the boil, then simmer until reduced to one-third of its volume. Strain and divide into two portions: ⅔ for basting during cooking and ⅓ reserved for finishing.
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Assemble the skewers: Thread chicken and leek pieces alternately onto the Charlie skewers. Brush all over with tare sauce.
- Cook in the Charlie Oven: Place the skewers onto the Charlie Turkish Skewer Rack positioned in the lower third of the oven. Cook for around 8–10 minutes, giving each skewer a quarter turn every few minutes until cooked evenly on all sides. The Charlie skewers are made from solid stainless steel, so they conduct heat through the centre of the meat — helping it cook quickly and evenly from the inside as well as the outside. Baste with tare sauce each time you turn the skewers to build up a glossy, sticky glaze.
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Finish and serve: Once cooked through and lightly caramelised, brush with the reserved tare sauce. Serve hot with lemon wedges and a sprinkle of shichimi togarashi.
Why cook this in Charlie?
The Charlie Oven makes Yakitori-style cooking effortless. The front-opening design and stable heat mean you can rotate skewers easily while keeping the fire perfectly balanced. Combined with the stainless steel skewers, which conduct heat through the centre, you get fast, even cooking and a perfect sticky-sweet finish every time. It’s authentic Japanese street food, reimagined for your garden.
More Japanese Fire Cooking Recipes
- Miso Marinaded Salmon or Trout with Furikake Rice
- Roasted Aubergine and Broccoli with Goma-ae
- Baked Japanese Cheesecake with Miso Caramel
Love cooking over charcoal? Explore more Charlie Oven recipes and share your creations using #CookWithCharlie.