This tsukune recipe, also known as Japanese chicken meatballs, is skewered ground chicken and brushed with a sweet and savory yakitori sauce.
Skip the restaurant and learn how to make tsukune with this easy and healthy recipe right in the comfort of your kitchen.
This recipe offers the option to make this dish low carb, sugar-free and keto friendly!
What is Japanese Chicken Tsukune?
Tsukune, or Japanese chicken meatballs, is a type of yakitori made from a ground chicken mixture then skewered and brushed with yakitori or tare sauce and grilled.
Japanese chicken tsukune is commonly served in yakitori restaurants along with other popular yakitori items such as chicken thighs, gizzards, and beef.
What does chicken tsukune yakitori taste like?
Chicken tsukune yakitori has a soft texture with the sauce being sweet, savory, and umami filled. Since tsukune is grilled you get a nice smokey charred flavor that adds to the delicious unique yakitori flavor.
How to make chicken tsukune and what is it made of?
Chicken Meatball
- Ground Chicken – use ground chicken which can be found in supermarkets or Japanese supermarkets.
- Sesame Oil – use toasted sesame oil (dark and rich in color). Check to make sure it is not a sesame oil blend.
- Garlic – grated using a hand grater or cheese grater.
- Miso – white miso, awase miso, or red miso can be used for this recipe. We use awase or brown miso.
- Green Onion (scallions) – finely chopped and used for ground chicken mixture.
- Salt – use table salt or sea salt.
- Japanese Sake – use Japanese cooking sake which is fairly inexpensive and can be found in most Asian supermarkets.
- Panko – bread panko or Pork Panko or crushed pork rinds for low carb.
- Wooden Skewers – bamboo skewers are found in most Japanese supermarkets. You can also use regular barbecue skewers.
- Toasted Sesame Seeds – use toasted sesame seeds. Can be found in Asian supermarkets.
Marinade
- Soy Sauce – low sodium is preferred. For gluten-free you can use tamari or coconut aminos.
- Japanese Sake – use Japanese cooking sake which is fairly inexpensive and can be found in most Asian supermarkets.
- Sweetener – use your preferred sweetener.
- Bonito Flakes – made from shaved dried bonito fish. Commonly used to make broth and responsible for giving Japanese cuisine that signature umami flavor. Found in most Japanese supermarkets. Can also be subbed for hondashi.
- Garlic – grated using a hand grater or cheese grater.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the chicken meatball ingredients, and mix thoroughly. Form a ball and thread on skewers. Don’t worry if the mixture is wet, just form the ball around the skewer and it will harden as it is cooked.
Baste with tare yakitori sauce and grill skewers, rotating every 2 minutes and basting again. Serve with a sprinkle of scallions and toasted sesame seeds.
What is yakitori tare and what is it made of?
Yakitori tare is a sweet, savory, and umami-filled sauce made with soy sauce, sweetener, garlic, and broth from bonito flakes. Occasionally it is also made with ginger so feel free to add ginger if preferred.
You may also be wondering why we don’t use mirin in the tare sauce and that is because mirin contains sugar, so we try to give you an alternative healthier option using a sweetener by making our own mirin in the recipe.
What is the nutrition information for this tsukune recipe?
- 439 Calories
- 4g Carbohydrates
- 1g Fiber
- 55g Protein
- 18g Fat
- 156mg Cholesterol
- 1376mg Sodium
- 1196mg Potassium
- 18mg Calcium
- 2mg Iron
- 80ui Vitamin A
- 2mg Vitamin C
Looking for other yakitori recipes?
- Japanese Chicken Skewers Yakitori Negima
- Japanese Beef Skewers Kushiyaki
- Bacon Wrapped Enoki Yakitori
- Bacon Wrapped Quail Eggs Yakitori
- Pork Belly Wrapped Asparagus and Okra Yakitori
Now, let’s get making this Japanese Chicken Meatball Tsukune recipe!
- Prepping Time 10M
- Cooking Time 15M
- Total Time 25M
- Net Carb/Skewer ~1g
- Serving 3-4 Skewers
Ingredients
Chicken Meatball
- 1 lbs Ground Chicken
- 1 tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil
- 1 Garlic Clove
- 1 tsp Miso
- 2 Stalk Green Onions
- 1/8 tsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Japanese Sake
- 2 tbsp Panko (for low carb use Pork Panko or crushed pork rinds)
- 3-4 Wooden Skewers
- 1/4 tsp Toasted Sesame Seed (optional)
Basting Sauce
- 3 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 4 1/2 tbsp Japanese Sake
- 1 1/2 tbsp Water
- 2 tbsp Sweetener (sugar alternative, sugar or preferred sweetener)
- 1/2 Cup Bonito Flakes (can sub with 1/8 tsp of hondashi)
- 1 Garlic Clove
Directions
1) Gather all the ingredients.
2) Soak wooden skewers in water for at least 10 minutes.
3) Finely dice garlic and set aside.
4) In a stove top pot, add Soy Sauce, Japanese Sake, Water, sweetener, Bonito Flakes, and half of the diced garlic and bring to boil. Once boiling, reduce to simmer heat and let sauce reduce for 7-10 minutes or until slightly reduced. Once reduced, strain sauce with strainer and make sure to squeeze/press any excess sauce from the bonito flakes. Split marinate into 2 bowls – 1 bowl holding 3/4 as basting sauce and the other about 1/4 as reserve sauce. Note – if you are making more sauce, it will take longer to reduce.
5) While waiting for the sauce to reduce, finely chop green onions and set aside.
6) Pour pork rinds into a food processor and pulse until ground into very fine crumbs. Note – Skip this step if you are using bread panko or Pork Panko.
7) In a large mixing bowl, combine ground chicken, Toasted Sesame Oil, remaining diced garlic, Miso, chopped green onions, salt, Japanese sake, panko and mix well.
8) Take about 2 tbsp of chicken/tsukune meatball mix, throw the mix from one hand to another while using the palm of your hands to form a ball about the size of a ping pong ball. Take the meatball and place onto skewer. Take note the meatball mix is very fragile prior to being cooked, so handle with care. Each skewer should hold about 4-5 meatballs. Set on holding plate.
9) Preheat grill to 350F. Once grill is preheated, reduce heat to medium-low and place skewers on the grill. Using a basting brush, generously brush marinade on each skewer from bowl with 3/4 the sauce and close lid. Rotate skewers every 2 minutes basting on each rotation keeping covered until done, should take around 12-15 minutes or once internal temp reaches 165F. Mix sauce from reserve bowl and drizzle before serving along with sprinkle of optional Toasted Sesame Seed.
10) Optional Oven Instructions – if you don’t own a BBQ grill or located in an area where grilling is not possible, here are alternative oven instructions. Preheat oven to 500F. Place skewers on a baking rack in center of oven and generous brush marinade on each skewer from bowl with 3/4 the sauce. Rotate every 4-5 minutes basting on each rotation and continue until done – should take around 10-14 minutes or once internal temp reaches 165F. Mix sauce from reserve bowl and drizzle before serving along with sprinkle of optional Toasted Sesame Seed.
Hope you enjoy your Japanese Chicken Meatball Tsukune!
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Japanese Chicken Meatball Tsukune
Ingredients
Chicken Meatball
- 1 lbs Ground Chicken
- 1 tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil
- 1 Clove Garlic
- 1 tsp Miso
- 2 Stalk Green Onions
- 1/8 tsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Japanese Sake
- 2 tbsp Panko for low carb use Pork Panko or crushed pork rinds
- 3-4 Pieces Wooden Skewers
- 1/4 tsp Toasted Sesame Seed optional
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- Soak wooden skewers in water for at least 10 minutes.
- Finely dice garlic and set aside.
- In a stove top pot, add Soy Sauce, Japanese Sake, Water, sweetener, Bonito Flakes, and half of the diced garlic and bring to boil. Once boiling, reduce to simmer heat and let the sauce reduce for 7-10 minutes or until slightly reduced. Once reduced, strain the sauce with a strainer and make sure to squeeze/press any excess sauce from the bonito flakes. Split marinate into 2 bowls - 1 bowl holding 3/4 as basting sauce and the other about 1/4 as reserve sauce. Note - if you are making more sauce, it will take longer to reduce.
- While waiting for the sauce to reduce, finely chop green onions and set aside.
- Pour pork rinds into a food processor and pulse until ground into very fine crumbs. Note – Skip this step if you are using bread panko or Pork Panko.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine ground chicken, Toasted Sesame Oil, remaining diced garlic, Miso, chopped green onions, salt, Japanese sake, panko and mix well.
- Take about 2 tbsp of chicken/tsukune meatball mix, throw the mix from one hand to another while using the palm of your hands to form a ball about the size of a ping pong ball. Take the meatball and place onto skewer. Take note the meatball mix is very fragile prior to being cooked, so handle with care. Each skewer should hold about 4-5 meatballs. Set on holding plate.
- Preheat grill to 350F. Once grill is preheated, reduce heat to medium-low and place skewers on the grill. Using a basting brush, generously brush marinade on each skewer from bowl with 3/4 the sauce and close lid. Rotate skewers every 2 minutes basting on each rotation keeping covered until done, should take around 12-15 minutes or once internal temp reaches 165F. Mix sauce from reserve bowl and drizzle before serving along with sprinkle of optional Toasted Sesame Seed.
- Optional Oven Instructions - if you don't own a BBQ grill or located in an area where grilling is not possible, here are alternative oven instructions. Preheat oven to 500F. Place skewers on a baking rack in center of oven and generous brush marinade on each skewer from bowl with 3/4 the sauce. Rotate every 4-5 minutes basting on each rotation and continue until done - should take around 10-14 minutes or once internal temp reaches 165F. Mix sauce from reserve bowl and drizzle before serving along with sprinkle of optional Toasted Sesame Seed.
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Nutrition
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