Yakitori Tsukune (Chicken Meatballs)

Tori tsukune (鶏つくね）

What kind of dish is Tori Tsukune??

Tsukune (Chicken meatballs) are made from ground chicken and aromatic vegetables formed into dumplings, then dipped in a sweet and spicy sauce made from soy sauce and sugar and grilled.

This is one of the most popular dishes at Japanese yakitori restaurants.

At yakitori restaurants, meatballs are skewered, brushed with sauce, and slowly grilled over charcoal.

Grilling it over charcoal gives it a distinctive aroma.

However, at home it is made in a frying pan or oven.

The trick to making this dish delicious at home is to heat it over high heat until it thickens and becomes fragrant and dark in color.

By utilizing the Maillard reaction that occurs when sugar and soy sauce are heated, we create a sauce that is as delicious as any you’d find in a restaurant.

Standard ingredients mixed into the meatballs are spring onions, shiso leaves, and ginger.

It is popular to eat baked tsukune by dipping them in egg yolk.

However, in recent years, it has become popular to add toppings such as cheese, mentaiko, and miso.

Tsukune decorated in this way look very photogenic, making them a great dish for parties.

NUTRITION FACTS : Yakitori Tsukune (Chicken Meatballs)

• 621 Calories Protein 71.7 g Total Fat 19.0 g Total carbohydrates 34.0 g Sodium 5.9 g

INGREDIENTS : Yakitori Tsukune (Chicken Meatballs) 2～3SERVINGS

1. Minced Chicken (320g)
   • Ginger (5g)
   • Green Onion (20g)
   • Potato Starch (7g)
   • Soy Sauce (3g)
   • Sake (5g)
2. ★Soy Sauce (36g)
3. ★Sake (20g)
4. ★Mirin (30g)
5. ★Sugar (9g)

How to make Yakitori Tsukune (Chicken Meatballs)

1. Chop the ginger and green onion.
2. Knead the minced chicken, ginger, green onion, potato starch, soy sauce, and sake together.
3. Roll the meat dough into 50g balls.
4. Arrange the tsukune on a baking sheet lined with parchment.
5. Gently press down on the tops of the tsukune.
6. Place the baking sheet on the middle rack of a preheated oven to 250°C and bake for 15 minutes.
7. Heat the soy sauce, sake, mirin, and sugar in a frying pan.
8. Remove the tsukune from the oven and add to the frying pan.
9. Simmer until the sauce thickens.