Authentic Japanese izakaya chicken heart skewers, butterflied, cleaned of impurities, and seared over very high heat before being glazed with a caramelized tare sauce.
Ingredients
- 500 g whole extra-fresh chicken hearts
- 15 cl yakitori tare sauce
- 1 tsp high-oleic sunflower oil
- 1 pinch fine sea salt
- 1 tsp shichimi togarashi Japanese seven-spice blend
- 1 pinch ground sansho pepper
Method
- Soak bamboo skewers in a container of cold water for at least thirty minutes to prevent them from burning during cooking.
- Prepare the chicken hearts: using a sharp paring knife, trim the small blood vessels visible at the top of each heart while keeping the thin collar of fat that will provide tenderness.
- Slit each heart lengthwise without cutting completely through, to butterfly it open and lay it flat.
- Submerge the opened hearts in a large bowl of very cold water, gently rub the inside with your thumb to dislodge any residual blood clots, then rinse thoroughly under a stream of fresh water until the rinse water runs clear.
- Drain the hearts and dry them thoroughly on several sheets of paper towels to remove any surface moisture.
- Thread the hearts flat onto the previously drained bamboo skewers, piercing each heart two times to hold it open, then gently pack them against each other to preserve their juiciness.
- Preheat your grill, plancha, or oven broiler to very high heat, then lightly oil the grate with high-oleic sunflower oil using a cloth or paper towel to prevent sticking.
- Season the skewers with a very light pinch of fine sea salt, then place them on the scorching hot surface and sear them for about two minutes per side, until the meat becomes opaque and takes on nice golden marks.
- Generously brush the skewers on both sides with the yakitori tare sauce using a pastry brush, then continue cooking for about thirty seconds per side to let the sauce bubble and caramelize without burning.
- Apply one last brush of yakitori tare sauce right off the grill, sprinkle with shichimi togarashi Japanese seven-spice blend or ground sansho pepper to taste, and enjoy immediately.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 173.9 kcal
- Protein
- 30.14 g
- Carbohydrate
- 4.19 g
- Fat
- 3.33 g
- Fibre
- 0.41 g
- Calcium
- 0 mg
- Iron
- 0 mg
- Magnesium
- 0 mg
