Tsukune (chicken Meatballs)

Total Time: 24 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 4 mins

Ingredients

• 2 lbs ground chicken, preferably dark meat, divided
• 1 cup scallion, minced
• 2 tablespoons red miso (fermented soybean paste)
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil (not toasted) or 2 tablespoons canola oil, plus more for hands
• 32 skewers, 4 inch and water soaked

Recipe

• 1 first you want tare, a soy based basting sauce, japanese tsume and tare - nitsume or thick, sweet eel sauce or japanese spicy sauce - chuka tare will do nicely.
• 2 heat a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. add 2/3 lb. ground chicken and cook, stirring frequently, until chicken is opaque and just cooked through, about 2 minutes.
• 3 transfer chicken to a plate and let cool.
• 4 combine cooked chicken, remaining 1 1/3 lb. chicken, scallions, miso, and 2 tablespoons oil in a large bowl.
• 5 knead with your hands until a homogenized, sticky mixture forms, about 5 minutes.
• 6 clean hands; lightly coat with oil to prevent meat mixture from sticking. divide mixture into 16 equal portions. roll each into a ball, then form each ball into a 4"-long cylinder onto 2 skewers (hold 2 skewers, separating 1" apart at top to form a v shape).
• 7 press meat gently to flatten slightly.
• 8 repeat with remaining skewers and meat.
• 9 over a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill, gas grill on high. arrange bricks for yakitori grill.
• 10 working in batches, grill skewers, turning every minute, for 4 minutes. brush with tare and continue cooking, turning once, for 2 minutes. brush again with tare and grill, turning once, until cooked through, about 2 minutes longer.
• 11 serve immediately.
• 12 they can be eaten right off the sticks or slid off the stick into a piece of lettuce.