Chicken Yakitori

Recipes, food styling & photography Will Bowman

	1 organic chicken, boned and broken down into portions
	CHICKEN TARE
	1 chicken frame, bones & skin
	1 carrot, chopped
	3 dried shiitake mushrooms
	3-4 palm-sized sheets of kombu (kelp)
	2 spring onions, chopped
	1⁄3 cup rice wine vinegar
	1⁄3 cup mirin
	1⁄3 soy sauce
	1⁄4 cup cooking sake
	2 tablespoons brown sugar

1.	COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
2.	Because every fire is different, cooking times are tricky to give accurately here. It is a matter of understanding the wood or coals you’re using and adjusting accordingly. Start cooking with the skin-side down, painting the meat side with the tare (sauce). Try to do most of the cooking skin-side down, unless the heat is too aggressive and is threatening to burn the skin.
3.	SKEWERS
4.	Thread the chicken onto skewers.
5.	Paint the flesh side with the tare, then grill, skin-side down, until done.
6.	Serve chicken with a black vinegar mayonnaise, either by making a basic egg mayonnaise and adding black vinegar or simply mixing it with a store-bought mayonnaise to taste.
7.	CHICKEN TARE
8.	Place the chicken frame, bones and skin in a pot on a low heat, shaking the pot periodically to render the fat from the skin and frame.
9.	Add the carrot and turn the heat to high once the fat has been rendered, then cook for about 8 minutes, until the frame and skin have some colour.
10.	Cover the chicken and carrot with 1 litre of water and add the shiitake, kombu and spring onions.
11.	Adjust the heat to a gentle simmer for 30 minutes to 1 hour – the longer the better.
12.	Remove the chicken, turn the heat to high and reduce the stock by half, then add remaining ingredients and simmer for another 10 minutes.