Negima Yakitori (Japanese Chicken Skewers)

1. Preheat the grill to a medium-high to high heat, roughly 450F. (You should be able to hold your hand 3-4 inches from the cooking grate for only 2-3 seconds.)
2. Soak the skewers in water for 10 minutes.
3. In a small saucepan, mix the soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Then, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 10 min. Remove the sauce from the heat and set it aside to cool slightly. Once cool, divide the sauce between two small bowls. (One we will use for brushing the raw meat, and one we will use for serving.)
4. While the sauce is simmering and resting, remove the skewers from the soaking water and skewer the chicken and scallion pieces, leaving a little room at each end for easy turning.
5. Cook the yakitori skewers over a hot grill for 2 minutes on the first side. Flip the skewers and cook for an additional 2 minutes on the second side. Flip the skewers again and brush them with the yakitori sauce. Flip the skewers and brush the second side with the sauce. Flip and brush the skewers once more. At this point the chicken should be firm and the sauce should be beginning to caramelize and create a nice glaze on the chicken.
6. Transfer the cooked yakitori to a platter and brush them once more with the yakitori sauce (using a clean brush and the second bowl of yakitori sauce that has not been used for the chicken as it cooked).

Fore Shio Yakitori

1. If you desire simple shio yakitori, simply sprinkle salt over the yakitori skewers before grilling. Grill 7-8 minutes, turning often, until the chicken is golden and cooked through.