Instructions: This holiday weekend, serve quick and easy grilled chicken kabobs. Known in Japan as yakitori, theyre made with a sweet Japanese barbecue sauce. Serve the chicken over sesame-flavored rice to complete this 20-minute dinner.

In Japan, clouds of aromatic smoke waft off the grill at yakitori stands, making them popular stopping places for an after-work snack. Ive added vegetables to the skewers and served it over rice to make an entire meal.

The secret to quick and even kabob cooking is to leave a little space on the skewer between each piece of chicken. This allows the chicken to cook through on all sides.

Use the sauce given in the recipe or, if pressed for time, use a thick, bottled teriyaki sauce and stir in some sliced scallions.

Note: Any type of mushrooms can be used.

The skewers can also be cooked on a broiler or an outdoor grill.

If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for about 30 minutes first.

Procedure:
Make sauce and marinate chicken and mushrooms.

Heat a stove-top grill.

Start rice.

Skewer and cook kabobs.

Finish rice.

Chicken and Shiitake Yakitori

(Japanese Grilled Chicken Skewers)

Vegetable oil spray
4 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
4 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
4 tablespoons sugar
3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes 1/4 pound shiitake mushrooms (about 8 mushrooms)

1 red bell pepper, cut into 2 inch pieces 4 skewers

Heat a stove-top grill on high. Spray it with vegetable oil spray. Mix soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan. Add chicken, mushrooms and peppers and marinate 5 minutes while rice is started. Reserving sauce, place chicken, mushroom and red pepper on skewers, alternating until the skewers are full. Leave at least 1/4 inch space between ingredients. Place on stove-top grill and cook 5 minutes; turn and cook 5 more minutes.

Bring reserved sauce to a boil and cook 3 minutes. Serve skewers over Sesame Rice and drizzle sauce on top.

Makes 2 servings.

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