Yakitori Negima (ねぎま, chicken and scallion)

Negima is the skewer that explains yakitori without making a speech: chicken thigh, thick negi, fire, and a little tare. It looks like tavern food, which it is, but don't mistake plainness for carelessness. The pieces have to be cut so the chicken and onion finish together. That is the dish.

Use thigh, not breast. Thigh has enough fat to stay juicy over the grill, and that fat is part of the seasoning. The negi matters just as much. Naganegi, the Japanese long onion, grows sweet in the cold months, and when it's at its shun it does half the work before the skewer ever meets the fire. Thick scallions or the tender center of a small leek can stand in, but know what they're standing in for.

There's no dashi to rescue you here, and no need for it. In yakitori the stockpot gives way to the grill: soy, mirin, sake, chicken fat, and the sweetness of onion. Grill the skewer plain first, then brush on the tare only after the meat has taken color. Sugar burns faster than chicken cooks. Remember that and the tare becomes a lacquer, not a punishment.

Serve negima hot from the grill, two or three skewers to a plate, with room around them. Nothing hidden. The chicken should taste of chicken, the negi of its own charred sweetness, and the sauce should know when to stop talking.