For the marinade
1/2 cup soy sauce (preferably dark Japanese style)
1/2 cup dry Sherry
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh gingerroot
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 wooden skewers for skewering the chicken and vegetables
8 skinless boneless chicken thighs, cut into thirty-six 1 1/2-inch pieces
2 bunches of scallions (about 10), the white and pale green parts cut into twenty-four 1 1/2-inch lengths
24 canned whole water chestnuts, rinsed and drained
Make the marinade:
In a saucepan whisk together the soy sauce, the Sherry, the sugar, the gingerroot, the garlic, the salt, and pepper to taste and bring the mixture to a boil over moderate heat. Simmer the mixture for 5 minutes, or until the sugar is dissolved, and let the marinade cool.
On each skewer alternate 3 pieces of chicken with 2 scallion lengths and 2 water chestnuts, skewering the water chestnuts carefully so that they do not split and beginning and ending with the chicken. In a large shallow baking dish arrange the kebabs once, for 30 minutes. Arrange the kebabs, reserving the marinade, in one layer on an oiled rack of a broiler pan and broil them under a preheated broiler about 4 inches from the heat, basting them with the marinade for the first 6 minutes, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Discard any remaining marinade.
Makes 12 yakitori, serving 4 to 6.