Bonjiri

The tail-end cut, taken from the triangular knob where the tail feathers grow. Chickens work this spot constantly, so muscle and fat are packed tightly together here. The first bite snaps back with a springy chew, then fatty sweetness floods in right after. It's sometimes called the "toro of chicken," and the fat is generous enough to leave a melting sensation in the mouth. Males tend to chew firmer and leaner, females softer and fattier — the same cut can read differently bird to bird.

Because it carries so much fat, the standard approach is to sear the skin side hard first to render off the excess, then pull it just before the inside turns firm. The triangular tip is dense with worked muscle and chews firmer, so a skewer is built to balance the fatty part against the leaner, chewier part. Only one bonjiri comes off a single bird, so lining up enough skewers for a night takes a fair number of birds.

Yakitori as a whole is built to use a bird beyond just its lean meat — fat, skin, and organs included. Bonjiri is the cut that carries the fat role in that lineup; slotting it between leaner, plainer skewers in a course creates a clear rise and fall in richness. That only one comes from each bird is part of what makes ordering it feel like a small occasion.