Miso is a fermented soybean paste commonly used in many Japanese dishes. This time, we’re incorporating this incredible ingredient into our chicken dish to enhance the ultimate umami flavor!
Why I Love This Recipe
There’s so much to love about this recipe — where do I even begin?
Aside from the impressive taste, this recipe requires just a few simple ingredients and comes together in only 30 minutes.
Not only that, but this dish doesn’t need to be marinated, so you don’t have to wait minutes or hours for the flavors to come through!
In fact, once your miso paste is ready, you can slather it all over your chicken and cook immediately. It’s that simple.
What’s the Best Chicken Cut To Use?
This recipe calls for chicken thighs, but you can absolutely use any cut you want — whether that’s boneless or bone-in, drumstick or breast, the choice is up to you.
Chicken thighs have become my go-to because (1) they’re rich in nutrients and (2) as dark meat, they have way more fat to make the dish extra juicy.
Just keep in mind, if you’re using a chicken cut with the skin on, wipe the outside layer with a paper towel to make it nice and crispy.
How To Make the Miso Chicken Marinade
Choosing the chicken cut is only one part of this recipe; the second part is making the umami miso chicken marinade. For this, you’ll need:
- White miso paste: Theoretically, any miso paste will work, but I prefer white (aka Shiro) paste because it has a hint of sweetness and is a little less intense than the other varieties.
- Mirin: This is an integral part of Japanese cuisine. It pairs perfectly with miso and sake. However, if you can’t get your hands on this, you can use lemon juice or rice vinegar.
- Tamari or soy sauce: This is where the saltiness comes from.
- Honey: Since there are many salty and savory flavors in this paste, we need something sweet to balance them out, and honey is my sweetener of choice.
- Fresh garlic: This recipe calls for at least 3 garlic cloves, but I tend to add 1 or 2 more to enhance the flavor.
- Green onion: For the final touch, we want to incorporate some aromatic ingredients, and green onions work perfectly. Use the white part in the sauce and save the green part for garnish.
Garlic Miso Chicken Thighs
This is a simple chicken recipe that delivers the ultimate umami flavor. There’s no need to marinate for long periods, and you can have this dish ready in as little as 30 minutes!
Ingredients
- 8 chicken thighs (I typically use boneless and skinless thighs)
- 4 stalks of green onions (separate the white part from the green part)
- 2 tablespoons EACH of white miso paste and mirin (or rice vinegar)
- 1 tablespoon EACH of honey, soy sauce, and freshly minced garlic
- Chopped green onions (the green part) for garnish
Instructions
- Make the garlic miso paste: Get a medium-sized bowl and combine your miso, mirin, honey, soy sauce, green onion (white part only), and garlic. Stir together until they’re well combined.
- Season your chicken: Take your chicken thighs out of the fridge and coat them with the miso paste, making sure every nook and cranny is covered.
- Prep your oven: Turn on your oven to 375 degrees F.
- While that’s heating up, line a baking tray with parchment paper. Place your seasoned chicken inside and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, flipping halfway through. Pro tip: If you want to get a nice color and crust, you can broil your chicken for an additional 2 minutes.
- Once your chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, take it out of the oven and baste it with the leftover juices from the tray.
- Garnish your chicken with the green part of your green onions, and your dish is ready to serve!
- You can eat your chicken thighs with a plate of white rice or a bed of sugar snap peas, shiitake mushrooms, and snow peas.
Notes
Image credit to @nerdswithknives.
Featured image credit to @aheadofthyme.
