When you need a little break from the classic Chicken Teriyaki, try this Miso Chicken (鶏肉の甘辛味噌焼き). Marinated in a sweet and savory umami-packed miso sauce, this Miso Chicken yields plenty of flavors.
The best part? It’s so easy to pull together and goes well with steamed rice. Because it’s best when you prep ahead, this delicious chicken dish might become a regular on your midweek dinners.
Use of All-Purpose Miso Sauce
This recipe uses my favorite All-Purpose Miso Sauce recipe. A versatile sauce that takes just a short time to make and can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 months.
From marinade to stir-fry to dressing, you’ll be surprised how this secret sauce can change how the food tastes. I shared the All-Purpose Miso Sauce recipe and tips in details on this post.
Experiment with Different Types of Miso
For this Miso Chicken recipe, I used Hikari Miso® Organic Miso – Red Miso. It is made of 100% USDA Certified Organic rice and soybeans and is additive-free. It has a dark brown color original to Shinshu-style miso. A high volume of rice koji produces its mild taste and smooth texture.
If you’re interested to try it out, you can purchase Hikari Miso® organic miso from most of the Japanese/Asian grocery stores or on Amazon. Hikari Miso® is my favorite brand of miso paste and I’ve been using it for over a decade.
There is also a variety of miso, each with a different flavor you can use for various purposes. When you make All-Purpose Miso Sauce, you can choose any type of miso you like. Each miso has its own unique flavors that you can experiment with and enjoy.
3 Tips for Cooking Miso Chicken
1. Use Skin-on Chicken Thighs
Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs are a budget-friendly cut, but they are also more flavorful and delicious.
You must sear the thighs skin-side down in a hot frying pan undisturbed until the skin is well-browned and crispy, which typically takes about 7 minutes. Fat (healthy unsaturated fats) will slowly render, and the skin will become browned and crisp – the perfectly cooked chicken thigh.
In the U.S., boneless skin-on thighs are not common. You can purchase bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and remove the bones yourself, or ask the butcher to remove them for you (but you are paying for the total weight with bones).
2. Marinate for 24 hours
For the best result, I suggest marinating the chicken in All-Purpose Miso Sauce for 24 hours. I personally think chicken should not be marinated for more than 24 hours because it can get too salty. I’ve tried marinating for 1 hour and for several hours, but the flavor seems to be still on the lighter side.
3. Remove Miso Sauce COMPLETELY
Miso burns easily and fast, so do your best to remove the Miso Sauce with a paper towel before you cook the chicken. Don’t worry about the flavors. Marinating the chicken for one day gives plenty of flavor to soak into the chicken. If you like to drizzle additional sauce, then combine the All-Purpose Miso Sauce and a little bit of water in the pan to make a quick sauce.
When you are removing the Miso Sauce with a paper towel, thoroughly pat the skin dry. When the skin is moist or wet, it’s more likely to stick to the pan, and therefore won’t crisp up quite as nicely.
The cooking part is fairly straightforward and the key is to leave the chicken undisturbed when you pan fry it in a hot pan.
Serve this Miso Chicken with a side vegetable or over steamed rice, and miso soup, and you’ll be rewarded with a wholesome meal that wins over a takeout anytime. Oh, and the leftovers are perfect to pack up for your bento lunch too.
Other recipes with Miso
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Miso Chicken
Ingredients
- 5 pieces boneless, skin-on chicken thighs
- 5 Tbsp Homemade All-Purpose Miso Sauce (for marinating; allow 30 minutes to make it from scratch; see end Notes below)
- 1 Tbsp neutral oil (for cooking)
For the Drizzling Sauce
- 5 Tbsp Homemade All-Purpose Miso Sauce
- 5 Tbsp water
For the Toppings
- 1 tsp toasted white sesame seeds
- 1 green onion/scallion (chopped)
Instructions
Before You Start
- Please note that this recipe requires a marinating time of 24 hours. Allow 30 minutes (mostly inactive time) to make my All-Purpose Miso Sauce, if you haven't already.
- Gather all the ingredients.
To Marinate the Chicken (24 hours before cooking)
- Prick the skin of 5 pieces boneless, skin-on chicken thighs with the tip of a knife. Thoroughly pat the chicken dry and place it in a resealable plastic bag.Nami's Tip: Pricking the skin allows the fat to render more easily during cooking.
- Add 5 Tbsp Homemade All-Purpose Miso Sauce to the bag, remove the air, and seal it.
- Rub the chicken through the bag to evenly distribute the marinade. Store in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Nami's Tip: Do not marinate longer than 24 hours or the chicken will get too salty. To freeze this marinated chicken uncooked, see To Store below.
To Cook the Chicken
- Remove the chicken from the bag and wipe off the miso marinade with your hands, then use a paper towel to remove any remaining marinade and pat dry. Discard the marinade.
- Add 1 Tbsp neutral oil to a cold, large frying pan and distribute it evenly. Don’t turn on the heat yet.
- Place the chicken skin-side down in the cold pan. Leave space between the chicken pieces. Nami's Tip: Don't overcrowd the pan, or the chicken pieces will steam instead of sear.
- Set the heat to medium low or medium. Cook the chicken skin without touching for 7 minutes until the fat renders, except to occasionally press down on them with a spatula. Nami's Tip: Do not cover with a lid; you can use a mesh splatter guard to avoid oil splatter, if desired.
- When the skin is golden brown and the meat is opaque on the edges, flip the chicken. Cook for 5 minutes until the other side is browned, pressing down occasionally. While it cooks, wipe rendered fat from the pan with a paper towel.
- When the internal temperature registers 165ºF (74ºC), the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan and set it on a cutting board. Let it rest until cool enough to handle.
To Make the Drizzling Sauce
- Wipe off the fat and oil in the frying pan with a paper towel. Add 5 Tbsp Homemade All-Purpose Miso Sauce and 5 Tbsp water and stir. Bring it to a simmer over low heat, stirring, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Turn off the heat.
To Serve
- Cut the chicken into ½-inch strips (a convenient size for eating with chopsticks). Serve on a plate or over steamed rice and drizzle with sauce.
- Sprinkle with 1 tsp toasted white sesame seeds and 1 green onion/scallion (chopped). Serve warm.
To Store
- Keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and in the freezer for up to a month. You can also freeze the marinated uncooked chicken for up to 2–3 weeks. Before freezing, remove the miso marinade completely so the chicken doesn‘t get too salty.
Notes
- 1 cup red miso
- 1 cup mirin
- 1/2 cup sake
- 2 Tbsp sugar
Nutrition
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