Roasted Miso Chicken
Crispy and juicy miso chicken is roasted and basted with a hugely flavorful, Asian-inspired marinade of miso, toasted sesame oil, ginger, and garlic. The end result is moist, succulent chicken thighs coated in a sticky miso sauce!
Roasted miso chicken pairs one of my favorite proteins with one of my favorite Asian ingredients!
Miso, a staple in Japan for over 1,300 years, is crafted through fermenting soybeans with koji, derived from fermented rice, barley, or soybeans. This paste, rich in umami, emerges from a traditional process, resulting in a versatile ingredient with deep flavors.
Fermented miso paste has a one-of-a-kind taste you won’t find anywhere else. It’s nutty and salty, sweet and savory, and features that tangy, earthy flavor characteristic of fermented ingredients.
I throw it into a marinade along with other sauces, oils, and seasonings that complement all of those unique notes: salty fish sauce, nutty toasted sesame oil, and that spicy ginger and garlic combo. And when it bakes onto the chicken skin as it melts and renders in the oven, that golden glaze is just heavenly!
Table of Contents
Looking for other ways to use the rest of your white miso paste? Try it in this delicious tahini dressing to make some flavorful Asian-inspired salads, this tasty chilled ramen salad, or some warm and comforting miso soup.
Red or White Miso Paste
Red and white miso are two distinct players in Japanese cuisine. Red miso, or “aka miso,” derives its deep, rich flavor from a longer fermentation process, resulting in a bold, umami-packed profile. It’s fantastic for heartier dishes like stews and marinades.
White miso, or “shiro miso,” is milder and sweeter, making it ideal for dressings and lighter soups. The choice between these two depends on your recipe; red for robustness, white for a gentle, sweet touch. I preferred using the white miso for the lighter, sweet touch it adds to the chicken and delicious pan sauce drippings.
(Be sure to check the recipe card for a full list of ingredients and quantities)
- Chicken – I make my miso chicken recipe with skin-on, bone-in thighs for that golden brown skin and moist, juicy dark meat. But it’s also delicious with breasts and boneless thighs! Just note the different roasting times and temperatures detailed in the recipe card if you make that substitution.
- Vegetable Oil – Some other great oils to use in marinades include canola, avocado oil, and olive oil. And if you really want to heighten the flavors of the sesame oil and sesame seeds, try peanut oil!
- White Miso – This ingredient has a light, nutty sweetness to it that’s complemented by its natural saltiness. It’s the most mild of the misos.
- Toasted Sesame Oil – Note that toasted sesame oil is different from sesame oil — it’s a very strong oil with a significant nutty flavor.
- Fish Sauce – No need for added salt with this ingredient present! Savory and earthy, fish sauces pair deliciously with the sweet marinade.
- Fresh Ginger – Freshly grated ginger will add an incredibly appetizing aroma to the marinade.
- Garlic – Did you know that garlic helps to tenderize meats in marinades? It’s more than a flavoring agent!
- Sesame Seeds – The final touch that ties all of the flavors in this miso chicken recipe together — with some great texture, too.
- Mix the Marinade. Add the white miso, vegetable and sesame oil, soy and fish sauce, garlic, and ginger to a small bowl. Whisk together.
- Marinate. Place the chicken in a freezer-safe bag. Pour the marinade into the bag. Seal the bag and turn it over a few times to coat the meat. Refrigerate overnight.
- Prepare to Roast. An hour before roasting, retrieve the chicken and pour into the roasting pan along with the marinade. Turn the chicken so it’s skin-side up and let it come to room temperature.
- Roast the Chicken. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and cover the roasting pan with foil. Roast the chicken for 45 minutes.
- Baste & Finish Roasting. Remove the foil, baste the miso chicken with the juices in the pan, and sprinkle sesame seeds onto the chicken. Roast for another 20 minutes, uncovered, until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 160-165 degrees F.
- Let Rest & Serve. Let the miso chicken rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Plate with the golden pan juices spooned over top.
Recommended Tools
- Roasting Pan – These pans are very handy for recipes that involve long roasting times and frequent basting. They come with a rack that prevents the bottom of whatever you’re roasting from overcooking, and they leave plenty of room for cooking large cuts of meat.
Storing and Reheating
Transfer uneaten miso chicken to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
To reheat leftover miso chicken without overcooking the meat, microwave in short bursts — just 15 to 30 seconds — along with any leftover juice until warmed through.
Yes. The enzymes in the paste make it a very effective tenderizer. However, it is not so abrasive that it quickly deteriorates the meat like other, more acidic marinades do.
While those harsher marinades can only be used for a limited amount of time before they start to make the meat tougher, my mild marinade can impart flavor to the meat for up to 24 hours.
It lasts for a very long time, so it’s a great ingredient to keep in your fridge if you’re a fan of Asian flavors. Even after it’s been opened, the paste is good for up to a year as long as it’s stored in an airtight container and remains refrigerated.
It all depends on the flavor you’re going for. There are 7 different types of fermented soybean paste, and they’re all different! The two most popular varieties are red and white.
Some marinades use red, or “aka. It’s strong, salty, and bold — the flavor can be very overpowering.
And in this miso chicken recipe, I use the white, or “shiro,” variety. It has a lighter, more refreshing flavor and plays well with other flavors in marinades.
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Roasted Miso Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 lbs chicken bone-in, skin on (See Note 1)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons white miso
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger grated
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
Instructions
- Mix the vegetable oil, miso, sesame oil, soy sauce, fish sauce, ginger and garlic in a small bowl.
- Put chicken into a large freezer bag, pour in miso marinade and seal the bag. Turn the bag over a couple of times to mix and coat the chicken. Marinate overnight in refrigerator.
- Remove chicken from refrigerator an hour before roasting the chicken. Pour chicken and marinade into a roasting pan, turning chicken skin-side up. Leave to come to room temperature.
- Preheat the oven 400°F. Cover the chicken with foil and roast in oven for 45 minutes.
- After 45 minutes, remove the foil, baste with the pan juices then sprinkle sesame seeds on top of chicken. Continue roasting, uncovered, for another 20 minutes. The skin will melt and turn a golden brown. Check that the internal temperature of the meat is 160 to 165°F.
- Serve with the dark golden pan juices over the top.
Notes
- For boneless, skin-on chicken thighs: Preheat oven to 425°F. Cook 20-22 minutes, or until browned and cooked through to an internal temperature of 165°F.
For boneless breasts: Preheat oven to 475°F. Cook 20 minutes, or until browned and cooked through to an internal temperature of 165°F. - Adapted from Nigella Lawson.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Your recipes are so interesting, I always sign up for the extras (Secrets etc.) none of them ever come. Any suggestions why?
Thanks so much Mary! I sent you an email.