This juicy miso chicken is one of those recipes I come back to again and again. Just toss chicken thighs in a zingy, sweet, salty miso marinade, then cook until gorgeously sticky and caramelized. Serve it over loaded baked rice, with a crunchy salad, stuffed into wraps or fluffy bao buns, or just enjoy as is.
Why This Miso Chicken is Worth Trying
This miso chicken – and this miso marinade – is one I turn to time and time again. Especially on nights when I’m tired and need something delicious and satisfying quickly.
And it seriously is quick and so easy. Just mix your miso marinade, toss it through the chicken, then pop everything into the oven (or air fryer) to get beautifully charred and caramelized.
There’s hardly any hands-on time, and you can use the chicken in so many different ways:
- Load it into wraps or make an open flatbread with a crunchy Asian-style slaw, smacked cucumber salad, and spicy gochujang aioli.
- Use it in a grilled chicken Caesar salad, chicken satay crispy rice salad, or in this high-protein sushi-inspired chicken salad.
- Make miso chicken poke bowls, air fryer chicken fried rice, or pair it with loaded baked rice.
- Pair it with garlic butter potatoes, miso roasted sweet potatoes, loaded spicy potato wedges, or crispy skin-on roast potatoes.
- Stuff it into fluffy steamed bao buns for a better-than-takeout night in.
The possibilities are genuinely endless here. This recipe has become a firm reader favorite, and I’m so happy you love it as much as I do.
“I made this miso grilled chicken for dinner, and it was outstanding. The marinade gave the chicken great depth without any extra work, and the texture stayed juicy on the grill. There were no leftovers, which says everything. This will be a repeat recipe in my house.”
Ingredients You’ll Need
- White miso paste. This is a real staple in my kitchen. It’s a fermented soybean paste that brings an unbelievably delicious savory flavor to the dish and tenderizes the chicken beautifully. I use white miso paste here, but you can experiment with different versions if you like – always taste whatever you’re using, though, as the salt content does differ.
- Rice vinegar. This works well with the Asian-style flavors in the marinade, but you can use white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, lemon, or lime juice if you don’t have any.
- Honey. The beauty of this miso marinade is the balance between the salty miso, sour vinegar, and sweet honey. Plus, the honey helps the chicken to develop a lovely caramelized crust.
- Chicken thighs. I like using boneless, skinless, free-range chicken thighs in this recipe. They’re juicy, delicious, and cope well under high heat. You can use chicken breasts if you like, but I would tenderize them by flattening them with a tenderizer or smacking them with a rolling pin. Or, slice them in half lengthways so they’re thinner. This will help them to cook more evenly.
How to Make Miso Chicken
This is a step-by-step photo overview of how to make the chicken and marinade – the full, detailed recipe with ingredient quantities is at the bottom of the page for you.
- Add all your marinade ingredients to a small bowl. My biggest tip is to grate your ginger and garlic with a microplane or the fine side of your grater. That way, you don’t need to peel the ginger.
- I like mixing the marinade with a fork – you can then press down on the miso paste and break it up easily as you mix.
- Add your chicken thighs into a container or bowl, and pour the miso marinade on top. Mix well so that the marinade fully coats the chicken. Set aside in the fridge for (ideally) at least 15 minutes.
- Arrange the marinated chicken in an oven-proof baking dish or on a lined sheet pan.
How Long Should you Marinate your Chicken?
This marinade works quickly. I find even 15 minutes is enough to give the chicken loads of flavor, so it’s brilliant for busy weeknights.
If you do have more time, or if you’re prepping the chicken in advance, you can marinate it for up to 24 hours. The texture of the chicken can start to change and get a little mushy after that time, so I wouldn’t recommend longer.
You can also of course, toss the chicken in the marinade and cook it straight away. Because this is a zingy, salty marinade, it’s got lots of flavor that helps the chicken taste gorgeous regardless.
- Transfer to the oven, and cook until gorgeously caramelized and charred around the edges.
- Let the chicken rest for a couple of minutes before slicing and serving it however you’d like.
How to Check Your Chicken is Cooked
- Visually, the chicken will have changed color. It’ll be whiter and feel firmer to the touch. If you slice into it, there shouldn’t be any opaque or pink areas.
- To be completely sure, use a probe thermometer. These are cheap and readily available (I use one I picked up from Amazon). You want the thickest part of your chicken to read at least 165°F (74°C).
Miso Chicken FAQs
I love using boneless, skinless chicken thighs in this recipe. Thighs are a juicy cut of chicken, so they won’t dry out as easily as chicken breast does. I always use free-range chicken for the best quality and flavor.
You can use chicken breasts if you prefer – I recommend slicing them in half, lengthways, to make sure they cook evenly.
There are truly so many options here!
– It’s wonderful with a potato dish, like creamy gochujang potato salad, crispy skin on roast potatoes, or garlic butter potatoes.
– You can serve it with a zingy salad, like this smacked cucumber salad or crunchy Asian slaw.
– Load it on top of creamy super smooth hummus, life-changing loaded baked rice, or even edamame hummus with avocado.
– Use it in chicken poke bowls, make some fluffy steamed bao buns, and fill them with it, or pile it on top of loaded soft two-ingredient flatbreads.
This marinade works quickly. I find even 15 minutes is enough to give the chicken loads of flavor, so it’s brilliant for busy weeknights.
If you do have more time, or if you’re prepping the chicken in advance, you can marinate it for up to 24 hours. The texture of the chicken can start to change and get a little mushy after that time, so I wouldn’t recommend longer.
You can also toss the chicken with the marinade and cook it straight away. Because this is a zingy, salty marinade, it’s got lots of flavor that helps the chicken taste gorgeous regardless.
Store leftovers in a covered container in the fridge for 5 days, then either eat cold or reheat thoroughly (this is easiest to do in the microwave at 30-second intervals).
It’s a great recipe to meal prep and then enjoy in different ways throughout the week.
You sure can! I love using this with steak, and it makes an incredible glaze for grilled or pan-fried shrimp.
It’s also brilliant with salmon (I use a similar marinade in this baked salmon poke bowl recipe), white fish, or brushed onto halloumi slices. It’s super versatile.
Yes, you can! I love using the air fryer for a quick weeknight option.
Cook the miso chicken at 400°F (200°C) for 12 minutes in the air fryer, checking on it halfway through the cooking time.
Like this recipe? Here are more chicken ideas to try
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! You can leave a recipe rating and a comment below. And remember to tag @DishedByKate on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok if you’ve made one of my recipes. Seeing your recreations really makes my day 😊.
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Miso Grilled Chicken
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Low Calorie
Description
This juicy miso chicken is one of those recipes I come back to again and again. Just toss chicken thighs in a zingy, sweet, salty miso marinade, then cook until gorgeously sticky and caramelized. Serve it over loaded baked rice, with a crunchy salad, stuffed into wraps or fluffy bao buns, or just enjoy as is.
Ingredients
- 1 lb (500g) free-range, boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1-inch piece of ginger (or use 1 teaspoon ginger paste)
- 2 tablespoons white miso paste
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
To serve-
- 1 scallion (spring onion), finely sliced
- Handful of cilantro (coriander) leaves
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon sweet chili jam (optional)
Instructions
- Make the miso marinade. I like to grate my garlic rather than crushing it because you get the most flavor from it that way – but use a garlic press if you’d rather. Grate or finely chop your ginger. If you’re grating it, there’s no need to peel it (anything to save time!) Add the garlic and ginger to a small bowl along with the 2 tablespoons of white miso paste, 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of honey, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Using a fork, break up the miso paste in the bowl, then mix everything together into a cohesive sauce. Set aside.
- Marinate the chicken. Place the chicken into a large mixing bowl or container. I’ll often put it straight into the container I’ll be using to store it in the fridge to marinate, to minimize dishes! Pour the miso marinade over the chicken and mix thoroughly, ensuring every piece of chicken is coated. Leave to marinate for at least 15 minutes (ideally – don’t worry if you don’t have time). PRO TIP: You can leave the chicken thighs whole, or slice them into little pieces at this point if you prefer.
- Preheat the oven. When you’re ready to cook the chicken, preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C fan). If your chicken has been marinating in the fridge, you don’t want it to be fridge-cold when you put it in the oven (it won’t cook as evenly). Take the chicken out when you start heating your oven, to take the fridge chill off.
- Cook the chicken (oven instructions). Arrange the chicken in an ovenproof dish or lined sheet pan, on one layer. Transfer to the oven and cook for 15 minutes, until the chicken has changed color (it’ll be whiter). At this point, I like to move the dish to the top of the oven and set the broiler (grill) on the highest setting (480°F/250°C for me) to help get lovely charred edges. Broil for 5 or so minutes, or until the chicken has lots of lovely charred bits on top.
- Cook the chicken (air fryer instructions). Place your marinated chicken into your air fryer basket, then air fry at 400°F (200°C) for 12 minutes, flipping the chicken halfway through, until gorgeously caramelized and cooked through.
- Garnish and serve. Remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest for five minutes before slicing. This helps to keep the chicken juicy. Transfer it to a serving plate and scatter over the sliced scallion, a handful of cilantro leaves, the chili jam if you’re using it, and the sesame seeds.
Notes
SERVING SUGGESTIONS: This chicken can be served in so many different ways. Enjoy it in a chicken poke rice bowl, or serve with smacked cucumber salad, garlic butter potatoes, spicy gochujang potato salad, load it up onto creamy oil-free hummus or edamame hummus with avocado, enjoy it on a flatbread, sandwich or a miso chicken burger.
STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: Store any leftovers in the fridge in a covered container for up to 5 days. You can eat it cold or reheat it – just make sure you’re heating it thoroughly if you do choose to reheat it. The easiest way is in the microwave at 30-second intervals.
HOW LONG TO MARINATE YOUR CHICKEN: I recommend marinating the chicken for at least 15 minutes, and up to 24 hours. Any longer, the texture of the chicken starts getting a bit weird and won’t be as enjoyable. But if you don’t have time, just cook the chicken straight away, it’ll still be great.
HOW TO TELL YOUR CHICKEN IS COOKED:
- Visually, the chicken will have changed color. It’ll be whiter and feel firmer to the touch. If you slice into it, there shouldn’t be any opaque or pink areas.
- To be completely sure, use a probe thermometer. These are cheap and readily available (I use one I picked up from Amazon). You want the thickest part of your chicken to read at least 165°F (74°C).
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: meat
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: asian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 chicken thighs
- Calories: 401
- Sugar: 12.5g
- Sodium: 463.2mg
- Fat: 20.6g
- Saturated Fat: 3.1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 19.7g
- Fiber: 2.8g
- Protein: 35.9g
- Cholesterol: 93.8mg
Delicious and so easy. Thank you!
Yayyyy I’m so happy to hear that!! You’re so welcome – thanks for trying the recipe xx Kate
Delicious, simple recipe with flavour that packs a punch. A squeeze of fresh lime at the end lifted the umami. Thank you for the recipe!