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Miso Grilled Chicken

Jul 14, 2022 | 6 comments

This DELICIOUS and easy miso grilled chicken recipe will be your new weeknight go-to. Juicy chicken thighs are tossed in a punchy, sweet and salty marinade then grilled to perfection. Serve over rice, with a crunchy salad, in a wrap or just by itself. It’s that good!

Miso chicken on a white serving plate with spring onion, coriander, black sesame seeds with chopsticks on the plate and a jar of chilli jam on the side.

This miso chicken – and this miso marinade – is one I turn to time and time again. Especially on days when I’m tired and just need to make something delicious and satisfying quickly.

And it really is quick. Just mix the marinade, toss with chicken then cook. It’s got hardly any hands on time and you can use the chicken in so many different ways. Make a quick smacked cucumber salad, load it into wraps with some crunchy lettuce, and pile it onto rice for chicken poke bowls…the possibilities are endless here.

Ingredients

There are no jazzy ingredients in this recipe (apart from the miso but I consider that a staple) and you can find everything in a regular grocery store. No running to speciality stores here.

Miso chicken ingredients laid out on a grey marble background.
  • Miso paste. This is a real staple in my kitchen. It’s a fermented soybean paste which brings an unbelievably delicious savoury flavour to the dish and tenderises the chicken beautifully. It really is my absolute go-to marinade that works perfectly in this recipe. 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 between misos.
  • Soy sauce. Use light soy sauce here. It brings colour and more of that lovely saltiness.
  • Rice vinegar. I love using rice vinegar in my recipes and it works well here with the Asian style flavours, 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. It’s just SO good. Plus, the honey helps the chicken to brown at the end under the grill.
  • Chicken thighs. Always free-range. I like using boneless, skinless chicken thighs in this recipe. They’re juicy, delicious and cope well under a high heat. You can use chicken breasts if you like, but I would tenderise them by flattening them with a tenderiser or smacking them with a rolling pin. This will help them to cook more evenly and reduce the risk of them drying out.

How to make it

Start by making the marinade. Grate your garlic and ginger with a microplane (or the fine side of your grater). There’s no need to peel the ginger when you grate it which makes life easier! Add the miso paste, soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, garlic and ginger to a small bowl and mix to combine.

I like doing this with a fork to kind of press down on and break up the miso paste while I’m mixing.

Get your chicken thighs into a container or bowl, and pour the miso marinade on top. Give it a very good mix, making sure the marinade is fully coating all the chicken. Set aside in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. PRO TIP: IF you don’t have 30 minutes, you can absolutely cook the chicken straight away.

When you’re ready to cook the chicken, take it out of the fridge and heat your oven to 400F/200C fan. Get the chicken in an oven-proof dish or tray and once the oven is hot, cook for 15 minutes. You want the chicken to have changed colour – it’ll be whiter, and feel firmer to the touch. Once you’re at this point the chicken is almost cooked so you want to get some colour on it.

This is why using chicken thighs is key – they’re a lot juicier than chicken breasts and much less prone to drying out. Move the dish right to the top of the oven, change your oven setting to broil (grill), and turn the temperature up to 480F/250C. Cook for 8 minutes, until the chicken is looking golden and charred on top.

Let the chicken rest for a couple of minutes before slicing and serving. I love to garnish with scallions (spring onions), cilantro (coriander), sesame seeds and a couple of dollops of sweet chilli jam. The chicken is wonderful served with rice and a pickled salad, like this smacked cucumber salad, in sandwiches, wraps or just by itself.


Got a question?

What’s the best type of chicken to use?

I love using boneless, skinless chicken thighs in this recipe. Thighs are a juicy cut of chicken so won’t dry out as easily as chicken breast does, so they’re forgiving if you’re worried about that. Always use free-range chicken too!

What can I serve the miso chicken with?

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 or edamame hummus with avocado. Use it in chicken poke bowls, make some bao buns and fill them with it or just enjoy it by itself.

How long should I marinate the chicken for?

I like to marinate this for at least 30 minutes in the fridge – but you can leave it up to 24 hours. Even if you don’t marinate it for 30 minutes, it will still be delicious so don’t worry too much if you’re short on time. Chicken marinated for more than 24 hours tends to become a bit strange in texture once cooked, so try not to leave it too long.

How should I store any leftovers?

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.

Can I use this marinade for anything else?

You sure can! I love using this with steak and it makes an incredible glaze for grilled or barbecued prawns. It’s also brilliant with salmon or white fish or brushed onto halloumi slices. It’s super versatile.


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 me a comment below.

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Miso chicken on a white serving plate with spring onion, coriander, black sesame seeds with chopsticks on the plate and a jar of chilli jam on the side.

Miso Grilled Chicken


  • Author: Kate Alexandra
  • Total Time: 28 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Diet: Low Calorie

Description

This DELICIOUS and easy miso grilled chicken recipe will be your new weeknight go-to. Juicy chicken thighs are tossed in a punchy, sweet and salty marinade then grilled to perfection. Serve over rice, with a crunchy salad, in a wrap or just by itself. It’s that good!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1lb/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 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 chilli jam (optional)

Instructions

  1. Make the miso marinade. I like to grate my garlic rather than crushing it because you get the most flavour 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 miso paste, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon of 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.
  2. Marinate the chicken. Get 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 minimise dishes! Pour the miso marinade over the chicken and mix thoroughly, making sure that every bit of chicken is coated in the marinade. Cover and put in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. 
  3. Pre-heat the oven. When you’re ready to cook the chicken, heat your oven to 400F/200C fan and get the chicken out of the fridge. You don’t want the chicken to be fridge-cold when you put it in the oven (it won’t cook as evenly) so I find that the time it takes for the oven to heat up is the right amount of time for the chicken to sit out at room temperature before cooking. 
  4. Grill the chicken. Once the oven is at 400F/200C, get the chicken into an ovenproof dish or tray and put it in the oven. Cook for 15 minutes, until the chicken has changed colour (it’ll be whiter). At this point, move the dish to the top of the oven and set your broiler (grill) on the highest setting (480F/250C for me). Grill for 8 minutes or until the chicken has lots of lovely charred bits on top.
  5. Garnish and serve. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Transfer to a serving plate and scatter over the sliced scallion, a handful of cilantro leaves the chilli 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 in a wrap, 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.

I recommend marinating the chicken for at least 30 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.

  • Prep Time: 5
  • Cook Time: 23
  • 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

Keywords: grilled chicken, asian chicken, miso glazed chicken

Welcome!

I’m Kate, the creator behind Dished. I love creating flavour packed, simple (ish) recipes for you, designed for every day and special occasions.

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6 Comments

  1. Rachel

    Thank you for this!! The miso marinade was divine and the chicken was so tender

    Reply
    • Kate Alexandra

      Awwww that makes me so happy! Pleased you loved it 🙂

      Reply
  2. justine

    This recipe was absolutely delicious. Thanks!

    Reply
  3. Gay Norman

    Very tasty. My husband loved it and I’m adding it to my recipe file.

    Reply
    • Kate Alexandra

      Wonderful! I’m so pleased it was enjoyed x

      Reply

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