With the holidays finally over, I’m busy making plans for 2016 and haven’t had as much time to spend in the kitchen as I’d like. Thankfully I have trusty standbys like this garlic miso chicken to fall back on. It only takes about 10 minutes to put together, but thanks to the miso and garlic, it packs a pungent wallop of flavor.
The sugar in the sauce balances out the saltiness of the miso, and the sake not only helps loosen the sauce enough to stir, it also adds umami. If you’re not able to find sake where you live, you can substitute water to serve as the loosening function, but it will obviously not contribute flavor. While I love doing this with skin-on chicken thighs, the sauce and preparation method will work with just about any type of protein, like pork, beef or tofu. The only thing you’ll need to adjust is the cooking time.
Serve this with a bowl of steamed rice and vegetables, or use it as a tasty filling for tacos, a torta, or banh mi.
Garlic Miso Chicken
Adapt this recipe with any protein you like to make a quick and flavorful Japanese dish.
(Recipe Courtesy: Marc Matsumoto from the Fresh Tastes blog)
- 2 tablespoons miso
- 1 tablespoon unrefined brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons sake (or water)
- .25 ounces (7 grams, 1 large clove) garlic, minced
- 12 ounces (340 grams) chicken thighs, skin-on, cut into bite-size pieces
Ingredients
- Stir the miso, sugar, sake and half the garlic together in a small bowl until combined.
- Put a frying pan over medium high heat, and place the chicken pieces skin-side down in the pan. You don't need to add oil to the pan if you're using skin-on chicken thighs, but if your chicken is skinless, be sure to add some oil to the pan.
- Fry the chicken until browned on the skin side, and then flip and brown the other side.
- Tip the pan a little to one side, and use a paper towel and tongs to sop up any extra oil that accumulates at the bottom.
- Add the garlic and stir fry until the garlic is fragrant and starting to brown.
- Add the miso garlic sauce and stir fry until there is almost no liquid left and the sauce coats each piece of chicken in a shiny glaze.
Directions
Marc Matsumoto is a culinary consultant and recipe repairman who shares his passion for good food through his website norecipes.com. For Marc, food is a life long journey of exploration, discovery and experimentation and he shares his escapades through his blog in the hopes that he inspires others to find their own culinary adventures. Marcs been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today, and has made multiple appearances on NPR and the Food Network.