Don’t Save Miso Paste for Soup, Add It to Your Chicken Marinade

Miso paste can do more than flavor a bowl of soup. Mixed with honey, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger, it becomes the base for a chicken marinade with sweet, savory, and acidic notes.

Lively Table uses two tablespoons of miso paste for two boneless chicken breasts. The chicken spends at least an hour in the marinade before it goes on the grill, giving the miso mixture time to coat the meat.

Miso Paste Brings the Savory Base

Miso is made from fermented soy and brings a savory flavor that differs from plain salt or soy sauce. Its thick texture also makes it suited to sauces and marinades.

Here, miso gets paired with honey rather than used on its own. Rice vinegar adds acidity, while sesame oil, garlic, ginger, green onion, and optional red pepper flakes fill out the marinade.

Chicken Sits in the Marinade for an Hour

All the marinade ingredients get whisked together in the same bowl or container used for the chicken. Once the breasts go in, they are turned through the mixture until coated.

The recipe calls for at least one hour in the refrigerator. That makes the marinade a step to handle ahead of cooking rather than something brushed onto plain chicken at the last minute.

Grill Marks Come Before Another Coat

The grill starts at medium-high heat before being reduced to medium-low. Each chicken breast cooks for five to seven minutes per side, enough time for grill marks to develop.

Then the chicken moves to indirect heat and gets brushed with more marinade. Cooking continues until the thickest part reaches 165°F, so the miso mixture gets another chance to coat the exterior before the chicken comes off the grill.

Rice, Noodles, or Vegetables Can Finish the Bowl

Once cooked, the chicken gets sliced rather than served as a whole breast. Rice, noodles, zucchini noodles, or vegetables can sit underneath, while basil, cilantro, mint, green onion, or red pepper flakes can go on top.

No outdoor grill is required either. A grill pan or cast iron skillet can sear the chicken for three to five minutes per side before it finishes in a 350°F oven.

Miso may be associated with soup, but this recipe gives the tub in the refrigerator another job. Would you try it in a chicken marinade, or stick with soy sauce?