Ginger Miso Marinade has the flavor pyramid covered from top to bottom with garlic & ginger, sesame oil & soy sauce, spicy chili paste, and sweet white miso. Slather on chicken breast and grill it up for an out of this world Grilled Miso Chicken!
A simple Japanese marinade with a punch of flavors, ginger miso marinade is perfect for the BBQ season. To make your summer meals even more special, I want to share this absolutely delicious Grilled Miso Chicken (鶏の味噌漬け焼き) recipe using the marinade. I use miso in so many of my Japanese recipes (miso is so versatile!), and today I used Hikari Miso‘s organic white miso to make this to die for ginger miso marinade.
What is White Miso?
Like the color suggests, white miso is a sweeter, milder miso paste. It’s made from fermented soybeans and rice, but not fermented for too long, so the flavor remains light and versatile. You will find me using white miso on many Japanese recipes on Just One Cookbook.
Hikari Miso products are available on Amazon. You can also buy Hikari Miso products in Japanese/Asian grocery stores as well as Asian grocery stores.
For grilled chicken recipes, I generally use chicken thighs because it is more flavorful and juicier than chicken breasts. However, today I made Grilled Miso Chicken using chicken breasts, which can be just as good if you put your mallet skills to work. The key is to pound the breast fillets well, so they cook fast and even. You want to prevent overcooking and drying out the meat. Also, if the chicken is not pounded down evenly, some parts may be under-cooked while other parts are overcooked.
I’ve made this recipe a few times and every time I was surprised to see how juicy and tender and flavorful it was! I served the chicken breast with Mango and Kale Salad.
Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want to look for substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.
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Grilled Miso Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast (I used 2 fillets)
Ginger Miso Sauce:
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp ginger (grated)
- 2 Tbsp miso (I used Hikari Miso Organic Miso White Type)
- 1 Tbsp neutral-flavored oil
- 1 Tbsp roasted sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp Sambal Oelek Chili Paste (or more for your taste, optional)
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients for ginger miso sauce together in a small bowl.
- Place the chicken breasts between 2 pieces of wax paper or parchment paper. Using a meat mallet, pound the chicken breasts to an even ½-inch (1.3 cm) thickness.
- Put the chicken breasts in a large zipped plastic bag and add the sauce. Rub the marinade into the meat until evenly coated. Seal the bag and marinate for at least 2-3 hours in the refrigerator.
- Heat an outdoor grill to high. Spray the grates with cooking spray or soak a paper towel in olive oil and rub over grates several times until coated.
- Place the chicken breasts on the hot grate, and grill the breasts until cooked, about 4 minutes per side. To test for doneness, poke breasts with your finger. It should feel firm to the touch.
- Transfer the chicken to plates and serve with steamed rice or Mango Kale Salad.
To Store
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or in the freezer for a month.
