Love a good, easy appetizer recipe? Sweet and savory with a good douse of spice, these tulip shaped chicken drumettes with a spicy miso dipping sauce are a party favorite.
My husband and I were talking what chicken drumettes recipe I can make for our next dinner since our children love drumettes. Then he said he really misses these Spicy Miso Chicken from Norikonoko, a mom and pop Japanese diner in Berkeley, California.
Watch How To Make Spicy Miso Chicken スパイシー味噌チキンの作り方
Easy baked chicken appetizer recipe. Tulip shaped chicken drumettes with a spicy miso dipping sauce.
I have been to the restaurant once when I stayed in Berkeley for a summer during high school to study English. My host family took me there when I was missing Japanese food. According to my husband, he and his friends treated this Japanese diner like their second kitchen back in college.
As I had never tasted this miso chicken that he loved, I had to rely on his description of the taste to recreate the recipe. It’s been a while since my husband tried the miso chicken at the restaurant too, so let’s say I made this recipe inspired by the restaurant’s version. 🙂
The restaurant makes the spicy miso chicken drumettes into “tulip” shape. This is pretty simple to do (see my picture/video), and it’s easy to eat because half of the meat already came off the bone.
The spicy sauce uses red miso, which has a bolder flavor than white miso or awase miso (red & white mixed miso). You can use white or awase miso, but the sauce will be quite different from the intended flavor.
Well, according to my husband, these chicken drumettes are pretty close to what they serve at Norikonoko. You can imagine his happy face when he gave these drumettes a try. I reduced the amount of Sriracha sauce for my children’s portion, so they really enjoyed this quick appetizer as well. If you love spicy food, feel free to add more Sriracha sauce. Enjoy these Spicy Miso Chicken as finger food at a party, or make it the main course, along with a side of rice and refreshing Asian coleslaw.
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Spicy Miso Chicken
Ingredients
- 1.2 lb chicken drumettes (17 pieces; You can use drumsticks but take more time to marinade and cook)
- ½ Tbsp neutral-flavored oil (vegetable, rice bran, canola, etc.) (or cooking spray)
Seasonings:
- 2 Tbsp sake
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- Using kitchen shears, cut and remove the meat from the tip of the bone.
- And when you remove the meat halfway, peel it back so that it forms a “tulip” shape.
- Mix sake, grated ginger, and minced garlic in a small bowl.
- Put the chicken and seasonings in a large resealable plastic bag and rub the chicken from outside the bag. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Set the oven broiler to high (550ºF/288 ºC) for 5 minutes before cooking. Line the broiler pan with aluminum foil on the bottom (for easy cleanup) and grease the rack with cooking spray. Broiler setting: Low (450ºF/232ºC), Medium (500ºF/260ºC), and High (550ºF/288ºC). I usually use medium (6" away) or high (8" away).
- Place the baking sheet in the middle rack of the oven, about 8" (20 cm) away from the heating element. Cook for 9-10 minutes, until nicely brown and crispy, and then flip the chicken to cook the other side (skin side) for another 9-10 minutes. Watch the chicken carefully not to burn; if your oven is small/strong, try broiling at medium (500ºF/260ºC) or lower the rack.
- If you don't have a broiler, bake at 425-450ºF (200-230ºC) for 45 minutes. Monitor the cooking time – the chicken is cooked through when internal temp is 165 ºF 74ºC).
- Meanwhile make spicy miso sauce. Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and mix all together. You can apply the sauce when the chicken is done, or you can put the sauce in a small dish and serve with the chicken.
To Store
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days and in the freezer for a month.
