Miso Chicken

1. Before You Start: Please note that this recipe includes a marinating time of 24 hours. If you haven‘t already made the miso sauce, allow an additional 30 minutes (mostly inactive time) to make my All-Purpose Miso Sauce.
2. Gather all the ingredients.

To Marinate the Chicken (24 hours before cooking)

1. Using the tip of a knife, prick the skin of 5 pieces boneless, skin-on chicken thighs so the fat renders more easily during cooking. Thoroughly pat the chicken dry and place it in a resealable plastic bag.
2. To the bag, add 5 Tbsp Homemade All-Purpose Miso Sauce for marinating the chicken. Remove the air and seal the bag.
3. Rub the chicken well through the bag to distribute the miso marinade evenly. Marinate in the refrigerator for 24 hours (any longer, and the chicken will get too salty). Do you plan to freeze this marinated uncooked chicken? See To Store below for how to freeze.

To Cook the Chicken

1. Take out the chicken from the bag (here, I‘ll show you how to cook two thighs). Remove as much of the miso marinade as possible with your hands. Discard the marinade. Use a paper towel to remove any remaining miso marinade and pat the chicken completely dry. Set aside.
2. Add 1 Tbsp neutral oil to a cold, large frying pan and distribute evenly. Don’t turn on the heat yet.
3. Place the chicken skin-side down in the cold pan. Leave space between the chicken pieces so they don‘t steam; do not overcrowd the pan.
4. Turn on the heat to medium low or medium. Slowly cook the chicken skin so the fat renders. DO NOT TOUCH the chicken pieces for the next 7 minutes, except to occasionally press down on them with a spatula. Do not cover with a lid; you can use a mesh splatter guard to avoid oil splatter, if desired. 
5. After 7 minutes, check if the skin is nicely browned and the meat is opaque around the edges. If not, continue cooking a bit longer. Once browned, flip the chicken and cook for about 5 minutes to brown the other side. While the chicken is cooking, use a paper towel to wipe any rendered fat from the pan. Continue to press down occasionally to help sear the meat‘s surface.
6. Once both sides are nicely browned, check that the chicken is done cooking. The internal temperature should register 165ºF (74ºC). Remove from the pan and place the chicken on a cutting board until cool enough to handle. Meanwhile, make the drizzling sauce.

To Make the Drizzling Sauce

1. Use a paper towel to quickly wipe off the fat and oil in the frying pan. Then, add 5 Tbsp Homemade All-Purpose Miso Sauce and 5 Tbsp water for the drizzling sauce and stir to combine. (Here, I used 2 Tbsp miso sauce and 2 Tbsp water since I‘m cooking just two thighs.) Bring the sauce to a simmer over low heat; once thickened, turn off the heat. 

To Serve

1. Cut the chicken into ½-inch strips (a convenient size for eating with chopsticks). Serve on a plate or over steamed rice (as shown) and drizzle the sauce on top.
2. Sprinkle with 1 tsp toasted white sesame seeds and 1 green onion/scallion (chopped) on top. Serve warm.

To Store

1. You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and in the freezer for a month. You can also freeze the marinated uncooked chicken for 2–3 weeks. Before freezing, be sure to remove the miso marinade completely so the chicken doesn‘t get too salty.