A simple marinade made with Asian inspired ingredients like ginger and miso can really bring out an incredible depth of flavor in the chicken. The marinade works double duty, serving as a seasoning and coating the chicken to achieve the perfect roasted crispy ginger miso chicken thighs.
I’m all about frugal simplicity for a busy weeknight meal. Chicken thighs are cheap, especially if you buy them with bones and skin intact. There’s only a single bone in chicken thighs, and unlike drumsticks, there’s very little gristle. That means an inexpensive cut of meat yields a lot of food for a small amount of money. Those extra bones make a tasty bone broth later anyway…
The best part though, of buying chicken thighs intact is that they still have skin. When there’s skin, there’s a lot of opportunity for golden crunchy crispiness and with super moist meat underneath.
To make these ginger miso chicken thighs, I start by mixing a simple marinade in a large Tupperware or gallon Ziploc bag. The base is made up of soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Add in a bit of ginger, garlic, and fresh miso and you’re good to go.
It doesn’t take long for the deep umami flavors to penetrate the chicken thighs, so even a short 30-minute marinade will make a world of difference. If you want to go a bit longer, perhaps 2-3 hours all the better. Be careful marinading this overnight though, as the salty soy sauce will make the meat too salty with a long marinade.
The trick to getting the skin on these chicken thighs extra crispy is brushing them with a tiny bit of extra sesame oil right before baking. A hot oven (425 F) is all you need for the perfect skin after that.
Crispy Baked Ginger Miso Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken thighs, with skin
- 3 tbsp sesame oil
- 3 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons miso paste
- 1 in piece fresh ginger, minced
- 3-4 garlic cloves, pressed
- sesame oil for brushing
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together in a large ziploc bag or tupperware and marinade at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade and place it on a baking tray skin side up. Brush each piece with sesame oil.
- Bake at 425 for about 30 minutes, until the skin is very crisp and the chicken has an internal temperature of 165 F.
- Remove from the oven and allow to rest about 5 minutes before serving.
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