Miso paste, honey, soy sauce and garlic get mixed together into a glossy, thick glaze that serves both as a marinade and as a glaze. I find marinating to be wasteful, because all of that flavorful liquid usually gets tossed. Instead, I like to make thicker marinades and save some to brush on the meat while it cooks so that it creates a nice glaze. That’s exactly what we’re doing here! You end up with a sweet, salty, caramelized grilled chicken that pairs well with pretty much anything!
Ingredient highlight
Chicken thighs! The nutrition in thighs is similar to breasts, but has a higher fat content. Chicken is a great way to get in easy protein that’s packed with selenium, choline, niacin (Vitamin B3), and vitamin B6, and B12.
I will always choose chicken thighs over breasts for two reasons. Reason one: chicken thighs have higher fat content and are way more flavorful. Reason two: chicken thighs are pretty much impossible to overcook.
Servings 4
Prep Time 10 minutes 
Cook Time 10 minutes Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
- 1 tbsp mellow white miso paste
- 1 tbsp honey (or use maple syrup)
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- Note: ~ the idea here is to brush the glaze onto the chicken as it grills, as many times as possible!
- Double down! ~ Easily double or triple the recipe to feed a crowd.
- Skewer them! ~ Cut the chicken into pieces, toss in the marinade, then stick them onto skewers.
Instructions
- Heat the grill up on high for at least 15 minutes.
- Add the chicken to a medium bowl and toss with the olive oil.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, miso, honey, and garlic until thoroughly mixed. Add 1 tablespoon of the glaze to the chicken and mix to coat.
- Add chicken thighs to the grill and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until they have nice grill marks. If things ever start burning too quickly, reduce the heat. Flip them over and brush the glaze on top of each thigh. Cover and grill for 2 more minutes.
- Flip again and brush with more glaze. Flip back over and brush the tops again with more glaze (at this point you should have just a little bit of glaze leftover). Cover and cook for 3 more minutes. Brush the tops with the remaining glaze and serve!
Skillet instructions:
- Follow the recipe as is. Instead of using a grill, follow the same instructions in a large skillet over medium-high heat and use a lid to “cover”. After you get the initial char, reduce the heat to medium-low as it continues to cook/glaze.
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Whisk together the marinade/glaze.
Substitutions:
- To make vegetarian/vegan, substitute the chicken with tofu or tempeh. Toss cubed tofu or tempeh with oil and salt and then pan fry. Once golden/crispy, remove from heat and add the glaze and toss to coat.
- Substitute chicken thighs for breasts or any other cut of chicken. Adjust the cooking time accordingly or slice the breasts in half lengthwise so they cook faster.
- If you don’t have mellow white miso paste, substitute with 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard
Storage:
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Warm up leftover chicken in the microwave until warmed through.
- The chicken pairs well with any salad or side or turn into a taco filling with a slaw, avo, scallions, etc…
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