Quick Dinner: Grilled Miso Chicken With Bok Choy
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If you're making it from scratch, add a little something you fermented yourself. Award-winning baker and fermentation expert Charlotte Pike has a new book out that guides you through the steps of this near-magical natural process that yields worldwide culinary staples like yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi and pickles, then serves up a wide variety of recipes incorporating your tart homemade fare. Miso, Japanese fermented soy paste, has an enormous amount of savory-salty umami flavor. Marinate chicken in miso for tender, flavorful, juicy meat that pairs perfectly with crisp bok choy.
This miso marinade adds a wonderful balance of sweet and savory flavors to the chicken. It takes just a few minutes to make and assemble the marinade; I like to prepare this the night before I want to eat it and leave it covered in the fridge for the next day. The flavor imparted into the chicken is superb, and it makes a very quick and nutritious meal to cook when time is of the essence.
Tip: My vegetarian recipe testers loved making this with thick (½-inch) slices of eggplant instead of chicken.
- 4 heads bok choy
- 1 tablespoon miso paste
- 4 scallions
- 1-inch fresh root ginger
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 4 boneless chicken breasts
- Freshly cooked rice
- Bring a saucepan of water to a boil over medium heat and very lightly boil the bok choy for 3 minutes. Drain and refresh in cold water and set aside.
- Place the miso, scallions, ginger, and garlic in a bowl. Stir in the honey and soy sauce. Add the chicken and stir to coat it well. Leave to marinate in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes, or ideally overnight.
- Preheat the broiler or a heat a cast-iron grill pan over high heat. Broil the chicken for about 15 minutes, turning halfway through. Add the bok choy and broil for an additional 5 minutes. Check that the chicken is cooked by cutting open a piece in the thickest part and making sure there is no pink meat inside.
- Serve immediately with freshly cooked rice.