Miso Butter Chicken and Brussels Sprouts with Bourbon Shiitake “Bacon”
Miso Butter Chicken and Brussels Sprouts with Bourbon Shiitake Bacon
A miso bourbon glaze elevates this one pan chicken meal to a whole other galaxy!
Ingredients
- For the Chicken and Brussels:
- 4 TBSP unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup brown miso
- 1 TBSP bourbon whiskey (optional)
- 2 TBSP honey
- 1 TBSP rice vinegar
- 6-8 skin on chicken thighs
- 1 lb large brussels sprouts, halved
- Kosher salt, for seasoning
- Pomegranate seeds for garnish
- For the Mushrooms:
- 1/2 cup Shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp bourbon whiskey
- 1 TBSP coconut oil
- 1 tsp red pepper (optional)
Directions
- Step 1 Prepare the mushrooms (a few hours in advance if possible). Whisk the coconut oil, syrup and bourbon together in a bowl. Toss the mushrooms in the sauce and season with salt and pepper. Soak for a few hours.
- Step 2 Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Combine butter, miso, honey, rice vinegar and black pepper in a large bowl and whisk together.
- Step 3 Add chicken to the bowl and massage the miso coating all over it, even under the skin. Place the chicken in a large cast-iron skillet (or large roasting pan) skin side down. Toss the brussels sprouts in any remaining miso and add them evenly around the pan. Season the chicken and brussels with salt.
- Step 4 Roast for 35-40 minutes, turning the chicken over once or twice, until the skin is crisp and golden. I usually finish off the chicken skin side up under the broiler to get that final even crisp.
- Step 5 To another baking sheet, lined with parchment paper add the shiitake mushrooms. Make sure to separate the mushrooms and rotate midway for an even cook. They should be crispy, but not burnt, so keep a close eye! This should take about 20 minutes, not quite as long as the chicken.
- Step 6 Garnish the chicken with pomegranate seeds. Serve alongside the brussels sprouts, topped with the mushrooms.
Inspiration can strike at the most random of times. Including the very moment that you’re writing your shopping list (like this one). In actuality, miso didn’t even hit me until after I wrote the list, handed it to my husband, and he walked out the door. And then I frantically texted him “MISO!!!!!!!!!!!” and the rest was history. (Thankfully he read his texts, since that is not always the case!) While he shopped, I contemplated, and not too long after, this one pan miracle recipe was born!
To be honest, this recipe may as well be an ode to miso. Ah miso how I love thee! There is nothing quite like that deep, savory, umami flavor. It’s not what I would necessarily call a traditional kitchen staple, but in my kitchen it most definitely has become one. And I usually have it stocked, but somehow my last container of miso went unreplaced. I know, living on the wild side, right! And speaking of wild, enter my next ingredient – bourbon! When I said I went all out, I really meant it – I even used the best bourbon we have stocked (hails from the city where we met – Philadelphia!). Believe it or not, miso + bourbon are a match made in heaven, cocktails aside. Nothing I’ve ever added bourbon to has ever turned out badly, so I’m going to just go with it. That said – if you prefer to omit it, I won’t judge you!
This is one of those recipes that is a combo of blind faith in a flavor (the miso chicken) and a going-out-on-a-limb risk in creating the shitake bacon. The inspiration for that came from a fellow blog post from One Green Planet – I can’t take full credit for the concept, but I can take full credit for the execution and addition of the bourbon, which elevated it to a whole new level. Why faux “bacon” you may ask and not the real deal? Believe me, I have no problem with bacon, in fact I’m fairly certain my kids are addicted to it. I just love being able to take something I enjoy so much and finding ways to reinvent it. Take my faux gras recipe for example. In this case, you would be amazed how close the finished product is to actual bacon, you likely won’t even miss it! See what I mean?
And last but not least, the brussels sprouts were the perfect way to round out the meal, since I knew they would pair perfectly with the roasted chicken thighs and miso brussels are pretty much akin to crack. I’m guessing you’ll take one bite of this recipe and probably agree. Just make sure to drop us a line below and let us know what you thought!
