Chicken with miso, ginger, and lime

I used to think it would be really cool to be a famous food blogger, but I've come to realize that a lot of the most popular food blogs really annoy me. With all the pop-up ads that slow the page way down, the sponsored posts, and recipes that don't always turn out, I've stopped following a lot of food blogs.

I don't ever want to be an in-your-face blog. This site isn't built to have "the best" recipe for whatever you're looking for, nor am I interested in keeping up with current food trends (are adaptogens over yet?), the latest appliance craze (air fryer), or whatever fad diet is supposed to cure all the woes (are we still in Keto?). There are a lot of people out there to fill that niche already.

I love food; cooking it, eating it, sharing it, talking about it. Blogging "well" requires a hefty time investment, which is why I haven't been blogging much recently. However, I enjoy having this repository of all the dishes I've tried and liked so I can easily share them with friends and family. I don't love every recipe I post, but I like the dish enough to take the time to post it - maybe because it's fast and easy, maybe because it's healthy and simple, maybe because it's delicious but a lot of work...maybe it really is the best XYZ thing I've ever eaten.

This chicken with miso and lime from Ottolenghi Simple falls into the sweet spot of healthy, easy, and delicious. The sauce is excellent on chicken quarters but even better, in my opinion, on salmon. Miso & salmon is one of my favorite pairings, period.

I thought about writing instructions for either chicken or salmon into the same post but decided it would be easier to cook from as two separate posts.

Original source: Ottolenghi Simple. Not every recipe has been a new weeknight hit, but none have been losers.

Chicken with miso, ginger, and lime

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main

Cuisine: Asian

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 people

Ingredients

• 3 Ib 1.4kg; about 8 pieces chicken legs, skin on and bone in, skin scored a few times
• 2 tablespoon sunflower oll
• sait
• 2 ½ tablespoon mirin
• 2 ½ tablespoon maple syrup
• 2 ½ tablespoon soy sauce
• ¼ cup/80g white miso
• 2/2- inch/6cm piece of fresh ginger peeled and finely grated (about 3 tbsp)
• 3 garlic cloves crushed
• 1 lime peel shaved into fine strips, then juiced
• 1 ½ oz/40g cilantro stems cut into 2 ½-inch/6cm lengths
• 2 red chiles sliced in half lengthwise
• 12 green onions 10 sliced in half lengthwise, 2 thinly sliced, to serve (4 ½ oz/120g)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 425°F
• Place the chicken legs in a large bowl with the oil and ¾ teaspoon salt. Mix together.
• Place a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add half the chicken legs, skin side down, and sear for 4-5 minutes, until golden brown. Turn over, cook for another 4-5 minutes, then remove from the pan. Repeat with the remaining chicken, discarding the fat as you go, and set aside.
• Place the mirin, maple syrup, soy sauce, miso, ginger, garlic, lime strips, and lime juice in a large bowl. Whisk to combine, then add the chicken and stir well, so that everything is coated. Put the cilantro, chiles, and the 10 halved green onions into a high-sided baking dish (about 9 x 13 inches/24 x 36cm) and place the chicken on top, skin side up. Pour the mirin-miso sauce over top. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil, turn the chicken legs over (skin side down), and return the dish to the oven for 30 minutes uncovered, turning the legs back over after 15 minutes (skin side up) and basting a couple of times. The chicken will be golden brown, sticky, and tender and the chiles and green onions will be soft.
• To serve, place a chicken leg on each plate and surround it with the cilantro, chile, and halved green onions. Finally, drizzle with the sauce and sprinkle with the thinly sliced green onions.