Magic Miso Chicken Marinade

I love all things that can be made “buttery” – popcorn, chardonnay, chicken, mashed potatoes. The first time I had a seabass dish with a butter miso sauce… well I was in buttery heaven.

It only made sense to make a marinade sauce worth of the umami butter-worthy flavors that white miso brings to the table. Sage, honey, rice vinegar, and a whole lot of butter.

While this marinade was originally made for grilling chicken thighs, it’s one that would also work well with white fish, tofu, or any vegetables compatible with miso buttery goodness – I’m looking at you sweet potatoes, eggplants and cauliflower.

Miso is a fermented soybean paste originating from Japan. It’s grown in popularity over the years and frequently seen on menus beyond Japanese restaurants. There are multiple kinds of miso to choose from in the grocery store, each delicious and worth trying to find your own favorites. For this kind of recipe I went with shiro miso (also known as white miso). It has a milder, sweeter flavor that I think complements the other flavors in the marinade well.

There’s plenty of other marinades I’ll be making with shinshu miso (yellow miso) and aka miso (red miso). Each has its own flavor profile, the color darkening as it ferments and the flavor becomes stronger.