This is a quick braise that I make often. If you don’t have bone-in thighs, you can use boneless (just cook it for a shorter amount of time). If you don’t eat chicken, use tofu. If you don’t have red miso, try it with white. No sushi rice? Try arborio or another variety of short grain rice. No chicken stock? Dissolve some of that same miso in hot water for a quick miso broth.
Serves 4
2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 4 thighs)
Kosher salt
3 tablespoons red miso, divided
10 shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
4 green onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1½ cups sushi rice
1½ cups low-sodium chicken stock
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Season the chicken thighs on both sides with salt. In a measuring cup, whisk together 2 tablespoons of the miso with ½ cup hot water. Set aside.
In a cold, ovenproof high-sided frying pan with a lid (or a Dutch oven) place the chicken thighs skin-side down in a single layer. Turn the heat to medium. Cook the thighs without turning or disturbing until they pull away from the pan easily and the skin is a deep nut brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Using tongs, turn each piece (if it’s sticking and you’re wrestling it from the pan, wait another minute and try again) and cook on the second side until browned, 3 to 4 minutes longer. Transfer to a rimmed plate and reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until they’re wilted and softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the green onions, ginger and garlic and cook, stirring, 2 minutes more.
Add the rice and stir to coat. Pour in the chicken stock, then give the miso mixture a stir and add. Increase the heat so the liquid is boiling, then pull off the heat. Set the chicken pieces on top of the rice, skin-side up, cover the pan and transfer to the oven. Bake until all of the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender, 25 to 30 minutes.
While the chicken cooks, combine the remaining tablespoon of miso with the butter in a small bowl and stir together until homogenous.
Uncover the pan, remove the chicken and set on a rimmed baking sheet, skin-side up. Preheat the broiler to high and arrange an oven rack 3 inches from the heating element. Smear some of the miso onto each piece of chicken. Transfer to the broiler and broil until the miso is sizzling and the chicken skin is crisp, about 2 minutes (watch carefully, because the miso can burn easily).
To serve, spoon some of the chicken onto each plate and top with a chicken thigh.