Best Miso Butter Roast Chicken Recipes

MISO-BUTTER ROAST CHICKEN WITH ACORN SQUASH PANZANELLA

Steps:

• Chicken and panzanella:
• Pat chicken dry with paper towels, season all over with 2 tsp. salt, and tie legs together with kitchen twine. Let sit at room temperature 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, halve squash and scoop out seeds. Run a vegetable peeler along ridges of squash halves to remove skin. Cut each half into ½"-thick wedges; arrange on a rimmed baking sheet.
• Combine sage, rosemary, and 6 Tbsp. melted butter in a large bowl; pour half of mixture over squash on baking sheet. Sprinkle squash with allspice, red pepper flakes, and ½ tsp. salt and season with black pepper; toss to coat.
• Add bread, apples, oil, and ¼ tsp. salt to remaining herb butter in bowl; season with black pepper and toss to combine. Set aside.
• Place onion and vinegar in a small bowl; season with salt and toss to coat. Let sit, tossing occasionally, until ready to serve.
• Place a rack in middle and lower third of oven; preheat to 425°F. Mix miso and 3 Tbsp. room-temperature butter in a small bowl until smooth. Pat chicken dry with paper towels, then rub or brush all over with miso butter. Place chicken in a large cast-iron skillet and roast on middle rack until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of breast registers 155°F, 50-60 minutes. (Temperature will climb to 165°F while chicken rests.) Let chicken rest in skillet at least 5 minutes, then transfer to a plate; reserve skillet.
• Meanwhile, roast squash on lower rack until mostly tender, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and scatter reserved bread mixture over, spreading into as even a layer as you can manage. Return to oven and roast until bread is golden brown and crisp and apples are tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven, drain pickled onions, and toss to combine. Transfer to a serving dish.
• Gravy and assembly:
• Using your fingers, mash flour and butter in a small bowl to combine.
• Set reserved skillet with chicken drippings over medium heat. You should have about ¼ cup, but a little over or under is all good. (If you have significantly more, drain off and set excess aside.) Add wine and cook, stirring often and scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon, until bits are loosened and wine is reduced by about half (you should be able to smell the wine), about 2 minutes. Add butter mixture; cook, stirring often, until a smooth paste forms, about 2 minutes. Add broth and any reserved drippings and cook, stirring constantly, until combined and thickened, 6-8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in miso. Taste and season with salt and black pepper.
• Serve chicken with gravy and squash panzanella alongside.

SLOW COOKER MISO-BUTTER ROAST CHICKEN AND POTATOES

Steps:

• Preheat an empty 5- to 8-quart slow cooker on HIGH for 10 to 15 minutes while you're getting everything ready. Combine the butter and 1/2 cup of the miso in a medium bowl and mash them together to make a uniform mixture. Put the potatoes into the bottom of the slow cooker and add a small dollop of the miso butter; stir to coat. Season the potatoes lightly with salt. Pat the chicken dry and rub the remaining butter all over the chicken, and especially under the skin of the breasts directly on the breast meat: To do this, gently loosen the skin and separate it from the breast meat by sliding your fingers under the skin, then tuck some butter in there. Set the chicken on top of the potatoes.
• Cover the slow cooker and reduce the heat to LOW. Cook for 5 to 6 hours (the larger the slow cooker, the shorter the cook time), until the chicken breast registers 160°F internal temperature on an instant-read or probe thermometer when you check the top of the breast. Also check that the thickest part of the thigh and the juice in the cavity register at least 165°F. Cooking the chicken much beyond these temperatures will result in dry meat, so this is a case when pulling out the thermometer really makes a difference.
• Turn off and uncover the slow cooker and let the chicken rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the broiler on high and position a rack 6 inches from the heat source (if that's how your broiler works). Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. In a small bowl mix together the honey and remaining 1/4 cup miso.
• Using tongs slung through the cavity of the chicken and your hands to support it, carefully transfer the chicken from the slow cooker to a cutting board, leaving the drippings behind. Remove the potatoes from the slow cooker with a slotted spoon and put them on the prepared baking sheet. Carve the chicken and put the pieces on the baking sheet skin side up. Drizzle the chicken all over with the miso-honey mixture, then broil the potatoes and chicken until the chicken skin is caramelized and crisp, dark golden brown, about 5 minutes. (Don't walk away; the skin will burn quickly because of the sugar in the honey.)
• Put the chicken pieces and potatoes on a serving platter (or leave them on the baking sheet and serve them straight from that) and drizzle a little juice from the slow cooker over the whole thing. Top with chives and serve with lemon wedges.

MISO BUTTER ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F for chicken parts or 425°F for a whole chicken, with rack set in the middle. If using a whole chicken, remove the neck and giblets from the cavity. Discard or reserve for a later use. Beat the butter in a mixing bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment (or you can do this by hand) until the butter is light and fluffy. Add the miso paste and beat until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl if necessary. Put the roasted garlic cloves in the butter and beat until incorporated (you want the cloves to get mashed up). Add a dash of mirin - maybe a teaspoon - and mix until combined. Place your fingers under the chicken skin to separate the skin from the flesh without tearing it off. The goal is to create a pocket for the miso butter. Using a knife or a spatula or your hands (hands are easiest, but also messiest) spread an even layer of miso butter under the skin. Do this for as much of the chicken as possible. If using chicken quarters, thighs, and/or drumsticks, repeat for all pieces of chicken. When that is done, spread butter all over the outside of the chicken skin in a generous layer. Arrange the chicken quarters, thighs and/or drumsticks on a rimmed baking sheet. I lined mine with foil for easier cleanup, but do what suits your fancy. If roasting a whole chicken, arrange on a roasting rack, breast-side up, over a roasting pan, and truss the bird. Sprinkle salt and freshly ground pepper over the chicken. Roast the parts for about 30 minutes or until a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the meat registers 165-170°F. Roast the whole bird for 40 minutes or until the breast is nicely browned. Then flip the bird (ha ha!) over and roast until a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh registers 165-170°F (this takes about 20 minutes more). Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Drizzle some of the pan drippings over the chicken before serving. Serves 4-6.