Miso peanut hibachi chicken
A Hawai'i grill number with peanut butter in the band.
At a Glance
Story
This comes from Sheldon Simeon's Ohana Style, his book of food from Hawai'i for the home table, where hibachi means the local backyard-grill tradition. Miso and peanut butter are doing the same job from two directions, salt-side and fat-side, which is why the marinade tastes far more complicated than the five minutes it takes to stir together.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup white miso
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup light brown sugarpacked
- ¼ cup beerany kind (a standard lager is the author's pick)
- 3 cloves garlicminced or grated
- 2 tsp sriracha or chili garlic pasteoptional
- 2 ½ lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
- neutral oilfor the grill
Method
The marinade is a whisk and a zip bag tonight, and tomorrow you look like a genius at the grill. Plan accordingly.
- In a large bowl or resealable bag, mix the miso, peanut butter, soy sauce, brown sugar, beer, garlic and sriracha if using. Add the chicken, toss to coat and marinate in the fridge overnight.
- When it is time, get a grill ripping hot for direct heat, or heat a grill pan on the stove. Oil the grates.
- Lay the chicken on without shaking off the marinade. All that clinging paste is what chars into the good stuff. Grill uncovered until deeply browned on both sides and cooked through to 165 degrees, 4 to 6 minutes per side.
Serve at once, ideally outdoors, ideally to applause. Stretches to six if you add rice and a salad, which you should anyway.
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