Japanese-Style Chicken Wings with Miso-Sesame Glaze

Miso is a salty, sweet, creamy condiment used in Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and other Asian cuisines. It provides a flavorful base for glazes, sauces, and dressings—and makes a great-tasting soup. What is it? Fermented soybean paste, typically including soybeans, ground rice, salt, and water.

Pure Chinese sesame paste is made from ground roasted sesame seeds. Because the seeds are roasted, the paste is a bit darker than Middle Eastern tahini, most often made from ground unroasted sesame seeds. The Chinese variety has a little richer, “toastier” flavor and, like tahini, needs to be stirred into the oil that separates from the solids in the jar. (Think jars of natural peanut butter.) Once it’s opened, store the paste (or tahini) in the refrigerator. It will keep for several months.

I roasted the wings in the oven for this recipe, but they would be excellent on the grill as well. If you grill them, brush the glaze on lightly toward the end of cooking time and turn more often to keep it from sticking to the grate. 

Note: I made these wings spicy with the addition of hot chiles. If you prefer them mild, you can still make a delicious, Japanese-style miso dish without any heat. Just skip the chiles.   

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

For the Marinade and Chicken Wings

• 2 Thai chiles (or other small hot chiles), finely chopped
• 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1/2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 tbsp soy sauce, divided
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tsp lightly toasted sesame seeds, plus more for garnish
• 1 tsp sugar
• 10-12 large chicken wing halves (drums and flappers)
• celery or seedless cucumber sticks for serving (optional)

For the Glaze

• 2 Thai chiles (or other small hot chiles), finely chopped
• 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 3 tbsp yellow (or white) miso
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sesame paste
• 1 tbsp sugar

Partial Glaze Ingredients

Preparation

For the Marinade and Chicken Wings

1. Combine the first 7 ingredients (through sugar) in a large bowl. Stir well to dissolve the sugar. Add the chicken wings and toss well to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 hours.

Wings in the Marinade

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F.
2. Line a baking pan with parchment paper and spread the marinated wings on it. Roast 20 minutes. Turn and roast until the skin is golden brown and the wings are nearly cooked through, 15 minutes.

Wings Ready to Roast

Wings after 20 Minutes

1. Remove and brush the wings with half the miso-sesame glaze (recipe follows). Return to the oven for 3 minutes. Remove again and turn the wings over. Brush with the remaining glaze and roast until the glaze is charred in spots, 3 minutes longer.

Roasted Wings

To serve, mound the wings on a platter and sprinkle with additional sesame seeds. Serve with celery or seedless cucumber sticks, if desired.

For the Glaze

1. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring well to dissolve the sugar.

Miso-Sesame Glaze