Sticky orange, ginger and miso chicken
Sweet, savoury and a little bit smoky, this sticky orange, ginger and miso chicken is a one-pan dinner loaded with big, sticky, umami-rich flavour. The chicken cooks over tender eggplant and cabbage, which soak up all those delicious juices as they roast. Serve it with steamed rice, spring onion and a generous sprinkle of shichimi togarashi.
You can cook this in a pizza oven or a regular oven, and there are a few options for the chicken — I used a whole deboned Bare Bird chicken, but skin-on boneless chicken thighs or a whole spatchcock chicken work beautifully too.
Serves 2–3
Ingredients
Orange, ginger & miso sauce
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1 heaped tbsp white miso paste
- 3 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
- 1 tsp sesame oil
Chicken & vegetables
- 1 medium eggplant, cut into wedges
- ¼ sugarloaf cabbage, cut into wedges
- 1 cup chicken stock
-
1 whole deboned chicken, skin on
or substitute skin-on boneless chicken thighs or a whole spatchcock chicken
To serve
- Steamed rice
- 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
- Shichimi togarashi
Method
1. To make the sauce, add the orange juice, miso, honey, ginger and sesame oil to a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook until reduced by half, stirring occasionally. You want it glossy and concentrated, but still brushable.
2. Heat your pizza oven or regular oven to 200°C. Place the eggplant and cabbage wedges in a large cast-iron frying pan. Pour in the chicken stock and transfer to the oven. Cook for 10-15 minutes, or until the vegetables are starting to brown and soften.
3. Place the deboned chicken, skin-side up, over the vegetables. If using boneless skin-on thighs, arrange them skin-side up over the cabbage and eggplant. For a spatchcock chicken, place it skin-side up in the centre of the pan. Brush the chicken generously with half of the orange, ginger and miso sauce. Return to the oven and cook for 15 minutes, until the chicken is starting to colour.
4. Brush the chicken with the remaining sauce and return to the oven for another 15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through, the skin is lightly charred and the sauce is beautifully sticky. If you're cooking in a pizza oven, keep an eye on it towards the end — the honey in the glaze can catch quickly in the intense heat. Move the pan further from the flame if it's colouring too quickly, or switch the oven off. The chicken should reach 75°C in the thickest part when checked with a meat thermometer.
5. Let the chicken rest for a few minutes, then carve and serve over steamed rice with the roasted eggplant and cabbage. Finish with sliced spring onion and a generous sprinkle of shichimi togarashi.
