Miso Chicken Drumsticks in the Instant-Pot

 

This recipe was a spontaneous idea I came up with after remembering I had left over miso paste in my fridge. And oh wow, am I ever glad I thought of it. I was trying to think, how else can I use my miso paste, other than in soup? What do I have in my freezer? ...Ground beef? Nah not very inspiring… Ice cream? Ew no…Chicken drumsticks? Heck yeah! Okay let’s see what we can conjure up!

Ingredients

·         6 chicken drum sticks with the skins still on

·         3-4 tbsp of miso paste with dashi

·         Splash of Rice vinegar

·         3 tbsp of Sesame oil

·         ½ cup of soy sauce

·         3 tbsp oyster sauce

·         3 dashes of Worcestershire sauce

·         3 cloves of minced garlic

·         1 whole yellow onion

·         3 stalks of green onion

·         As much white pepper as you like

 

The Conjuring of the Masterpiece

So my friends, grab yourself a large freezer bag and toss in your thawed chicken drumsticks. I wanted to leave the skins on because there is a lot of flavour in the skin itself that will help to make the meat moist, tender and oh-so juicy. Cue the mouth-watering…… Sigh, back to reality.

Next! Throw all the other ingredients into the bag. If you really love the unique taste of miso then feel free to add more. My husband and I love miso soup and flavours in general so let’s just say my tablespoons were heaping with this ingredient.

Once you have added all the ingredients, close the bag and give it a nice massage. Work the sauces around to make sure all the drumsticks are evenly coated. Now throw it into the fridge to marinate for at least one hour.

After the drumsticks have marinated, retrieve your Instant Pot and poor two cups of water into its metal bowl. I like to use the metal trivet so the drumsticks aren’t submerged in the water. Then place the drumsticks into the pot, trying to evenly line them up against the walls. Make sure not to waste any of the sauce in your bag! I always pour it all in to allow the chicken to soak in the different ingredients.

When the lid is closed and locked, set the Instant Pot to “pressure cook” and the timer for 33 minutes. Now! Wait for the magic to happen!

Taste test!

The timer has buzzed, alerting you that the cooking process is over. You approach the pot, ensuring the steam has been safely released before attempting to open the lid. The lid is off. And what your eyes see before you is a beautiful, breath taking creation. The aromas wafting from the pot are scents that you thought you could only dream of. An aroma that is sweet, savoury and delightful. Your eyes begin to tear up because you can’t believe what you have been able to achieve. Miso chicken drumsticks!

You go to pull a drumstick out of the pot. And, what’s this?! You have only pulled out a naked bone! The meat is so tender that it fell completely off the bone!!! What is this magic?!

You then grab your spoon to carefully scoop out the delicate splendours. Place one, maybe two?! Maybe three?! Or maybe ALL six drumsticks onto your plate?! Yes, aaalll the drumsticks… Your partner looks at you with great sadness as he was excited to share the dish together with you. You cave out of guilt and gift him with one drumstick (just joking we shared them equally).

We paired the drumsticks with rice cooked with ginger, garlic, beef broth, green onions and soy sauce. A great match to the masterpiece.

SIDE NOTE: if you want to crisp up the skin you can throw them in the oven on broil for a couple minutes. We decided not to do this and just peeled off the fatty skin to have easy access to the sensational meat.

Now! Before you go in for that first bite, ensure that you also scoop out some of the liquid that is sitting at the bottom of the pot. The water has turned into an amazing, succulent chicken miso soup broth. Pouring some of this juice over your rice takes the flavour to a whole new level my friends.

Good. Now you are ready for the first bite. You take your fork and delicately pick up a piece of the meat. Or! Perhaps you attempt to pick up the drumstick with your hand? But remember to be careful as it easily falls off the bone! You bring the chicken up to your mouth and take your first bite. Your taste buds can’t believe what they are experiencing! It’s like fireworks are going off in your mouth! The miso has a rich, earthy, salty and slightly fermented taste. Then, there is a sweet taste coming from the oyster sauce. You also detect hints of garlic and onion that work so well with enhancing the other ingredients. And let’s not forget the nuttiness of the sesame oil. The meat itself is like butter, you do not even need teeth to chew it. That is how tender this creation is. Pair this dish with an ice cold beer (I would choose a White Ale) and, my fellow foodies, you have perfection.

One word for this recipe? Umami. A perfect harmony of all the flavours you could think of that exist in our world, combined into one work of art.

Enjoy!