Noodles have become a trend in the food world lately. So, I have been searching through dishes with noodles for a while. I tried this recipe for miso chicken with udon noodles for the first time recently and we loved it. It has such an awesome flavor, known as umami. Umami is a Japanese word meaning savoriness and is one of the five basic tastes. It is often described as savory and is characteristic of broths and cooked meats.(Thanks Google for the definition.) In case you haven’t guessed, this dish comes from Japan and is definitely worth the hunt for the ingredients. If you have an Asian supermarket nearby you should have no trouble finding udon noodles or miso paste. If not, Amazon has them, no worries. Miso paste is a traditional Japanese seasoning made by fermenting soybean and mixing in other ingredients such as rice, water and sea salt. While fermenting soybeans may not sound appetizing you will just have to trust me until you try it…it is. Soooo good. My husband and I both agreed this dish will stay in our kitchen repertoire from now on. The recipe I followed showed the chicken as a whole breast cooked, sliced and with sesame seeds on top. It also did not have so many vegetables. However, I had some shredded chicken on hand and added some of the veggies we like, such as, carrots, mushrooms, celery, shredded cabbage and onion. The result was fantastic. In a world full of noodles please give this one a try.

Ingredients
For the chicken:
  • 4 chicken breasts
  • 3 tbsp miso paste
  • 4 tbsp mirin
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tsp ginger paste
  • 2 tsp garlic paste
  • 1 tbsp rice cooking wine
For the chili oil:
  • 2 tsp chili flakes (I omitted because I didn’t want so much heat)
  • 2 tsp Gochugaru (Gochujang can be substituted)
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 5 cloves garlic, sliced
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
To serve:
  • 2 packs Udon noodles ( I use 1 pack per person)
  • veggies of choice, sliced
  • green onions
  • red chilis, sliced (optional)
Directions
  1. Mix in all ingredients from chicken section and place in fridge. Marinate chicken overnight or at least 2 hours ahead of cooking time.
  2. While chicken is marinating make the chili oil. Place all ingredients except olive oil in a bowl. Heat olive oil to 360F ( I did not get it this hot, more like 180F). Pour heated oil over spices. It will pop and crackle. Set aside to cool.
  3. Grill chicken slightly to achieve a charred meat. Place chicken with some marinade spooned over top in the oven on 350-375F to finish cooking about 15-20 minutes.
  4. Cook noodles according to package directions.
  5. While the noodles cook sauté veggies in a bit of the chili oil mixture.
  6. Once the noodles are done add them to the veggies and pour in the rest of the chili oil. Mix so the noodles are coated with the oil.
  7. Serve in bowl and add sliced chicken breast over the top.
  8. Garnish with green onions, red chilis and sesame seeds if desired.
  9. Enjoy!