Recipe: Donna Hay’s Sticky Miso Chicken Roasted on Sesame Pumpkin

Looking for creative ways to incorporate pumpkin into your cooking this autumn? Try this sticky miso chicken recipe from Donna Hay’s new book, Everyday Fresh: Meals in Minutes.

Recipe: Sticky Miso Chicken Roasted on Sesame Pumpkin

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1.5kg (3lb 3 oz) butternut pumpkin (butternut squash), skin scrubbed and thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, plus extra for sprinkling
• Sea salt flakes
• Green onion (scallion), thinly sliced and coriander (cilantro) leaves, to serve
• ⅓ cup (95g/3¼ oz) white miso paste (shiro)

Sticky miso chicken

• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• ¼ cup (60ml/2 fl oz) mirin (Japanese rice wine)
• 2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon brown rice vinegar
• 6 x 125g (4½ oz) chicken thigh fillets, trimmed and halved

Method

1. Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F).
2. Place pumpkin, oil, sesame seeds and salt in a bowl and toss to coat. Place on a large baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper. Roast the pumpkin for 20 minutes.
3. To make the sticky miso chicken, place the miso, oil, soy, mirin, sugar and vinegar in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Set aside until ready to use.
4. When the pumpkin has cooked for the 20 minutes, top the pumpkin with the miso chicken and pour over any remaining miso marinade. Roast for a further 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and tender.
5. To serve, divide between plates, sprinkle with extra sesame seeds and top with green onion and coriander.

The perfect balance of salty and sweet, miso chicken is the absolute star in these recipes. Get creative with a simple switch of veg and herbs for a tasty new spin. Permission granted!

Everyday Fresh: Meals in Minutes, by Donna Hay, published by Fourth Estate is out now, RRP £20.00. Photography by Con Poulos, recipes and styling by Donna Hay.

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