Make the most tender and flavorful chicken thighs you’ve ever tasted with my fast, easy, and delicious Shio Koji Chicken! The secret is shio koji, a natural seasoning and key ingredient in Japanese cooking, which offers many health benefits.
Sometimes, one simple ingredient is all it takes to lend a magical touch to a dish. Garlic, ginger, miso, yuzu kosho, and sriracha are just a few fantastic examples. And if you haven’t heard of shio koji, allow me to introduce you to this seasoning today. You can use it to pull off an incredibly tender and tasty Shio Koji Chicken (塩麹チキン) with just 4 ingredients!
Thanks to shio koji, it takes minimal effort and time to get this umami-packed, delicious chicken dinner on the table. It’s the “wow” factor that a chicken dish needs! Try it, and you’ll want to keep this all-purpose seasoning in your fridge at all times.
Table of Contents
What is Shio Koji?
Shio koji (塩麹, 塩糀) is a traditional Japanese ingredient used to marinate, tenderize, and enhance the umami in foods, or as a salt substitute. This fermented natural seasoning is made with just salt, water, and rice koji!
Shio koji tenderizes food and brings out the umami and sweetness in foods.
You can purchase a bottle of shio koji (my favorite brand is Hikari Miso) from Japanese/Asian grocery stores and Amazon.
Shio Koji Substitute
Simply substitute 1 teaspoon of salt with 2 teaspoons of shio koji. However, you will only get the “salt” effect and miss out on the “umami bomb” effect.
If you’re curious about this magical Japanese ingredient and want to learn more, please read the section below, right before the recipe card.
Ingredients You’ll Need
This recipe takes just 4 ingredients:
- boneless, skin-on chicken thighs – find them at Japanese markets, or buy bone-in thighs and ask your butcher to debone them
- shio koji
- soy sauce
- freshly ground black pepper
How To Make Shio Koji Chicken
You can pull off this incredibly tender chicken dish in just one hour!
- Marinate the chicken thighs in shio koji and soy sauce for 30 minutes.
- Wipe off the shio koji from the pieces of chicken.
- Bake on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper until cooked through.
- Broil the chicken until the skin has a nice char. Cut into pieces and serve.
How To Use Shio Koji in Recipes
Shio koji is a really versatile ingredient and condiment. I always keep one bottle in my fridge. You can marinate meats, make pickles, and flavor vegetables with it. Check out my delicious shio koji recipes on Just One Cookbook.
As I mentioned before, this fermented natural seasoning is made with just salt, water, and rice koji.
Rice koji or kome koji (米こうじ, 米糀, 米麹) is steamed rice that has been treated with koji mold spores (Aspergillus oryzae, koji-kin 麹菌, or koji starter).
Koji – Mold That You’ve Eaten Before!
Koji is a specific strain of mold that’s been cultured for centuries. You may feel hesitant about this mold and wonder why we use it, but guess what? You have most likely eaten it already!
Koji is the key ingredient in miso, soy sauce, sake, mirin, rice vinegar, amazake, shochu, and today’s star, shio koji. Koji is rich in enzymes that break down starches and proteins in food, converting them into sugars and amino acids. This makes the food naturally sweet, aromatic, and rich in umami.
Shio Koji’s Health Benefits
As a live food with many health benefits (source), this natural, probiotic seasoning:
- reduces the intake of salt
- aids in digestion
- clears the skin
- has anti-aging properties
- contains minerals, fiber, and vitamins
Where To Buy Shio Koji
I have shared several shio koji recipes, and readers tell me that it’s easy to find shio koji produced by Hikari Miso®. It comes in a convenient plastic bottle, and you can buy it at Japanese grocery stores and on Amazon. It’s also sold at H-Mart, a large Korean grocery chain, that has many locations throughout North America. You may find it on the shelf or in the refrigerated section.
When you open the bottle, you will immediately notice a sweet smell that reminds you of Japanese sake. With the help of all-natural koji, you will notice a significant flavor boost in your daily cooking!
How to Make Shio Koji at Home
It’s also incredibly easy to make yourself. Learn how to make shio koji at home!
Shio Koji Recipes to Try
- Shio Koji Karaage – a must-try chicken karaage recipe for tender and savory Japanese fried chicken!
- Shio Koji Yakisoba – a delicious twist on the stir-fried Japanese noodles
- Simmered Kabocha with Shio Koji – Japanese squash/pumpkin with a burst of umami
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Shio Koji Chicken
Ingredients
- 8 pieces boneless, skin-on chicken thighs (or use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and ask the butcher to remove the bones)
- 1 cup shio koji
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
To Marinate
- Combine 1 cup shio koji and 1 Tbsp soy sauce in a bowl or measuring cup.
- Season both sides of 8 pieces boneless, skin-on chicken thighs with freshly ground black pepper.
- Pour the shio koji mixture on the chicken pieces and coat them well on both sides. Cover and let it marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes (minimum) or up to 3 hours.
To Bake
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). For a convection oven, reduce cooking temperature by 25ºF (15ºC). Remove the shio koji as much as possible and transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- If your oven doesn‘t come with a temperature probe, you can use a ThermoWorks Chef Alarm. Insert the stem of the probe into the thickest part of the chicken, or in the center of the chicken if it is even in thickness.
- Bake at 350ºF (180ºC) until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches to 165ºF (74ºC), roughly 25 minutes.
- Once the chicken is cooked through, change the oven setting from Bake to Broil. Broil the chicken until the skin has nice char, about 3–5 minutes (depends on how far the chicken is from the heat source). Remove from the oven.
- Cut each chicken thigh into 4 pieces (if you eat with chopsticks) and serve immediately.
To Store
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and in the freezer for 2–3 months.
Made this with boneless skinless breasts. I used equal parts soy and saki, added a bit of sugar. Grilled. Outstanding.
Hi Jeff! Thank you so much for your kind feedback!
We are glad to hear you enjoy the dish. Happy Cooking!
Hello Naomi-san. Is it just as good with bone in thighs? I am thinking of cooking the thighs on my Traeger pellet. Will that work?
Hi Rich, Thank you so much for trying Nami’s recipe!
Sure. You can use the bone-in chicken thighs, but the cooking time will be slightly longer than in this recipe.
We hope this helps!
When my wife or I make Shio Koji Chicken we also add mirin to the mixture in 1:1 ratio with the soy sauce.
Hi Tony! Thank you very much for sharing your cooking experience and tip with us!
Hi, Nami-san! Just wondering, can I use Liquid Shio Koji for this recipe? I know the difference is in texture, but is the final result similar in taste?
Btw, have to say, I LOVE YOUR RECIPES! Tried a bunch of them already and they are super tasty! Best wishes from Poland!!
Hi Aga! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipes!
Nami and JOC team are so happy to hear you love Nami’s recipes! 🥰
Yes, you can use liquid Shio Koji and you can get the same result.🙂 Happy Cooking!
Hi, I followed the Amazon link but the product you linked was out of stock so I naturally did a search for Shio Koji and its come up with a few options. Can you explain the difference between Liquid Shio Koji – Hanamaruki Liquid Shio Koji 500ml -Goes Well with Both Japanese and Western Dishes Making Daily Meals Delicious. : Amazon.co.uk: Grocery and “normal” ? – Hanamaruki Shio Koji Paste 230g -Salted Malted Rice Seasoning for Fish, Meat, Salad Dressing, Sauce etc : Amazon.co.uk: Grocery (links are amazon uk cos thats where I am 😀
Hi Brian, According to their website, Liquid Shio Koji is used as a marinade for meat and fish and seasoning for stewed or stir-fried dishes. Because it has no texter, it’s easy to use as seasoning. It is a condiment that can be used as “Dashi” and a replacement for salt and/or Say sauce.
The difference between the two is the texture. 🙂
We hope this helps!
Hi Naomi
Do you think this recipe could work using an air fryer?
Thanks,
Steve
Hi Steve! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
Yes. You can use an air fryer. Try at 350~400ºF until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165ºF (74ºC). About roughly 25 minutes.
We hope this helps!
Thank you so much for making this so easy !!!
My children loved it too!
May I ask my first attempt was a tiny bit dry. Is that because I let it bake too long ?
Are there other reasons it may be dry.
Thank you in advance for your help and thank you so much for your wonderful website!
Hi Brendan, Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe! We are so happy to hear your family loved Shio Koji Chicken.
The chicken would be dry when it gets overcooked. When the chicken’s internal temperature reaches 165ºF (74ºC), It’s done and perfectly moist inside. We highly recommend using the thermometer for easy cooking.
We hope this helps!