YOGURT MARINATED CHICKEN
Yogurt is now a highly versatile food in my home. While it’s more popular in the U.S. for yogurt to be served with a sweet flavor, yogurt can be equally tasty and helpful in savory dishes, such as this yogurt Marinated Chicken. The delicious chicken is spicy, tangy, filled with warming spices, and served in various ways. It’s one of my top marinades for chicken!
WHY YOGURT MAKES A GREAT MARINADE
Apart from providing the chicken with a deliciously tart flavor, yogurt also contains lots of lactic acid that assists in tenderizing the chicken and keeps it moist as it cooks. Yogurt marinades are commonly used within Middle Eastern recipes, like this recipe for Shish-Tawook from my friend Yumna who blogs at Feelgoodfoodie.net.
WHAT KIND OF YOGURT SHOULD I USE?
It is essential to purchase plain yogurt with no flavor, not that it is sweetened or flavored with flavorings. I recommend buying regular yogurt, not Greek since Greek is extremely dry and thick and won’t coat chicken the same way. It is possible to get around this by thinning the yogurt using a bit of broth, water, or milk. However, plain yogurt is best. It is also essential to ensure that your yogurt contains at least a bit of fat, which is necessary to carry the fat-soluble flavors in the marinade. The best is full-fat. However, you could reduce it to 2% fat.
CAN I USE CHICKEN THIGHS?
This recipe is excellent, using skinless, boneless chicken thighs. Because the thighs of chicken are pretty thin and cook quickly, it is unnecessary to cut them into smaller pieces as I do for the breasts of chicken that I have included in my recipe.
CAN YOGURT MARINATED CHICKEN BE GRILLED?
Yes! Yogurt marinated chicken is great to grill! Cook it similarly to how you would for chicken marinated in other recipes. The result is a beautiful meat browning if you cook it on grills. You could also use an indoor countertop grill like the George Foreman grill.
HOW TO SERVE YOGURT MARINATED CHICKEN
I am in love with, love, love this chicken. It can be used in many various recipes. Adding dishes in bowls (pictured in the above photo alongside spinach, Rice, Feta, and tomatoes) is fantastic. It’s also great to put it in the pita-like a chicken Shawarma sandwich, or use it as a garnish for an enticing green salad or the Summer Vegetable Pasta Salad. It can be served with a couple of side dishes and used as your main meal! It’s perfect with the marinated white bean salad, Pasta Primavera, Simple Sauteed Vegetables, a deliciously fresh cucumber salad, and perhaps some Hummus.
INGREDIENTS
Half cup yogurt plain ($0.34)
Two cloves of garlic, chopped ($0.16)
One tablespoon of lemon juice ($0.05)
1/2 tsp cinnamon ($0.05)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano ($0.05)
1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
14 tsp crushed nutmeg ($0.02)
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves ($0.02)
Two boneless, skinless, and skinless chicken breasts (about 1.3 pounds. )* ($6.54)
One tablespoon cooking oil ($0.04)
INSTRUCTIONS
Mix the yogurt, minced garlic, cinnamon, lemon juice, salt, oregano, nutmeg, and cloves in one bowl.
Cut the breasts of chicken into two smaller pieces so they cook evenly and quickly in the pan. If cutting the chicken is challenging to accomplish, wrap the chicken breasts in plastic and use a rolling pin or mallet to crush the chicken until it is an equal size (1/2-3/4 inches thick), and then cut the breast into two smaller pieces.
Put the chicken into a shallow dish or a zip-top bag, and add the yogurt marinade on top. Make sure that all parts of the bird have been coated in yogurt. Refrigerate for at least 30 mins or up to 24 hrs.
If you’re ready for cooking, begin by heating 1/2 Tbsp cooking oil into a huge pan (preferably a non-stick surface) at medium-high temperature. When the oil is hot, add two pieces of chicken. Cook on each side until they are deeply brown. Transfer the chicken cooked on a clean cutting board. Continue with the remainder in the oil used for cooking, and the two more portions of the chicken.
