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Engaging stories of love, joy, comfort and friendship with proven scrumptious, healthy recipes, we celebrate LOVE as the secret ingredient for wonderful food!

Grilled Yogurt & Parsley Marinated Chicken Thighs

August 25, 2021 by Mary 11 Comments

Who doesn’t LOVE grilled chicken? I remember one friend of mine, Anne Maxfield of the Accidental Locavore, announced at a dinner party one night at my house, that she loved ANY grilled chicken ANYTIME! She declared, “Who doesn’t?” I do too, but I’m always searching for new flavors (as I am for fish as well). This Grilled Yogurt & Parsley Marinated Chicken Thighs is definitely worthy enough to share with you. It was easy, different and DELISH! Or De le le – as my friend Barbara says.

It’s important that you use full fat, sheep’s milk yogurt, lots of garlic and ample amounts of parsley. The marinating time works with just 3 hours so do this in the afternoon. Once that’s done, grilling it is easy peasy.

One warning though, be sure to oil your grill well and do not have your heat too high – 375 degrees is perfect.

The marinade

It’s the yogurt marinade that makes the chicken creamy and on thighs, super moist as well. And the ample garlic, well you know I love anything garlicky and garlic keeps you healthy. Now it is super important to stay strong with the new Delta strain of Covid. And the parsley at this time of year is so flavorful. I am growing it in my garden and it tastes amazing.

For me, the problem with many marinades is that they don’t really seem to permeate and flavor the meat deeply. Here, I made 3 slashes on the skin side of each thigh, not too deep but going through the skin and penetrating the meat just a little. And then rubbing the marinade into each thigh while it’s in the bag.

Smashed Juniper Berries and Parsley for Yogurt and Parsley Marinated Chicken Thighs.

I don’t know, penetrating, rubbing, sounds a little sexual, don’t you think? I have been watching Sex/Life on Netflix – super steamy at times…

But I digress.

My Love of Lime

It is also important to squeeze some fresh lime on these Grilled Yogurt & Parsley Marinated Chicken Thighs, just before serving. I have been using lime a lot as a finishing touch as it imparts just the right amount of acid with a little lovely mysterious side kick. You’re not quite sure what that flavor is…

I learned about lime just recently from a neighborhood Latin and South Asian restaurant. They finished off a grilled spice-rubbed cauliflower slice with lime and it was so delicious! So I have been taking that cue and using it.

Make this chicken soon – It really is delish!

GRILLED YOGURT & PARSLEY MARINATED CHICKEN THIGHS – serves 4 

4 bone-in, chicken thighs with skin, fat removed, lightly scored in 3 places on the skin side
¾ cup Plain Sheep Milk full fat yogurt – I used Bellwether Farms
¼ cup minced garlic smashed with
1 tsp. Kosher salt
¼ tsp coarse ground black pepper
1½ TBS. lemon juice
1 cup chopped parsley leaves
12 juniper berries, smashed
1 lime quartered in 4 wedges

Smash the minced garlic with the teaspoon of salt using the side of a large chopping knife to break it up more, making a rough paste. Take a large ziploc bag and add in everything except the chicken thighs and lime. Close the bag and mix up everything thoroughly.

Wash and dry the chicken thighs. Trim off the excess fat. Lightly score the skin side in 3 places on each thigh. Add the thighs to the marinade bag and move around the yogurt mixture to get it into the chicken.

Marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for 3 hours or even overnight, every once in a while mushing everything together and turning the bag over.

Remove the bag 30 – 45 minutes before grilling. Light the grill to be 375 degrees. Oil the grill grates thoroughly. 

I get the grill very hot – to 500 – 550 degrees, scrape off the food residue from the previous grilling, then I coat a folded paper towel with canola oil and using the scraper brush, rub the oiled towel all over the grill racks. This does two things – it cleans the grill of any residual wire pieces from the brush and oils the grate.

Remove the chicken from the marinade and grill for about 15 minutes per side. The internal temperature should be 160 degrees on an instant read thermometer.

Serve with fresh squeezed lime juice and LOVE. Enjoy!!

Filed Under: Dinner, Poultry Tagged With: chicken thighs, Dinner, easy chicken recipes, grilled chicken recipes, yogurt marinated chicken

Chicken & Pepper Kababs with Zukali Cilantro Pineapple Salsa

July 4, 2014 by Mary 22 Comments

Zukali Cilantro Pineapple Salsa.Zukali cilantro pineapple salsa with simply7 quinoa chips.Happy July 4th! May you all enjoy a wonderful holiday. The dish below makes for an easy BBQ so you can enjoy the fireworks!

The Zukali Cilantro Pineapple Salsa is so tasty and versatile. It is not too spicy, just a great flavor of roasted peppers and cilantro with a hint of pineapple! As the owner Cesar told me, he loves entertaining and always made these great, different salsas. He was encouraged to go retail with them by his friends. Luckily, he owns a graphic design firm in real life, enabling him to create beautiful packaging. But the goods inside are lovely!

In one of the first uses, I served it plain with the Simply7 Sea Salt Quinoa Chips – a delicious, no-brainer combo from the box!

Zukali Cilantro Pineapple salsa marinating chicken.

 

Then I marinated boneless, skinless chicken breast chunks in it for 30 – 60 minutes, (3/4 cup of salsa worked for 5 chicken breasts), skewered those babies with some red and yellow pepper chunks (peppers in the salsa and fresh peppers – nice!) and Steve, my husband, grilled them perfectly, about 3 – 4 minutes per side on high heat on a preheated grill pan.

Zukali Cilantro Pineapple kababs hot off the grill.

See how pretty they look!!!

Cilantro pineapple chicken on a plate with potatoes and sauteed baby bok choy. Serve them topped with a bit more of fresh from the jar salsa (not the stuff you marinated in), add grilled Yukon Gold potatoes and a nice veggie (sauteed baby bok choy here) and you have a company meal. Delicious, juicy and flavorful! Thank you Cesar!

I also used it to top some simple roasted salmon to make a not so simple entrée. I imagine this would be great on eggs too!

And for those of you who have mates who don’t like fruits with meats or mains (I’m talking you, Margaret), this is not fruity or sweet at all. There is a tiny hint of pineapple but it’s mostly slightly smoky peppers and cilantro and just all goodness. Cesar makes many flavors. You can check out his website. He’s the real deal.

Filed Under: Dinner, Fish, Poultry, Products for sale Tagged With: chicken and peppers kababs, cilantro salsa, grilled chicken recipes, salsa, Zukali, Zukali cilantro pineapple salsa

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Mary Frances

Mary Frances

Spread love through cooking.

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