yogurt marinated chicken Archives - LOVE-the secret ingredient

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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!!

Yogurt Marinated Chicken with Nutraw Pistachio Crust

December 29, 2015 by Mary 6 Comments

This Nutraw Pistachio Bar is made with only 5 ingredients!! It’s got dates, pistachios, almonds, coconut oil and green cardamom, all organic. That’s it! This is a way healthy energy bar that’s gluten-free, wheat-free, soy-free and dairy-free. What more (or less) could you ask for?

It’s, of course, delicious to eat all by itself, so what was I going to do with it in a recipe?

My mind kept on going back to crunchy crusts on things and how much I love them and how frustrating it must be for gluten-sensitive or gluten-intolerant people because crunchy crusts are hard to come by for them.

So I made up this recipe with chicken thighs that is just delicious! It’s a yogurt-based marinade with garam masala, star anise, garlic and honey. So I guess it’s a bit Middle Eastern?

I love garam masala because it’s a ready-made, terrific spice mix.

I used chicken thighs because they are my favorite and very forgiving in cooking, unlike white meat. I bought thighs with the skin and bones, and I just removed all the skin. I couldn’t find thighs with the bone and no skin, can you? Apparently, they don’t make that combination in the stores that I shop at. It’s either bones and skin or no bones and no skin. Anyway, I felt that skinless thighs would absorb more of the luscious flavor from the marinade.

As the Nutraw Pistachio Bars are thick, yet soft, I rolled them out with a rolling pin in thin sheets, cut them into rectangles and placed them on the skinless thighs to make a super healthy crust.

This was DELICIOUS and definitely a recipe I will repeat. The pistachio bar coating got crispy and browned nicely, just as I had imagined. The chicken was super juicy, tender and flavorful, a tiny bit sweet, but not too much. Super yummy.

I love marinades because you do all the work beforehand. Make this with LOVE on a Sunday, marinate overnight and then your dinner on the workday Monday will be a breeze.

Happy cooking!!

YOGURT MARINATED CHICKEN WITH NUTRAW PISTACHIO CRUST – serves 5 – 6

8 skinless, bone-in chicken thighs, washed and paper towel dried
¾ cup plain, whole milk, Greek yogurt (unflavored)
2 Tbs. olive oil plus more for slicking the roasting pan
Juice of one lemon
2 tsp. coarse sea salt
20 grinds of black pepper
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tbs. garam masala
2 star anise
1 Tbs. honey
2 ½ Nutraw Pistachio Bars

MAKE THE MARINADE the day before you want to serve this dish. Whisk together the yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, coarse sea salt, black pepper, minced garlic, garam masala, star anise and honey.

Trim the fat from the chicken as you remove the skin. Wash and pat dry with paper toweling. Place the thighs in a Ziploc bag. Pour the marinade in the bag. Get as much air out of the bag as you can, and zip it closed. Massage the marinade around all the thighs. (sounds sexy, no?)

Place in the refrigerator and marinate overnight. Every time you open the fridge, flip the bag over and massage again so all those wonderful flavors can get everywhere.

WHEN YOU’RE READY TO COOK, take the chicken out at least 30 minutes before you plan on putting it in the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

While the chicken is shaking off its chill, place the Nutraw Pistachio Bars on a wooden cutting board and roll them into thin sheets with a rolling pin. Cut into 8 rectangles.

Slick a rimmed baking sheet with a little olive oil. Remove the thighs from the bag and place them on the pan with what was the skin side, up. Cover each thigh with a rectangle of the pistachio bar.

Roast for 30 – 35 minutes until chicken is tender and done.

Place the chicken on a platter and let rest for 5 minutes and while it’s resting, scrape and pour all the lovely juices and drippings from the roasting pan into a small saucepan, whisk together and boil for 2 – 3 minutes to make a light sauce.

To plate, put a tablespoon or two of the warmed sauce on a plate and place the chicken thigh on top, so your pistachio topping stays crispy. Serve with LOVE!! Enjoy!

Discover more exciting products to inspire your cooking in our next MARY’s secret ingredients box! The spring box mails on March 25^th and they are selling fast. There’s only a limited number of them, so order now and be the cook everyone LOVES!!

As my good friend, Marie said, “Good cooks never lack friends!!”