Description
Ready to take your chicken dinner to a whole new level of delicious? The secret to tender, succulent, flavor packed chicken is in this yogurt chicken marinade. Made with whole milk yogurt, citrus, and extra virgin olive oil, with loads of Mediterranean flavors from garlic, spices, and fresh herbs.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 ½ cup whole milk yogurt
- Juice of 2 lemons
- Zest of 1 lemon
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 10 to 12 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tsp dry oregano
- 2 tsp dry mint
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp coriander
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
- Large handful fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 1/2 lb boneless chicken breast cutlets
Instructions
- Step: Place yogurt, lemon juice, lemon zest and extra virgin olive oil in a mixing bowl or large measuring cup. Add garlic, dried oregano and mint, cumin, coriander, paprika, and nutmeg. Season with kosher salt and black pepper to taste. Finally, add in fresh chopped parsley.
- Step: Give everything a good whisk or mix until the marinade is well combined.
- Step: Place chicken pieces in large (gallon size) zip-top bag. Pour the marinade on top. Zip the bag shut. Massage the bag so that the chicken is well-coated with the marinade. Place the bag on a baking sheet so that the chicken sits flat in a single layer in the bag. Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.
- Step: Remove chicken from the bag, and before you cook it, give it just a bit of a shake to remove excess marinade.
- Step: Pan-sear: Heat 2 to 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high until shimmering. Add chicken to the pan. Cook on one side undisturbed for 5 minutes until browned, then turn over and cook on other side for another 5 minutes or until chicken is done.
- Step: Grill: Heat an outdoor grill to medium-high and oil the grates very well. Grill chicken for 5 minutes on one side, then turn over and cook another 3 to 5 minutes or until internal temperature registers 165 degrees F.
- Step: Bake: Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Brush a baking dish with extra virgin olive oil. Arrange chicken in one single layer. Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and bake for 10 minutes covered, then uncover and bake another 8 to 10 minutes. Let chicken breasts rest for 5 minutes.
Notes
This marinade works for 1 1/2 to 2 lb chicken pieces. For best results, marinate in the fridge for a few hours or overnight to allow the lactic acid and calcium in the yogurt to tenderize the meat. The marinade can be prepared 2 nights in advance and kept refrigerated in a tight-lid glass container.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Entree
- Method: Mixed
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 257 kcal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 480 mg
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 7 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 32 g
- Cholesterol: 95 mg
Keywords: chicken marinade, yogurt chicken, Mediterranean chicken, tender chicken, Greek chicken