Yogurt Marinated Chicken

Name: Yogurt Marinated Chicken
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Yield: 4 serving
Ingredients: 1/2 cup PLAIN yogurt; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 1 Tbsp lemon juice; 1/2 tsp cinnamon; 1/2 tsp dried oregano; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg; 1/4 tsp ground cloves; 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1.3 lbs.)*; 1 Tbsp cooking oil

User Reviews

4.8

33 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Marinate Time
30 mins
Servings
4
Calories
2295 kcal
Course
Main Course, Dinner
Cuisine
American, Middle Eastern

Yogurt Marinated Chicken

Nancy Wheeler

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This tangy and garlicky Yogurt Marinated Chicken is full of warm spices and can be served several different ways!

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Ingredients

Servings

1/2 cup PLAIN yogurt $0.68
2 cloves garlic, minced $0.08
1 Tbsp lemon juice $0.07
1/2 tsp cinnamon $0.05
1/2 tsp dried oregano $0.05
1/2 tsp salt $0.02
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg $0.02
1/4 tsp ground cloves $0.02
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1.3 lbs.)* $3.47
1 Tbsp cooking oil $0.04

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Instructions

Combine the yogurt, minced garlic, lemon juice, cinnamon, oregano, salt, nutmeg, and cloves in a bowl.
Slice the chicken breasts into two thinner pieces so they cook quickly and evenly in the skillet. If slicing is too difficult, you can cover the chicken breasts with plastic and use a rolling pin or mallet to pound the chicken into an even thickness (1/2-3/4 inch thick), then slice the breast across into two smaller portions.
Place the chicken in a shallow dish or zip-top bag and pour the yogurt marinade over top. Make sure all sides of the chicken are coated in yogurt, then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
When you're ready to cook, heat ½ Tbsp cooking oil in a large skillet (preferably some sort of non-stick surface) over medium heat. Once hot, add two pieces of chicken and cook on each side until deeply browned. Transfer the cooked chicken to a clean cutting board and repeat with the rest of the cooking oil and second two pieces of chicken.
Let the chicken rest for five minutes, then slice and serve!

Notes

You can purchase thin-cut chicken breasts, chicken tender, or chicken thighs to avoid needing to slice or pound the breasts into thinner pieces (step 2).
Make sure to use plain flavored yogurt, nothing sweetened or with flavors added. I suggest buying regular yogurt, not Greek-style, because Greek is very thick and dry and will not coat the chicken the same way. You can get around this by thinning out the yogurt with a little water, broth, or milk, but plain, regular yogurt works best. You'll also want to make sure your yogurt has at least some fat, which is important for carrying the fat-soluble flavors in the marinade. Full-fat is best, but you can go down to 2% fat if needed.
This recipe is also awesome with boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Because chicken thighs are already fairly thin and cook quickly, you will not need to slice the thighs into thinner pieces, as I do with the chicken breasts.
Yogurt marinated chicken is also perfect for grilling! Just cook in the same manner as you would with chicken marinated in any other mixture. You'll get wonderful browning on the meat when using a grill. You can also use an indoor, countertop style grill, like a George Foreman grill.