Garlic Yogurt Marinated Chicken Thighs Recipes

GARLIC-CURRY CHICKEN THIGHS WITH YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• Mix garlic, oil, curry powder, 1 cup yogurt, 2 tsp. salt, and 1/4 cup water in a large bowl. Working in batches, add chicken thighs and turn to coat, using your hands to rub marinade under skin of each thigh. Transfer to a resealable plastic bag and chill at least 3 hours or up to overnight.
• Position a rack in upper third of oven and preheat to 425°F. Transfer marinated chicken, skin side up, to a 13x9" baking dish. Roast chicken until skin is browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of chicken registers 165°F, about 35 minutes. If chicken skin starts to burn, move pan to a lower rack to finish cooking.
• Transfer chicken to a serving platter, reserving pan juices. Whisk lemon juice, 1/4 cup pan juices, remaining 1 cup yogurt, and remaining 1/2 tsp. salt in a medium bowl. If sauce is too thick, add more pan juices. Serve sauce alongside chicken.
• Do Ahead
• Chicken can marinate up to 1 day before cooking. Keep chilled.

YOGURT-BRAISED CHICKEN LEGS WITH GARLIC AND GINGER

Steps:

• Generously season chicken legs all over with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a medium Dutch oven over medium. Arrange chicken legs in pot skin side down (you want them to fit snugly) and cook, lifting up once or twice to let hot fat run underneath, until skin is golden brown and crisp, 10-15 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate, placing skin side up.
• Reduce heat to medium-low and add head of garlic, cut sides down, and ginger to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until ginger is starting to brown and curl around the edges and garlic is golden, about 4 minutes. Add coriander, cumin, and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring often, until spices are fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in turmeric followed by 2 cups yogurt and mix until smooth; season with salt.
• Nestle legs back into pot, skin side up, in a single layer and add water just until legs are almost submerged with skin barely peeking out. Bring to a very gentle simmer, adjusting heat if needed, and cook, uncovered, until meat is very tender and just about falling off the bone, 75-90 minutes (the yogurt will separate and look curdled, which is fine). Let cool 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, finely grate remaining garlic clove into a small bowl. Add remaining 1 cup yogurt and stir to combine; season with salt and pepper.
• Smear yogurt mixture across a platter and scatter chickpeas over. Carefully transfer chicken legs to platter. Using a large spoon or small ladle, skim off bright yellow fat that has collected on surface of braising liquid and drizzle all over platter (it's okay if some rogue spices make it onto platter). Top with scallions and mint, then squeeze lime wedges over.

MARINATED FRIED CHICKEN THIGHS

Steps:

• Use a sharp knife to slice a criss-cross pattern (#) into the top of each chicken thigh. Place chicken, hatched-sides up, into a large glass or ceramic bowl.
• Add yogurt, marmalade, pepper flakes, paprika, onion powder, salt, pepper, lemon juice, garlic, and ginger to the chicken. Mix with a spatula until all ingredients are well mixed and chicken is completely covered in the marinade. The paprika will give the marinade a light red color; don't be alarmed. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 to 4 hours.
• Remove chicken from the marinade and let sit for 1 hour before frying.
• When ready to fry, heat 1 inch oil in a large frying pan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Shake excess marinade off chicken; don't shake off too much though! Discard the remaining marinade. Add chicken to the hot oil with the hatched-sides down. Fry until chicken is no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, 4 to 5 minutes per side. A little black is good, it adds tons of flavor. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
• Remove from the oil and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

YOGURT-MARINATED CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, oil, ginger, sugar and seasonings; add chicken. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight., Drain and discard marinade. Using long-handled tongs, moisten a paper towel with cooking oil and lightly coat the grill rack., Prepare the grill for indirect heat, using a drip pan. Place chicken over drip pan and grill chicken, covered, bone side down over indirect medium heat for 2 minutes. Turn; grill 25-35 minutes longer or until a thermometer reads 170°.

GRILLED CHICKEN WITH YOGURT MARINADE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, garlic, oregano, thyme, olive oil, salt and pepper. Zest the lemon over the bowl, reserving the rest of the lemon for serving. Whisk until smooth.
• Add the chicken thighs, toss to coat, then cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or up to 24. Remove chicken from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking.
• If using a grill, clean and oil the grates. Set the grill to medium-high or heat a grill pan slicked with olive oil on the stovetop over medium-high. Grill the chicken for 6 to 8 minutes on each side (depending on the thickness of the thighs), covering the grill halfway through if necessary to retain heat, until cooked through.
• Transfer the chicken thighs to a platter and squeeze half the lemon over them. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and parsley, and serve with lemon wedges on the side if desired.

GRILLED ZA'ATAR CHICKEN WITH GARLIC YOGURT AND CILANTRO

Steps:

• In a large bowl or container, stir together 5 of the grated garlic cloves, half the lemon zest, 1/3 cup yogurt, the cilantro, oil, za'atar, oregano or marjoram, salt and black pepper. Add chicken and toss until well coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
• When ready to cook, light the grill to medium or heat your broiler with the rack 3 inches from the heat source. Remove chicken from bowl, shaking off any excess marinade, and grill or broil on one side until charred in spots, 5 to 8 minutes. Flip the chicken and grill or broil for another 5 to 8 minutes, until just cooked through.
• While the chicken is cooking, place remaining 2/3 cup yogurt in a small bowl. Stir in the reserve grated garlic clove and lemon zest, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cut one zested lemon in half and set aside for serving (save the other zested lemon for another use).
• To serve, place chicken on a serving platter and drizzle with olive oil and a large squeeze of the zested lemon. Top with cilantro and oregano or marjoram sprigs and serve with yogurt sauce.