What you’re looking at here is not just the best chicken I’ve ever made. It’s the best chicken I’ve ever tasted. Hands down, no comparison, this was the best.
My wife will tell you the same thing. Hey honey, come tell these people about the chicken… “Yes dear, it was fabulous.” No, not like that, they’ll think you’re just playing along. “Okay, yes, it was the best chicken I’ve ever had, too. Now can we please stop talking about it?”
Ahem, okay, I seem to have gotten carried away. But you should have tasted it, you’d understand. It was sooooooo tender and sooooooo juicy and the flavor was crisp and light, salty with a bit of bite, yet still completely chicken-ey … aaaand I’m getting carried away again.
Ingredients
two whole chickens, cut into pieces (no, it’s not in the photo)
2½ cups plain, whole milk yogurt
8 cloves (~1 whole head) garlic
2-inch section fresh ginger root
kosher salt
fresh ground black pepper
(This is a variation of a recipe found at Beyond Salmon. She’s got a great dry rub there, too, but I wanted to compare just the marinade to unmarinated chicken.)
Directions
I’ve heard of yogurt marinades for years, but never tried one until now. But the folks at Stonyfield Farms asked if I’d like to try some of their yogurt. Well sure I would, I’m always up for new things.
What they actually wanted me to try was their no-fat Greek style yogurt. But I’m not a no-fat kind of guy. Not a problem, they said, they also have a line of whole milk yogurt, too. Now we’re talking.
They sent me the big tub you see, and a couple of little ones with fruit, which my wife tried. (I love yogurt in recipes, not on its own.) She’s a convert. Said it was the best yogurt she’s ever had. I don’t know if it was because it’s whole milk, or if it’s the way they process it. But she asked if I really had to use all the plain yogurt for a marinade … she wanted to keep it for snacking.
(Full disclosure. I didn’t pay for what they sent me, but that’s not an affiliate link up there. I don’t make anything by saying we liked their stuff.)
So what about the chicken?
Yeah, okay.
So break off a good-sized hunk of the ginger, about two inches long should do it. Using a knife or vegetable peeler, peel it. Chop into small pieces, so they’ll fit in your food processor nicely. (If you have a big one, you can get by without any chopping.)
Peel the garlic, and cut off the root ends.
Toss the garlic and ginger into the food processor and run it until it’s chopped really fine.
Add the salt and just enough yogurt to moisten everything. Process again until it’s fairly smooth.
Pour the mixture into a dish that’s big enough to hold all the chicken with room to spare. Add the rest of the yogurt and stir to combine.
Add all the chicken, making sure to coat both sides before laying it down. You’ll need to move everything around some to make sure it’s all well coated.
(You can do this in zip-top bags, but I had something else in mind for later.)
Let the chicken marinade for 8 hours, or overnight. I actually only got 7 hours, but it came out great anyway. Wipe the marinade off each piece. You don’t need to completely rinse it, you just don’t want it drippy. Coat each side with salt and fresh ground black pepper.
I used a grill topper, because I tend to lose chicken skin as it sticks to the grill. Make sure whatever you’re using is pre-heated and well lubed (I’m using bacon fat in the picture) before adding the chicken.
Let the skin get a little crispy before turning it over.
Same for the other side.
Then move the chicken to one end of the grill and turn off the burner on that side. You want to finish cooking with indirect heat. If you keep the chicken over a burner, any fat that melts out will flare up, making it really hard to control the cooking.
If you have a cat, he’ll try to be really aloof, pretending he doesn’t smell it cooking.
Until he see’s you getting ready to bring it inside, then suddenly he’s awake after all.
It took about 6-8 minutes of indirect heat to cook all the way through. Check the thickest piece you have. You don’t want to see any pink meat or red juices up against the bone.
And that’s it.
I don’t know the science behind this marinade, so I’m not sure why it works so well. All I can tell you is the flavor was amazing, but the tenderness and juiciness was out of this world. Anyone know why this works so well? And will it do the same thing for fish? Lamb? Steak?
Want more like this? For more recipes like this, that you can hold right in your hands, and write on, take notes, tear pages out if you want (Gosh, you're tough on books, aren't you?) you might be interested in How To Cook Like Your Grandmother, 2nd edition, Illustrated. Or to learn your way around the kitchen, check out Starting From Scratch: The Owner's Manual for Your Kitchen.
Subscribe to comments on this post
35 Comments
does it have to be grilled?
Maybe it's the indirect-heat grilling method rather than the marinade. I've been making chicken for a while now using the indirect roasting method on my charcoal grill (which also works great for a whole turkey breast), and it's always very juicy, with great texture, and crispy skin.
That said, I don't know the chemistry involved either, so I could be wrong.
Anon, you might notice I didn't have two whole chickens on the grill. Most of this actually ended up in another dish, which I'll be posting early next week.
Mike, I actually thought about that. I did the indirect heat because I wanted to be very careful not to burn the yogurt. I guess I'd really have to do two batches side-by-side, one marinated and one plain, to be sure.
In answer to your questions, yes, apparently yogurt is a great marinade for all meats; red meat, chicken or fish. This article in the Miami Herald talks about why: http://tinyurl.com/n6on34
And here's an excellent article from the N.Y. Times: http://tinyurl.com/n5mfsm
Darn. I was going to make yogurt cheese but now I guess I have to change my plans. You are leading me astray. Thank you!
All the people I know who make fabulous fried or grilled chicken down here in the South, swear by marinating it in buttermilk. Do you think the Greek yogurt does the same thing?
I always thought it was the acidity in buttermilk – and yogurt is acidic, right? (Just guessing here…)
This does look good enough to try. Will have to budget Greek yogurt in next shopping trip. LOL
That looks amazing and sounds fantastic.
I'll definitely be trying this recipe out soon before summer ends.
Thanks!
Looks great! If you really get into yogurt, you might also consider making your own. It is quite easy. Nothing against Stonyfield – they seem like a great company – but with the amount of yogurt we were going through in our house it was just way too many unrecyclable (sp?) plastic tabs ending up in the landfill. The stuff I make now has three ingredients (milk, a little milk powder, and a scoop of yogurt from the last batch as a starter) and tastes better than anything I have purchased.
I use a similar marinade (yogurt, garlic, ginger, paprika) to make chicken skewers, which I grill or bake in the oven. They come out really really well every time.
I've only ever used a yogurt marinade for making vindaloo chicken. This one sounds good too.
Love the nonchalant cat!
Ali
That sounds wicked good. I'm going to have to make it and soon. I've heard that the enzymes in yogurt help tenderize meat but I don't remember the source so I wouldn't trust that on it's own.
Dee, good pointers. That's something to try while it's still grilling season.
Topaz, I would guess buttermilk and yogurt react really similarly. Most recipes for home-made yogurt start with a little buttermilk. By the way, this wasn't the Greek yogurt that I used. Greek yogurt is usually thicker. I'm sure it would work, but you wouldn't need it.
Anon, that's such a great tip, like maintaining a sourdough starter.
Alanna, I almost went with skewers for my first try. That might be my next one.
Ali, please don't compliment him. He's cocky enough as it is.
the yoghurt works as a meat tenderizer
The Indians use it a lot.
Have a look at http://www.indiacurry.com/faqhints/yogurttenderizemeathow.htm
Yum!
Marcia, that's a great page. I thought the ginger was just for flavor, so I was considering leaving it out. Now I know that I can leave out the garlic, but not the ginger. Awesome.
Nigella Lawson has a recipe of chicken marinated in buttermilk. I tried it and was underwhelmed. Yesterday I tried your version and marinated the chicken in the yogurt and grilled it. It was, as you said, the juiciest chicken ever. Delicious and I will most certainly do it again. (Though I do doubt if my grandmother cooked like that, she probably used half a pack of butter). LOL
Hansje/Netherlands
Johanna, according to the page Marcia pointed out, the ginger adds enzymes to the process. I haven't compared the same recipe with and without it, but I suspect that could make the difference.
It's the acid in the yoghurt that does the magic. Any acid works as a tenderizer in any kind of meat.
Mighty, I've done several marinades that had vinegar, and nothing ever came out like this.
This is very similar to a Laurie Colwin recipe for "Fake Tandoori Chicken," which produces the perfect chicken to serve cold at picnics. Lovely stuff!
That's not too surprising. Most of the yogurt and chicken recipes I've seen are Indian. (Yogurt and lamb is Greek.)
There is absolutely nothing wrong with being overly enthusiastic about your chicken. You're cat looks like a real character!
So my fiance and I just tried this recipe tonight… We didn't have access to a food processor, so we tossed the marinade into our blender… DO NOT TRY THAT. Unless you have a very very nice blender, of course. We couldn't taste any of the ginger or garlic because the blender didn't chop it as fine as a food processor would have, and we were left with large chunks, of whose flavor weren't absorbed into the meat. My fiance also didn't pay attention to the advisory about the chicken sticking to the grill, and almost all of the skin came off on the grate… We'll definitely try this recipe again, as it made the chicken extremely juicy. We'll just make a few adjustments and hopefully it'll turn out great!
Morta, I don't think it was the level of enthusiasm, it was the duration that was excessive.
Allison, I'm almost crying here, thinking about all that skin going to waste. I am only slightly obsessed with chicken skin. Had it been turkey skin that was lost … my wife would be hiding the knives and telling me it'll be alright in the morning.
I have this marinating in my fridge right now except I added some za'atar to the yogurt. I also wanted to comment that an easier way to peel ginger is with a regular spoon. You won't lose any of the actual ginger that way and it's remarkably fast. Thanks again for the recipe.
Thanks for the reminder about the ginger. I heard that before, but forgot. If enough people tell me maybe it'll finally sink in.
I'm late to the party, but my first thought was "enzymes in the ginger," so yay, me for that!
Now, let me get this straight: you and your wife liked this chicken, huh?!
Sounds amazing. I'm doing a chicken satay for a dinner party on Sunday; might have to whip out this marinade for them.
And I had no idea that you picture aloof kitty when I pictured mine! Great minds, huh?!
Jenni, yeah, I guess we liked it okay. :-/
Ok, the "sticking to the grill grate" issue… (1) the grill must be HOT (usually 15 minute pre-heat); (2) oil the grate just before placing food (oil on paper towel held with tongs); (3) place the food and LEAVE it ALONE! If it flares up, have a water spray bottle handy. Maintain a good temperature… doesn't have to be a blast furnace!
When grilling (or frying), the food will release when it's ready to and not before… mind of its own!
Oh, and have your grill set for two zones, direct and indirect. Start on the direct to brown and move to indirect to cook.
Oh, also, check out the Maillard Reaction.
Barb, yes, yes and yes. I saw part of a grilling class once, and the line was, "Always keep your equipment clean, hot and lubricated."
I made this the other night, but not having access to a grill, I did it under the broiler, and once it was browned I just finished it in a hot oven. My husband went nuts for it! Tonight we're going to try the chicken and rice with the rest of the chicken which has been marinating for two days. Yum! Thanks for this recipe!
Stef, I hadn't thought about the broiler. With today's weather (rainy and cold, yeccch) it's good to know there's another grill favorite that works under the broiler.
This might be a dumb question so forgive me in advance: Can I do this same marinade for boneless chicken breasts? I know the skin is very tasty and delicious but I already have said ingredient in my freezer and would love to use what I have on hand.
Kate, yes this will work find with skinless. In fact, I almost went with chicken tenderloins (boneless-skinless, but dark meat) and did this as kabobs.
Drew, I was very excited by this recipe, followed it exactly, and was not thrilled. It looked just like yours and was perfectly adequate, nothing more. Judging from the other comments I guess it just didn't suit me, everyone else seems to love it.
Kate
Well Kate, I guess that's why they make both chocolate and vanilla: We don't all have the same tastes. Honestly I'd be surprised if I ever made anything that everyone liked.
One Trackback
[...] is the recipe. I did change a few things. I didn’t have time to marinate for several hours, just about one [...]