Jazz up your chicken with these Grilled Curried Yogurt Chicken Thighs. They add a new flavor dimension and look to your regular grilled chicken recipe. Give them a try this week, the marinade makes them delicious!
Big question…do you all use marinades in the kitchen? Do you gravitate towards a store-bought version or do you prefer making your own?
Let’s face it, marinades are an easy way to make the most of your time, by adding loads of flavor to a dish, without much work from you. Basically, while a marinade is hard at work, you are doing something else. I like to think of it as teamwork.
And marinades are all about timing. Seafood should not be left in an acidic marinade for an extended period, while chicken and beef can handle a more extensive marinade time. My Grilled Butterflied Leg of Lamb with Marinade is perfection after sitting in its marinade for a minimum of 8 hours. However, my Spicy Chicken Thighs with Apricots and Olives requires a full 24 hours to take on the full flavor the marinade has to offer.
To make the marinade for these Grilled Curried Yogurt Chicken Thighs, it starts with sauteing onions, ginger and a serrano chile pepper. After this mixture has softened, I stir in and toast the curry powder. Toasting curry increases the complexity and availability of the curry flavor since volatile oils are released by the heat.
After the mixture is pureed in your food processor, you’ll massage it into your chicken thighs and let it set for a minimum of 4 hours. You could do this in a large, resealable bag or in a Pyrex dish, as you see here.
Something to keep in mind, since this chicken is cooked on the grill, low and slow, you do not want the chicken to be ice cold when it’s hitting the grill plates. Make sure you remove the chicken from the refrigerator and give it plenty of time to warm up before placing on the barbecue.
It kind of looks weird seeing all this yellow, but trust me, it’s a good thing. However, this chicken is not something you can throw on the grill over high heat and walk away. It takes a little more babysitting
I turned two of my grill plates down to low after preheating and left only one grill plate on high during the cooking process. The chicken takes about 40 minutes to cook and requires some rotating and flipping. Only at the end of the process did I turn up the flame on all the plates and finish them off completely.
These Grilled Curried Yogurt Chicken Thighs are perfect for an outdoor get-together, where your resident grillmaster is tending to the chicken, sipping a beer and entertaining friends. I know a lot of guys who would fall into that roll quite nicely. Can you picture it?
Have a large pot of rice and your favorite veggie ready to serve when this chicken comes off the grill. I made my 5-Minute Spicy Lemon Broccoli as a side dish with this chicken and it’s a perfect combination.
The perfect plate! Serve it up and make the best of your summer and Fall grilling. This chicken is absolutely company-worthy.
Garnish your chicken with sliced green onion and serve with a bottle of my velvety red wine (which happens to be our number one seller in the tasting room these days).
Remember our conversation above about marinades and how they save you so much time? There are so many great recipes out there and I’m going to share you with you more of my marinade-centric favorites. I love this Coconut Lime Chicken Grilled Marinade, it’s perfect for summer or anytime. And if you haven’t tried this Mojo Marinade you’re missing out. If you love beef, this Grilled Tri-Tip Steak with Molasses Chili Marinade is one you shouldn’t pass up.
Three years ago I made Fresh Peach and Cinnamon Ice Cream and I have been making it ever since! Four years ago these Smokey Soft Taco Roll Ups with Avocado-Garlic Dipping Sauce became part of my usual snack repertoire. I still look forward to them. Five years ago this Grilled Pound Cake with Warm Peach Coulis and Chantilly Cream knocked the socks off my dinner guests. Last but not least, eight years ago I made this Blueberry Sour Cream Ice Cream the first summer I moved to Oregon, with the blueberries growing in my yard. It is amazing on all counts. Give any of these a whirl if you want deliciousness in your life.
Grilled Curried Yogurt Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 1/4 cup minced fresh gingerroot
- 1 serrano chile pepper, sliced
- 2 Tablespoons minced fresh garlic
- 2 Tablespoons curry powder
- 2 (5.3 oz) containers peach or mango Greek yogurt
- 4 lbs skinless, boneless chicken thighs
- sliced green onion for garnish
Directions
- Heat vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and saute until softened, about 5 minutes. And ginger and serrano chile pepper, saute 2 minutes more. Add garlic and saute for about 30 seconds. Stir in curry and saute for one minute. Remove from heat. Spoon mixture into the bowl of your food processor and let cool for about 15 minutes. Add yogurt and process until smooth.
- Place chicken in a large resealable bag or a large dish and pour marinade over chicken and massage into every nook and cranny. Let marinate for at least 4 hours, but even overnight in the refrigerator would be okay. Bring chicken closer to room temperature before placing on the grill.
- Prepare grill by spraying with cooking spray. Preheat grill to about 300 degrees F. Once grill is to temperature, turn down two of the grill plates to low, leaving the third on high. Place chicken thighs on side of the grill with low heat only. Rotate them around occasionally, cooking for 20 minutes on one side. Kepp cover closed. Turn over and repeat for another 20 minutes. You can always turn up the heat in the end to get some great grill marks and finish off the chicken.
- Serve with rice and your favorite vegetable.