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Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Grilled Chicken with Yogurt, Hot Pepper, and Garlic

This is my first recipe from my new cookbook, Planet Barbecue by Steven Raichlen!!  YAY!  I was so excited to try something, so I scoured the book and found a recipe that used all ingredients that I had on hand.  How lucky was that?

This book is full of barbecue recipes, obviously, but what I have found is this is true barbecue stuff....Every recipe is either done on a charcoal grill or in a smoker...I have neither.  Will I let that stop me, my friends?  Heck no!  I will just prove that you can cook anything on your gas grill that you can on a charcoal grill.  I can't say that about a smoker, though, so those recipes will just have to wait.

The chicken...yes, that's what you are all here for right?  According to Steven, every barbecue culture has it's version of grilled chicken.  This dish comes from Turkey, actually, and in Turkish barbecue they use few ingredients to create a "mouth-blasting range of flavors".  Think that sums up this recipe.  You get a bit of the heat from the peppers and the garlic flavor is there, yet not over powering.  I always love to marinate poultry in yogurt, it seems to give it this moist base for all flavors to soak into.  This was a simple recipe and absolutely delicious!  Thanks again Foodie Blogroll for my kick ass giveaway gift!!

Grilled Chicken with Yogurt, Hot Pepper, and Garlic
Slightly adapted from Steven Raichlen's, Planet Barbecue!
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
1 Tablespoons Aleppo pepper, or (and this is what I used) 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes plus 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1 cup Greek plain yogurt
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
salt and pepper
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 lemon, thinly sliced
4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Directions:
Place Aleppo pepper or red pepper flakes and paprika in a small bowl.  Add 1 tablespoon of warm water, and let stand until a thick paste forms, about 5 minutes.

Place the pepper paste in a bowl and add the yogurt, olive oil, vinegar, tomato paste, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper, and garlic; whisk together to mix.  Place chicken in a shallow dish and pour marinade over, making sure to turn the chicken to coat both sides.  Lay lemon wedges over the chicken, cover and refrigerate for 1-4 hours.

Preheat the grill to medium, medium-high.  Brush and oil the grill grates.  Shake off excess marinade and place chicken directly on the grill.  Grill on both sides, turning only once, for 5-8 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink in the middle.  Enjoy!
 

9 comments:

Andrea the Kitchen Witch said...

Oh man that sounds and looks really good!! I'm glad you won this cookbook so I can snag the recipes from you LOL!!

I have a smoker if you ever want to use it :) Come on up & help yourself, I'll even cook you something if you do. :)

Tricia said...

thanks for sharing

StephenC said...

I'm cooking chicken legs and thighs tonight. I think I'll co-opt your recipe. Of course I'll be broiling them - not grilling.

Mary Bergfeld said...

What a great summer meal. That chicken look scrumptious and I suspect will be appearing on the table around here. I hope you are having a great day. Blessings...Mary

Yenta Mary said...

I love that you always use strong flavors for really bold, delicious meals! Not into bland ... I want to taste my food!

Cranberry Morning said...

That looks so delicious! I love how golden both the chicken and the potatoes are. YUM! Thanks. :-)

mr. pineapple man said...

you grilled that really well!! looks so good~~

Unknown said...

I've never used yogurt on poultry...I'm going to have to give that a try, jenn!

Ma What's 4 dinner said...

I love chicken with yogurt. It keeps it soooo moist. Good call girl!

Lots of yummy love,
Alex aka Ma What's for Dinner
www.mawhats4dinner.com