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!