Simple Greek Yogurt Chicken
Inspired by Tandoori, my Simple Greek Yogurt Chicken is a non traditional easy and quick substitute to enjoy at home. My love for Indian food started when I was young. I went to my friends house and her mom had cooked up some kind of lentil dish along with curry and homemade naan. I took a spoonful and I was like OMG, this is so good! Her mom asked if I can handle the heat- well DUH! I thank my Latin heritage and the times I would eat spicy food with my dad. 🙂
If you haven’t tried Indian cuisine, you are missing out! Now maybe you are not into spicy food – but I believe not all of it is necessarily spicy. You can order it in restaurants without heat. There are so much fragrant spices that come alive and in my opinion, the kick of heat intensifies it (in a good way), therefore ya gotta try it!
One thing I appreciate about Indian food is that not only is it rich and flavorful, but you also have the choice of meat or vegetarian dishes.
What is Tandoori?
Tandoori is chicken that is marinated in spices and yogurt and then it is roasted in a tandoor (clay oven) . It has a smoky flavor and normally its cooked at a high temperature. I started ordering Tandoori when I wasn’t in the mood for a saucy dish. It’s even better with mint chutney on top!
How to make Simple Greek Yogurt Chicken
First off, when making this dish, you will want to use boneless skinless chicken thighs. I like using dark meat because it stays tender and also it will get a little char on the end while roasting. You can also use chicken breasts if you like.
I also use 2% plain Greek yogurt. You can find this at Trader Joe’s but if you don’t have one near you, you can use full fat plain Greek yogurt or nonfat plain Greek yogurt.
Also you will be making this dish in the oven at high temperature of 450 degrees. You can marinate this chicken overnight or even for a couple of hours if you want, but no marinating is necessary!
What can I serve this dish with?
I served this with plain jasmine rice and zucchini ribbons tossed in olive oil that were baked for about 4 minutes. But the ways you can enjoy this Simple Greek Yogurt Chicken are endless!
You can keep it low carb and serve it on top of a salad (I think Caesar would be delicious), you can eat it with basmati rice, roll it up in a large tortilla with veggies and a sauce and make it a wrap or you can serve it with naan and veggies. This is a family favorite and I definitely like to include this in my meal preps.
Want to check out other healthy dinner ideas? Visit my Healthy Recipes Tab for more!
Simple Greek Yogurt Chicken
Equipment
- large bowl
- small bowl
- 2 large sheet pan
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken thighs boneless and skinless
- 1/2 cup greek yogurt plain
- 1/4 lemon
- salt as needed
- black pepper as needed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
- 2 large zucchini
- 2 cups jasmine rice cooked
My Spice Blend
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon all spice
- 1 teaspoon cumin
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
- For the chicken thighs, rinse and pat dry. Then add to a large bowl.
- Add the greek yogurt.
- In a small bowl or container, add the spices and combine gently with a whisk.
- Add the spices to the chicken and yogurt. Combine either by hand or using a rubber spatula. Make sure the chicken is coated evenly.
- Place the chicken on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Then add some salt. Drizzle the lemon juice on the chicken.
- Roast the chicken in the oven for 20 minutes.
Zucchini Ribbons
- When chicken is done, remove from the oven and turn the oven down to 400 degrees.
- Rinse the zucchini and cut off the ends.
- Standing the zucchini upright, use a peeler and having the whole blade intact, peel downward.
- Place the ribbons on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
- Toss with olive oil and a touch salt and pepper.
- Place in the oven for about 3-4 minutes. The ribbons are thin and do not need to be in the oven very long.
- Serve with cooked jasmine rice and Enjoy!
