It tastes great, this lemon-infused chicken marinated in Greek yogurt. When chicken is cooked over charcoal in smoky, sizzling yogurt, a unique flavor is created. It adds a tanginess that brings out the best in all the other tastes and grills to a dark caramel color without tasting burnt.
| Prep Time: | 15 mins |
| Cook Time: | 35 mins |
| Additional Time: | 3 hrs |
| Total Time: | 3 hrs 50 mins |
| Servings: | 6 |
Ingredients
- ½ cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- ½ lemon, juiced
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 (5 pound) whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces
- 1 pinch salt
- ½ cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon harissa
Instructions
- Whisk together yogurt, garlic, lemon juice and zest, olive oil, paprika, herbes de Provence, salt, and black pepper in a medium bowl. Pour into a large resealable plastic bag. Add chicken; stir to coat. Squeeze out excess air and seal the bag. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.
- Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate.
- Make sauce: Stir together yogurt, lemon juice, and harissa in a small bowl until combined. Set aside.
- Remove chicken to a plate or baking sheet lined with paper towels; discard marinade. Pat chicken dry with more paper towels. Season with a pinch of salt.
- Grill chicken, skin-side down, on the preheated grill for 2 minutes. Turn over each piece and move to indirect heat. Continue grilling, turning often, with the lid down until well browned and meat is no longer pink in the center, 30 to 35 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone, should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
- Serve chicken with sauce on the side.
- If your store doesn’t carry
- , you can make your own with this recipe.
- Nutrition data for this recipe includes the full amount of marinade ingredients. The actual amount of marinade consumed will vary.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 523 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 6 g |
| Cholesterol | 169 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Protein | 55 g |
| Saturated Fat | 8 g |
| Sodium | 590 mg |
| Sugars | 3 g |
| Fat | 30 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Very good. I did it with chicken breast that I pounded out to make thinner. Cooked it indoor on the grill side of the Viking Range Portable Griddle/Grill. Was only able to let marinate about 30 minutes and it was still moist with good flavor. Can only imagine it would’ve been better with the minimum 3 hour marinade. Served it with quartered mini golden potatoes herbed and baked with olive oil; along with okra patties sautéed in iron skillet. Also made the sauce. While I would make the sauce again, the chicken had good flavor and moisture without it.
Family favorite
I made this Monday with chicken thighs, Greek seasoned potatoes, Brussels Sprouts. So good I am making again today with rest of Chicken thighs, rice and seasoned green beans. Thank you for your recipe. Note: I did not have harissa sauce nor did I make homemade harissa sauce. I did do yogurt with lemon juice, and I liked it
Excellent recipe!!! 🙂
Terrific! I made as written and the marinade produced such a deliciously moist chicken that had a great depth of flavor. The yogurt sauce on the side was an excellent addition. The husband did an excellent job grilling and was excited for the leftovers repurposed into chicken salad for lunch. Definitely a go-to recipe for grilled chicken. Thanks, Chef John!
It came out so good
Yummy. I used smoked paprika because I love it and the overall flavor was awesome. Marinated for 8 hours. The yogurt creates a nice paste-like substance that sticks well to the chicken, so I found that the dipping sauce at the end wasn’t even necessary, so next time I will just skip that part. Served with grilled zucchini. Will be making again!
I marinated overnight and put chicken on the grill the next day. Sadly, they were blah even with the aioli.
Made the recipe with what I had – boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Delicious. No time to make the sauce, so I used an open jar of Harissa sauce from the fridge. Yummy! I think you can fudge this recipe a bit and still get a great outcome.
Very good! All I did was leave out the hot
Turned out great. Very tender and tasty. Easy to make.
I made this with mixed results. Yes the chicken was very moist and tender. The skin was a beautiful brown and firm. Very disappointed that the chicken was not very flavorful given the ingredients. Next time I plan to double the portions of spices called for.
Delicious dish! My husband and I very much enjoyed this chicken recipe. I followed the instructions exactly, although I was a bit short on time and only marinated for 2-1/2 hours. I thought the marinade was easy to make and will definitely make this again.
Pretty bland.
Loved this recipe! I am using yogurt in my chicken marinades all the time now. Make sure to use the paprika…it makes a big difference.
I cook and grill 365 DY. No disrespect meant to chef John, however, I made this recipe exactly as stated and my husband and I found it to be very bland. Not bad, just bland.
We love this! I didn’t make the sauce, just the marinade. Whole family loved it. So moist & flavorful.
Seems weird to put yogurt on chicken. We thought so too but it actually adds great flavour perfect for summer.
I am hard to impress with chicken preparations, as it’s just not my favorite meat. This was an excellent recipe, and I will make again!
This is a favorite on here. Made it several times. Always a huge hit
I used chicken thighs. The yogurt marinade is really good. I didn’t make any changes. I wasn’t crazy about the sauce. It’s really not needed. Make it if you want, but don’t stress if you don’t.