Kick off the grilling season with this yogurt marinated grilled chicken. Chicken thighs stay tender and juicy thanks to homemade yogurt marinade. Perfect for outdoor entertaining!
Grilling season has finally arrived and our first grilled meal this year was yogurt marinated grilled chicken. An easy recipe that anyone can do!
It is best made on the grill but it can also be cooked in the oven. The marinade is simple but makes the chicken extra tender.
How to make yogurt marinated grilled chicken
First prepare the marinade. To do this, combine the ingredients in a bowl large enough to fit your chicken thighs.
Second thing is seasoning the chicken pieces. I only used salt, black pepper and paprika. These 3 simple ingredients do their job perfectly so nothing else is needed.
Now you just place the thighs in to the bowl with marinade. Move them around until they are evenly coated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate them for as long as possible (for best results overnight).
Then just grill until completely cooked.
Serve this yogurt marinated grilled chicken with Summer Watermelon Salad or Strawberry Salad. They might be a bit different from what you are used to but go well with grilled meats.
You can also add Honey Lemon Grilled Chicken, Grilled Boneless Chicken Thighs or Balsamic Chicken Skewers to your grilling menu. They all have amazing flavors so they are definitely worth giving a try!
How long do you marinate chicken in yogurt?
In my opinion, the longer, the better. I normally leave the chicken in marinade overnight but if you are stuck for time try to allocate at least an hour for it.
Can you marinade chicken in Greek yogurt?
Yes, you can. I only use Greek yogurt (as this is what I usually have on hand) but plain/natural yogurts are great options as well.
What does a yogurt marinade do?
It tenderizes the chicken. So the longer you leave it in the marinade the more tender it gets and the more intense its flavor. By the way, here is a great article about yogurt marinating, for those who would like to read more about this topic.
Tips for making yogurt marinated grilled chicken
- Skin-on chicken thighs work best for this recipe, especially when you are cooking them on the grill. Keeping the skin is very important as it prevents the meat from drying out and burning.
- Make sure to start grilling them the skin side down. Even when the skin gets burnt, you can easily remove it and you’ll be left with juicy meat.
- You can adjust the amount of honey and lemon to your liking. Just keep in mind that honey burns easily.
- The grilling time will vary. This will depend on the thickness of the meat and the heat in your grill. We grill over charcoal and it takes about 20-25 minutes.
Yogurt Marinated Grilled Chicken
Ingredients
- 1.6 pounds Chicken Thighs deboned, skin on (750 grams) (See note 1)
- 1½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1 tablespoon Paprika
For the marinade:
- 1 tablespoon Turmeric Powder (See note 3)
- ½ cup Greek Yogurt (See note 4)
- A Handful of Fresh Parsley
- 4 tablespoons Honey
Instructions
- Season the chicken thighs with salt, black pepper and paprika.
- In a plastic container/large bowl/large Ziploc bag combine the turmeric, Greek yogurt, finely chopped parsley and honey. Put the seasoned thighs in and move them around until they are all coated in marinade.
- Cover with a lid/plastic wrap/zip the bag and keep in the fridge for at least 1 hour (for best results overnight).
- Grill them on both sides (start first with the skin-side down) until cooked through (around 20-25 minutes).
Notes
- You can also use bone-in chicken thighs. Just note that the grilling time might be longer.
- The time stated in this recipe does not include time needed for marinating. In general, the longer you marinate the more tender the chicken will become. I recommend marinating overnight but the shortest time is 1 hour.
- Turmeric can be omitted completely.
- Greek yogurt can be substituted with natural/plain yogurt.
- The grilling time might vary. This depends on the thickness of the thighs and the grill temperature.
ali randall says
I forget what a great marinade yogurt makes for bone in chicken. This is a wonderful recipe when you want moist chicken and want to do away with boring chicken.
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Definitely!
Stephanie says
I love that you used Greek yogurt for a marinade. I almost always have that in my fridge but would have never thought to use as a marinade. Great idea!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Greek yogurt is such a versatile ingredients! You gotta give it a go! :)
Anvita says
You can’t go wrong with yogurt marination. it’s my favorite marinate and I love using it with veggies or tofu. it’s so yum.
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
It is delicious, isn’t it? :)
Malini says
Wow does this look good. I never thought of putting honey and turmeric together but that sounds genius. Growing up, my mom always marinated chicken in yogurt. It’s so good!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
I hope you give it a go, Malini.
Beth says
I love the honey and turmeric in the marinade! I am so happy grilling season is finally here too! These easy grilling meals are perfect!!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Thanks, Beth!
Jo says
This was really a hit!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Glad to hear that, Jo! Thanks for finding time to leave a feedback :)
Ann says
WOW. This was incredibly delicious. Like way too delicious for how simple it was. Thank you, thank you for sharing this recipe!! I am definitely going to make this again next week!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
You are welcome, Ann! :) I am so happy to hear you loved it and going to make it again!
Barbara says
Could these be baked uncovered in a hot oven instead?
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Yes, they could. Just make sure to put them onto your baking sheet/oven proof dish skin side up, not down like when grilling them. It might take longer to cook so check for doneness before you take them out. Hope this helps, Barbara!
Suzanne says
Can you put the yogurt marinated raw chicken in a curry sauce? Or do you cook it first then add to curry sauce.
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
I haven’t tried it Suzanne, so I can’t really tell. I think I would probably cook it first though.
Maria Andruczyk says
Can I use skinless/bone in thighs and drumsticks, or they would be too dry?Thanks!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Hi Maria, you can use any kind of thighs you like. I don’t recommend using drumsticks for grilling. They take a long time and don’t cook evenly. As for the marinade, you can use it on drumsticks too, but I would bake them in the oven though. Hope this helps.