Yogurt marinated chicken is moist, flavorful, and tender! The lemon and dill add perfect acidity and herby-ness. This will become a go-to summer recipe!
This recipe was born out of desperation. I really wanted to bring more boneless/skinless (aka flavorless lol) chicken into my life because although I love chicken thighs they were starting to become too meaty for me. But chicken breast = BORING… and, sadly, usually dry! Yogurt is the perfect solution. It tenderizes the chicken and since we’re using cubes of meat there is more surface to tenderize! Also, yogurt isn’t as calorie dense as oil so I don’t feel an internal twinge of guilt for using a 1/2 cup of the stuff.
Yogurt marinated chicken is packed with flavor! The lemon and dill aren’t just here for show, they actually add a bunch of acidic and herby flavor! I almost always marinate these for a ~24 hours because I always prep these a day ahead of time but I think you could get away with a much shorter marinating! 3 to 4 hours would be enough to open the gateway to flavor town.
I opted to cook these on my George Foreman grill because it heats up fast and gives me those lil’ grill marks that make food so appetizing. Also, I live in an apartment and don’t really have a space for an outdoor grill. However, I imagine these would be even more delicious if cooked on an actual charcoal grill!
Normally I dislike skewering things because it sucks up a bunch of time and the results aren’t always worth it BUT skewering+grilling= TRUE LOVE. (Even on indoor George Foreman grills for us apartment dwellers) Skewers also make me feel like I’ve eaten at a street fair. “Frigarui de Pui” translates to chicken skewers. This recipe makes me feel like I am at the Piata (market) with my family in Romania, awaiting some delicious Frigauri while I shop for second-hand items.
I served these with some seasoned couscous and my recipe for a delicious Romanian summer salad . They would go equally well with rice and any other fresh, vegetable-based salad.
Here are some more great Summer recipes:
Salata de Vara Romaneasca (Romanian Cucumber, Tomato, Feta, and Herb Summer Salad)
Dad’s Favorite Vegetarian Pesto, Squash, and Sunflower Seed Pizza
End of Summer Stone Fruit & Berry Crisp
Frigarui de Pui (Lemon Dill Yogurt Marinated Chicken Skewers)
These lemon dill yogurt marinated chicken skewers are tender, flavorful, and fun!
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breast
- 1/2 cup yogurt can sub sour cream!
- 1 lemon zest and juice
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped dill
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon table salt
Instructions
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Cube chicken into .5-1 inch pieces. Mix up the remaining ingredients to create the marinade. Add chicken pieces to marinade, toss to combine, then cover.
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Marinade chicken pieces in the fridge for up to 24 hours. After marinading, divide the chicken pieces onto 4 skewers.
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Heat up a grill to medium-hight heat. Grill the skewers for 8-10 minutes, flipping halfway through. Double check that chicken is done by ensuring the internal temp has reached 165°. Serve hot. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
I served these with my recipe Salata de Vara Romaneasca (Romanian Cucumber, Tomato, Feta, and Herb Summer Salad)
