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Grilled Za’atar Chicken With Garlic Yogurt and Cilantro

This garlicky, herby chicken is full-flavored and very tender, thanks to its piquant yogurt marinade It’s flexible, too — marinate the meat for as little as a couple of hours, or as long as overnight And the chicken is just as good cooked under the broiler as it is on the grill (see Tip)

American30 minmedium4 servings
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Grilled Za’atar Chicken With Garlic Yogurt and Cilantro

Ingredients

  • 6 garlic clove s, finely grated, pressed, or minced
  • 2 lemons, zested
  • 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more sprigs for garnish
  • 3 tablespoon sextra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
  • \1 1/2 tablespoon sza’atar, plus more for serving
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano or marjoram, plus more sprigs for garnish
  • \1 3/4 teaspoon ssalt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • \1 1/4 pound sboneless, skinless chicken thighs

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl or container, stir together 5 of the grated garlic cloves, half the lemon zest, 1/3 cup yogurt, the cilantro, oil, za’atar, oregano or marjoram, salt and black pepper. Add chicken and toss until well coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
  2. When ready to cook, light the grill to medium or heat your broiler with the rack 3 inches from the heat source. Remove chicken from bowl, shaking off any excess marinade, and grill or broil on one side until charred in spots, 5 to 8 minutes. Flip the chicken and grill or broil for another 5 to 8 minutes, until just cooked through.
  3. While the chicken is cooking, place remaining 2/3 cup yogurt in a small bowl. Stir in the reserve grated garlic clove and lemon zest, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cut one zested lemon in half and set aside for serving (save the other zested lemon for another use).
  4. To serve, place chicken on a serving platter and drizzle with olive oil and a large squeeze of the zested lemon. Top with cilantro and oregano or marjoram sprigs and serve with yogurt sauce.

Tips

Tip If you’re broiling instead of grilling, you can line your sheet pan with foil for easier clean up. Don’t use parchment paper, it may burn. The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.