Ingredients
Chicken and marinade
- 1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs 680 g, trimmed and cut into similar 1 1/4-inch pieces
- 1/2 cup plain whole-milk yogurt 120 g
- 2 tablespoons olive oil 27 g
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 30 g
- 3 cloves garlic 9 g, finely minced
- 2 teaspoons sweet paprika 4.6 g
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin 2.1 g
- 1 teaspoon fine table salt 6 g
Optional serving
- lemon wedges and chopped parsley Optional
Equipment
- Outdoor grill Prepare a medium-high cooking area and a cooler area.
- 8 metal skewers About 10–12 inches long.
- Covered bowl or food-safe container For refrigerated marinating.
- Tongs
- Instant-read thermometer
- Clean serving platter
Instructions
Marinate and grill
- Mix the yogurt, oil, lemon juice, garlic, paprika, cumin and salt in a food-safe bowl. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate at 40°F or below for 1 hour, or up to 8 hours. Do not wash raw chicken.
- Prepare a clean grill for medium-high heat with a cooler area available. Divide the chicken among 8 metal skewers, leaving the pieces touching lightly rather than compressing them. Let heavy excess marinade fall back into the bowl; discard all used marinade.
- Grill for about 10–15 minutes, turning every few minutes, until browned on several sides and the thickest chicken pieces reach at least 165°F. Check several pieces without touching the metal skewer with the thermometer. Move skewers to the cooler area if flare-ups occur or the coating darkens too quickly.
- Use clean utensils to transfer the skewers to a clean platter. Rest for 5 minutes, then remove the chicken from the hot skewers. Serve with optional lemon and parsley.
- Refrigerate leftovers in shallow containers within 2 hours, or within 1 hour above 90°F. Use within 3–4 days and reheat to 165°F.
Nutrition
Calories: 294kcalCarbohydrates: 3.5gProtein: 34.9gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 3.5gCholesterol: 164mgSodium: 759mgPotassium: 510mgFiber: 0.5gSugar: 1.7gCalcium: 61mgIron: 2.1mg
Video
Notes
Nutrition is estimated per quarter recipe using USDA ingredient data and counting all marinade; actual retained marinade varies. Optional garnishes and sides are excluded. Contains milk. The listed total uses a 1-hour marinade; a longer marinade adds time.
Video companion: Chef John of Food Wishes demonstrates yogurt-marinated grilled chicken thigh kebabs. His seasoning includes ketchup, Aleppo pepper and cinnamon; follow the ingredient quantities and safe-temperature instructions written here.