Chicken And Spinach With Yogurt And Mild Spices Recipes

LEMON AND GARLIC CHICKEN WITH SPICED SPINACH

Steps:

• Stir together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, rosemary, and salt and pepper in a large bowl. Cut each chicken breast into 2 equal pieces (3 if they are 12 ounces or more) and place in the bowl. Stir together and refrigerate 15 to 30 minutes.
• Combine ground allspice, coriander or cumin, and cinnamon in a small bowl or ramekin and set aside.
• Remove chicken from the marinade and pat dry (discard marinade). Place two sheets of plastic wrap (1 large sheet if you have extra-wide wrap) on your work surface, overlapping slightly, to make 1 wide sheet, and brush lightly with olive oil. Place a piece of chicken in the middle of plastic sheet and brush lightly with oil. Cover the chicken with another wide layer of plastic wrap. Working from the center to the outside, pound chicken breast with the flat side of a meat tenderizer until about 1/4 inch thick. (Don't pound too hard or you'll tear the meat. If that happens it won't be the end of the world, you'll just have a few pieces to cook.) Repeat with the remaining chicken breast pieces.
• Season pounded chicken breasts with salt and pepper on one side only. Dredge lightly in the flour (you won't use all of it).
• Turn oven on low. Heat a wide, heavy skillet over high heat and add the oil. When oil is hot, place one or two pieces of chicken in the pan - however many will fit without crowding the pan. Cook for for 1 1/2 minutes until bottom is browned in spots. Turn over and brown on other side, about 1 1/2 minutes. (Do not overcook or chicken will be dry.) Transfer to a platter or sheet pan and keep warm in the oven. If there is more than a tablespoon of fat in the pan, pour some (but not all) of it off into a jar or bowl.
• Turn burner heat down to medium. Add ground spices to the pan and when they begin to sizzle add spinach and salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon and deglazing the bottom of the pan with the liquid that comes off the spinach, until spinach wilts, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove to a platter or to plates and serve with the chicken.

MIDDLE EASTERN SPINACH WITH SPICES AND YOGURT

Steps:

• Heat a small dry skillet over medium heat and add the clove, allspice berries, and coriander seeds or cumin seeds. Heat, shaking the pan, until the spices begin to smell toasty, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool for a few minutes, then grind in a spice mill. Add the cinnamon, and set aside.
• In a mortar and pestle, mash the garlic with 1/4 teaspoon salt to a paste, and stir into the yogurt. Set aside.
• Place the baby spinach in a bowl and pour on boiling water to cover. Let sit for a couple of minutes, then drain, rinse with cold water, squeeze out excess water, and chop coarsely.
• Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a wide, heavy skillet and add the pine nuts. Cook, stirring, until they begin color (2 to 3 minutes), then remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the spices to the oil. When they begin to sizzle, cook for about 30 seconds and add the spinach, toasted pine nuts, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring, until the spinach is heated through and coated with the oil and spices, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish and spoon the yogurt over the top. This is very nice served with Arabic bread.

CHICKEN WITH YOGURT AND SPICES

Steps:

• Add the first 4 ingredients to a shallow dish; stir to mix well.
• Add the yogurt, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, and salt; stir to mix well.
• Add the chicken to the dish; spoon the sauce over the chicken to coat well.
• Cover with foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
• Spray broiler pan with non-stick cooking spray.
• Take chicken out of marinade and drain well; discard marinade.
• Put chicken in the broiler pan.
• Broil 3 inches from heat source for about 5 minutes, turning once, or until chicken is browned and cooked through.
• Serve.

GREEK YOGURT, SPINACH, AND FETA STUFFED CHICKEN RECIPE - (4/5)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. In a medium bowl, combine spinach, yogurt, feta cheese, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Mix well. Set aside. Slit chicken breasts at the wide end, inserting knife as far into the breasts as possible, creating a pocket for stuffing. Carefully stuff each breast with half of the spinach, yogurt and cheese mixture so that each breast is plump. Stop stuffing once the mixture begins to drip out of the slit end. Set aside any remaining spinach mixture. Lightly grease a baking sheet or shallow casserole dish with cooking spray. Place stuffed breasts in pan and brush each with olive oil, then season with remaining salt and pepper. If there is leftover spinach, yogurt and cheese mixture, spread it over the top of the breasts after they are brushed with oil and seasoned. Bake 45 to 50 minutes, or until the juices run clear. Let chicken stand for 5 to 15 minutes, then cut each breast into fourths. Enjoy.

SPICY YOGURT CHICKEN

Steps:

• With a sharp knife, make a few slashes in each drumstick. Mix the remaining ingredients in a bowl, season to taste. Add the drumsticks, rubbing the mixture well into the meat. If you have time, cover and chill for 30 mins.
• Remove the drumsticks from the marinade, shaking off the excess. Cook them on the barbecue for 20-25 mins, turning occasionally, until cooked through.

GREEK YOGURT CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Coat a baking pan with cooking spray.
• Mix Greek yogurt, Parmesan cheese, seasoned salt, garlic powder, and ground black pepper together in a bowl.
• Arrange chicken breasts in a single layer in the prepared baking pan. Spread Greek yogurt mixture on top of chicken; sprinkle bread crumbs on top.
• Bake uncovered in the preheated oven until chicken is no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 40 minutes.