Yogurt Marinated Grilled Chicken With Harissa Recipes

HARISSA MARINATED GRILLED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Put the red peppers on the grill and char them until they are black on all sides. Put the peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. When cool enough to handle, scrape the charred black skin off the peppers and remove the stem and seeds. Coarsely chop and reserve. This can totally be done ahead.
• Put the cumin, coriander, fennel and caraway in a dry saute pan and toast them until they become very aromatic. Grind all the spices into a coarse powder in a spice grinder.
• Coarsely chop the dried chiles, toss them into the bowl of a food processor and pulse to pulverize. Add the toasted ground spices, the roasted red peppers, chopped garlic and tomato paste. Puree until the mixture is smooth. Add 1/4 cup of the olive oil and pulse to combine. Add in another 1/4 cup of olive oil and pulse again. Season with salt, to taste, if needed. Store in an airtight container.
• Toss the chicken parts liberally with the harissa and let sit at room temperature up to 2 hours, or overnight or even a few days in the refrigerator.
• Preheat the grill to medium.
• Put the chicken on the grill and grill for 8 to 10 minutes on each side. You may have to move the chicken around, or flip it over a couple of times to prevent burning. You may also want to brush it a couple times with the leftover harissa, just remember it is pretty spicy! Remove the chicken from the grill and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

YOGURT MARINATED GRILLED CHICKEN WITH HARISSA

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine yogurt, ginger, cumin, chile flakes and salt. Whisk until smooth and pour into a baking dish. Lay the chicken halves, skin-side up, in the yogurt mixture. Cover the plastic wrap and refrigerate for a couple of hours to marinate.
• Preheat a very clean grill to medium. When the grill is hot, brush with the oil.
• Remove the chicken from the yogurt, leaving any excess behind, and lay them out on the grill, skin-side down. Cook until the skin is brown and crispy, and then flip. You want to roast them, essentially, on the grill, and avoid "flaming" them or cooking them over too intense heat. That would dry them out. Grill the chicken until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thigh registers between 155° and 160°F, 35 to 40 minutes.
• Remove the chicken from the grill to a cutting board. Cut into small pieces or serve whole, family style. Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle with lemon juice. Top with some of the Harissa and serve immediately.
• HARISSA:.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• In a small bowl, combine the coriander seeds, cumin seeds and caraway seeds. Add the spices to a sheet tray and toast in the oven for 1 to 2 minutes; you should faintly detect the scent of the spices. Remove the tray from the oven and set aside to cool. Add the paprika and chile flakes to the spice mix.
• Using a mortar and pestle (or, alternatively, a food processor), grind the garlic cloves until they become a paste, and then add the red bell pepper. Seasone with salt, and then add the spices and the 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and blend well. When blended, transfer the harissa to a container and top with some additional olive oil. This will keep for 3 to 6 weeks, covered, in the refrigerator.

YOGURT-MARINATED CHICKEN SKEWERS

Steps:

• For the ras al hanout: Add the cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, paprika, nutmeg, cayenne, cloves, allspice, coriander, pepper and turmeric to a jar with a lid. Cover and shake to combine. Measure out 1 tablespoon for the chicken and put in a large bowl. Store the remaining spice for up to 3 months in the jar and use as desired.
• For the chicken: In the bowl with the ras al hanout, add the yogurt, mint, oil, salt, sugar, harissa, garlic, finely chopped onion, juice from half of the lemon and about 12 turns of pepper (about 1/2 teaspoon) and mix to combine. Fold in the chicken to evenly coat, then cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours and up to overnight.
• Soak 8 wooden skewers in water for at least 30 minutes.
• Thread the chicken pieces on the skewers, adding the bell pepper and onion pieces in between the meat.
• Heat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat. Cook the skewers, turning them occasionally, until they're deeply browned on all sides and cooked through, about 7 minutes per side. Squeeze with the juice from the remaining lemon half before serving.

YOGURT-MARINATED GRILLED CHICKEN SHAWARMA

Steps:

• For the chicken shawarma: Combine the yogurt, olive oil, garlic and lemon juice in a large bowl. Add the cumin, coriander, paprika, onion powder, allspice, cardamom, cinnamon, turmeric and 2 teaspoons salt and mix to combine.
• Add the chicken and toss to make sure every piece is fully coated and smothered in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 8 hours. Soak 3 wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes.
• For the toum: Meanwhile, slice the garlic cloves in half and remove any green sprouts. Place the garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a food processor and blend until it becomes a paste, scraping down the bowl as needed.
• With the food processor running, pour in 1/2 cup of the oil in a very thin stream; this should take about 2 minutes. Stop to scrape down the bowl. Turn on the processor again and stream in the lemon juice, then stream in another 1/2 cup of the oil very slowly. Add 1 tablespoon of the ice water and pulse to combine. Add another 1/2 cup of the oil, then the remaining 1 tablespoon ice water. Then add the remaining 1/4 to 1/2 cup oil until creamy and fully emulsified. The whole process should take about 20 minutes. The toum will keep, in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to 2 months. Makes about 2 cups.
• Preheat an outdoor grill to medium high and set it up for both direct and indirect heat. (For a gas grill, leave one or two burners on low or off; for a charcoal grill, bank the coals on one side of the grill.)
• For serving: Cut the onion in half and place one half cut-side down on a cutting board. Insert the wooden skewers in the onion, blunt side in. The skewers should be spaced apart equally from each other to form a triangle.
• Thread the pieces of marinated chicken onto all 3 skewers on top of each other with no space between them. When all the chicken pieces are threaded, top the skewers with the other half of the onion.
• Place the shawarma on the direct-heat side of the grill and cook, rotating every 3 to 4 minutes using a pair of sturdy tongs, until you achieve nice grill marks, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Move the shawarma to the indirect heat side of the grill, cover and cook, turning occasionally so it cooks evenly on all sides, until the meat feels firm to the touch and the internal temperature reaches 160°F, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Transfer the shawarma to a cutting board. Cover the with a piece of aluminum foil and let it rest for 5 minutes. Uncover and hold the shawarma upright on a sturdy cutting board. Cut the chicken into strips from the top to the bottom of the stack using a sharp knife.
• Spread a lavash all over with toum. Place some lettuce, onions with sumac, tomatoes and pickles on the lavash and add the sliced shawarma and some French fries. Wrap tightly and serve.

GRILLED LEMON YOGURT CHICKEN

Steps:

• Whisk together the 1/2 cup yogurt, the juice from 1/2 lemon, lemon zest, olive oil, garlic, paprika, herbes de Provence, 1 teaspoon salt, and black pepper in a bowl. Pour into a resealable plastic bag. Add chicken, coat with the marinade, squeeze out excess air, and seal the bag. Marinate in refrigerator for at least 3 hours.
• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat, and lightly oil the grate.
• Combine 1/2 cup yogurt, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and harissa in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Remove chicken from bag and transfer to a plate or baking sheet lined with paper towels. Pat chicken pieces dry with more paper towels. Season with pinch of salt.
• Grill chicken, skin-side down, on the preheated grill for 2 minutes. Turn each piece and move to indirect heat.
• Grill, turning often, with lid down until well-browned and meat is no longer pink in the center, 30 to 35 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
• Serve chicken with the yogurt harissa mixture on the side.

GRILLED CHICKEN WITH YOGURT MARINADE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, garlic, oregano, thyme, olive oil, salt and pepper. Zest the lemon over the bowl, reserving the rest of the lemon for serving. Whisk until smooth.
• Add the chicken thighs, toss to coat, then cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or up to 24. Remove chicken from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking.
• If using a grill, clean and oil the grates. Set the grill to medium-high or heat a grill pan slicked with olive oil on the stovetop over medium-high. Grill the chicken for 6 to 8 minutes on each side (depending on the thickness of the thighs), covering the grill halfway through if necessary to retain heat, until cooked through.
• Transfer the chicken thighs to a platter and squeeze half the lemon over them. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and parsley, and serve with lemon wedges on the side if desired.

YOGURT-MARINATED GRILLED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Mix Greek yogurt, cilantro, lemon juice, garlic, salt, cumin, cayenne, and pepper together in a large bowl. Place chicken thighs in a large resealable plastic bag; cover with yogurt mixture.
• Let chicken marinate in the refrigerator, 3 to 8 hours.
• Bring chicken to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Pour off marinade.
• Preheat grill for medium heat and lightly oil the grate. Grill chicken, turning occasionally, until grill marks form, about 5 minutes per side.

SPICY TARRAGON YOGURT CHICKEN

Steps:

• Combine tarragon, Greek yogurt, harissa sauce, garlic, vinegar, cumin, and salt in a blender. Puree until smooth, scraping down sides as needed. Pour marinade over chicken breasts in a shallow dish, thoroughly coating both sides. Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.
• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate.
• Remove chicken breasts from the marinade and place on the pre-heated grill. Cook over medium-high heat until dark grill marks appear, about 7 minutes per side.
• Garnish with harissa sauce and a sprig of tarragon.