March 30, 2011

Chicken Roasted with Spiced Yogurt

Verdict: Win

I can tell that this dish is great, but I botched it up due to my cooking skills:
1. The chicken needed to be marinated for longer than 20 minutes, even though that's what the recipe called for (next time I'll marinate overnight).
2. I didn't properly brown all of the skin before I put the chicken in the oven.
3. I didn't separate the thighs from the legs from the chicken leg quarters I bought, so they needed nearly twice the time in the oven to cook through (roughly an hour).

The chicken was fine, but the flavors never melded through so I had to dip the chicken in the marinade to get the proper flavor (which was actually great!).

Below is the original recipe. I'll play with it more later before I adjust it.



Chicken Roasted with Spiced Yogurt from Serious Eats
Yield: Serves 4

INGREDIENTS
4 chicken legs (4 thighs and 4 drumsticks)
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of cayenne pepper, or more to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon clarified butter
Lemon wedges, for serving

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 300°F.

In a medium bowl, combine yogurt, oil, lemon juice, garlic, paprika, cinnamon, cayenne, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Add chicken pieces, turning to coat, and allow to marinate for at least 20 minutes, preferably overnight.

In a large, heavy, oven-proof skillet, heat butter over medium heat until shimmering. Add chicken, skin side down, and cook on all sides until golden brown, doing so in batches if necessary to maintain good browning, 5-8 minutes per batch.

Add all chicken pieces back into the skillet and transfer skillet to oven. Roast until chicken is cooked through, about 35 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.