If you like the crisp edges of lasagne, the soaked croutons, the whipped cream that gets icy around the chocolate scoop - you’re in the right place.
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The chicken recipe I’m sharing this week is a template for some of my easiest and most popular dinners. At first glance, it reads like many you’ve seen before: marinate chicken in yogurt, roast on a sheet pan… But its aim is different. The yogurt’s job here is to do more than just tenderize and brown. Rather, it becomes the best bit of the dish as it cooks into soft, charred curds. Instead of swiping off excess marinade like most recipes ask you to do, pile it on.
My inspiration for this recipe -- that I could justly torture with the title “Essential Weeknight Chicken” -- comes from the memory of a dish I’d order at a restaurant called Bukhara in New Delhi (I lived there as a child from ’91–’98). It was listed on their menu as “Shampoo Chicken” for the spice-less marinade that had a sudsy look when it came out of the tandoor. It was beloved beyond the expat kids they’d designed it for, undoubtedly because the skewers held so much yogurt between the pieces of chicken, it was like getting a side of paneer.
At its base, this recipe asks you to lather pieces of skinless, boneless chicken in seasoned, full-fat yogurt and cook in your hottest oven. The yogurt sits in the crags where bone has been removed and cooks into a delicate condiment. Peaks char. Liquid runs out of the yogurt and makes a clear sauce that begs for a bowl of rice. What we lose in the 360 browning that we get in a tandoor or on a grill, we gain in the capture of juices, making this method complete and easy. You don’t need to deglaze the pan or add any additional condiment.
In our house, I’ve put the dish on autopilot. The chicken has a designated bowl for marinating (recipe Sharpie’d on the lid). Whomever unpacks the groceries puts the chicken, salt, and yogurt directly into the bowl. I’m quietly reassured that the chicken is improving as it sits.
The recipe is forgiving and versatile - you can add herbs in the marinade or just before you put the chicken in the oven. You can use thick yogurt, sour cream, creme fraiche or a mixture of all three. You can borrow Greek, Indian, Persian, or Superbowl flavors through your selection of citrus and spices. I like the green goddess-y recipe below to be heavy on the tarragon and black pepper. Cumin, ginger, chili, and turmeric is another excellent combination. So too is a dash of Franks Red Hot and a basting of butter for a Buffalo effect.
Charred yogurt
SHEET PAN YOGURT & HERB CHICKEN
This recipe asks for a mix of lots of soft herbs: use what you like or use up what you have. A food processor will give you a pervasively green marinade but isn’t necessary to make something that tastes very good. If you’re hand-chopping the herbs, halve the quantity.
To get the combination of charred and tender curds, face the chicken bone-out side up.
Serves 6
1.25-2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs (2 packs)
2.5 tsp Kosher salt
1 cup soft herbs, roughly chopped and packed (tarragon, basil, parsley, dill)
3 large garlic cloves
1 lemon
1.5 cups Greek yogurt (I use 2 single-serving packs of Fage 5%)
Black pepper
Olive oil
Place the salt, herbs and garlic in a food processor and blitz to form a paste. Grate in the zest of the lemon and squeeze in its juice. Add the yogurt and a generous grind of black pepper. Blitz to combine.
Place the chicken thighs in a bowl and spoon over the marinade. Massage it in. Cover and keep the chicken in the fridge until you’re ready to cook it. It’ll improve for up to 3 days.
When you’re ready to cook the chicken, take it out of the fridge and heat the oven to 500F. Place the chicken on the tray — bone out side facing up — and spoon any extra marinade left in the bowl on top of the pieces.
Drizzle with olive oil and bake on the top rack of the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and invitingly charred. If your oven is feeble, you may need to turn the broiler on to develop color. Watch closely once your broiler is on as the chicken can quickly go from blond to burnt.
When you’ve got the ideal amount of color, remove the pan from the oven and eat.
Serve with lentils, salad, vegetables, rice...almost anything!
Thanks for sharing this childhood favorite, Clare! I think I might try it on the cool side of my gas grill, cranked up hot. What say you?
Your writing, and not just your photos, have me drooling. Where do you source the most flavorful chicken? I’d love to try this!