Chicken is one of those foods that almost everyone likes. But chicken, of all the proteins, needs some flavor help. Without some added flavor, chicken often lives up to its reputation of being bland and boring. So, we developed this Spiced Yogurt Roasted recipe for a flavorful chicken dish that is anything but boring!

Which cut of chicken is best?

We especially enjoy the flavorful dark meat of the chicken hindquarters when cooked properly. And that is exactly what we prefer to use in this recipe. We like to cook the thighs and legs a bit more than the breast meat because of the textural change that occurs at about 175°F. The meat becomes more tender and less chewy while remaining juicy and, in our opinion, is perfect.

The yogurt coating results in beautiful caramelization and a crunch on the skin, so we highly recommend using chicken with the skin on. You can also use breast meat for this recipe if you prefer.

Spiced Yogurt Marinade for Chicken

Firstly, the flavor provided by the yogurt mixture is off the charts and really gives the chicken a great boost. The combination of warming spices (like mace, cloves, cumin, and allspice) and flavorful spices (like onion, pink peppercorns, and garlic) work exceptionally well with the yogurt. A few other ingredients round out a flavor profile here and we absolutely love the result!

The yogurt mixture also helps to keep the chicken incredibly juicy and flavorful. Even if you just roasted chicken coated in plain yogurt and salt, you’d experience a juicier chicken! The yogurt provides a “shell” for the entire hindquarter and less moisture from the meat itself evaporates in the oven (or on the grill).

What to serve with this Spiced Yogurt Roasted Chicken?

We like to serve this chicken with couscous, rice, barley pilaf, or farro. This is also great with flavorful garlic thyme smashed potatoes, olive oil and olive mashed potatoes, or another preferred potato recipe that you love.

Enjoy!

We hope that you enjoy this recipe for Spiced Yogurt Roasted Chicken! If you give it a try, leave us a comment below or tag us on Instagram @cooking_with_wine!

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📖 Recipe

Spiced Yogurt Roasted Chicken

A flavorful roasted chicken recipe with a spiced yogurt marinade! This recipe is perfect for busy weeknights!

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 30

Cook Time 40

Course Dinner

Cuisine Mediterranean

Servings servings

Calories 430 kcal

Ingredients

4 chicken hindquarters (leg and thigh), bone in, skin on
16 oz plain Greek yogurt
4 teaspoon kosher salt
4 teaspoon honey
2 teaspoon ground mustard
1 teaspoon mace
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon cloves
2 teaspoon ground pink peppercorns
2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoon dried marjoram

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 375°F. (*see note)
Clean and thoroughly pat dry the chicken pieces. Place on a roasting rack over a roasting pan and refrigerate for 30 minutes uncovered. This will help remove excess moisture from the chicken.
Mix all the remaining ingredients in a medium bowl. Let the yogurt mixture sit for at least 10 minutes to let the flavors combine.
Spray the rack that you are going to use to cook the chicken with nonstick spray or lightly coat the rack with vegetable oil and place the rack over a roasting pan. Slather each piece of chicken with the yogurt mixture. Gently place the coated chicken on the wire rack. Roast in the oven for about 40 minutes or until an instant read thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh reads 175°F. (**see note)
Carefully remove the chicken hindquarters from the rack and serve!

Notes

The chicken can also be grilled instead of roasted with excellent results. We recommend grilling on a charcoal grill for extra flavor.

165°F is the “safe” temperature for chicken, however the texture is better at 175°F for dark meat. There is not a lot of carry-over, so between 175° and 180° is ideal for the chicken hindquarters. If cooking breast meat, you can remove it at 165°F.

Nutrition

Calories: 430kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 28gFat: 28gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 156mgSodium: 2493mgPotassium: 554mgFiber: 1gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 255IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 177mgIron: 2mg

Keyword Chicken, roasts, yogurt

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