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!
Looking for more recipes like this? Check these out:
- Chicken with White Wine Vinegar Tomato Sauce and Spinach Orzo
- Chicken Piccata with Caper Lemon Butter Sauce
- Crunchy Chicken with White Wine Lemon Butter Sauce
- Coq au Vin - Chicken in Red Wine
📖 Recipe
Spiced Yogurt Roasted Chicken
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
Nutrition
Do you love our recipes?
We work hard to provide you with delicious FREE recipes here on Cooking With Wine. If you love and value our content and want to support our efforts, you can contribute whatever amount you are comfortable with below.
Buy me a coffeeWe will continue to provide you with recipes no matter what, so there is no obligation to contribute! Any and all contributions are greatly appreciated!
Thank you for being part of our community! You are the reason we do what we do!
Charlie Wiskin says
I made this yesterday and it was absolutely delicious! the warm earthy spices created the most delicious crispy skin..perfect for midweek and lazy weekends. I'll definitely be making this again . what a wonderful recipe 😍
Greg Gibson says
I have this in the oven as I type. I used a coconut milk, vanilla flavor yogurt ( lactose free) but no one liked it and i figured it would work, didn't have the correct peppercorns or the mace so I used allspice but the mixture tastes fine.