Low Carb Greek Yogurt Chicken Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why do people marinate chicken in Greek yogurt? ›

Thanks to its acidity — different from the kind you find in citrus or vinegar — it tenderizes the meat, keeping it juicy and never rubbery. Give yourself 15 minutes, and Greek yogurt will reward you with tastier, more tender chicken.

How long can chicken marinate in yogurt? The longer you marinate the chicken, the more flavorful and tender it will become. I recommend at least an hour, but you can do it for as long as eight hours. Since the marinade has vinegar, you don't want to do it for too long.

If you cook with yogurt, it's important to make sure you use plain yogurt. Accidentally throwing vanilla yogurt into your chicken salad will lead up to a memorable dish you may prefer to forget.

Greek Yogurt has active bacteria and lactic acid which slowly break down the protein, making the chicken moist and tender. Substitute with plain full-fat yogurt, buttermilk, or sour cream. Lemon is added for a classic Greek flavor and also adds more acid which helps to tenderize the meat.

Do you rinse off yogurt marinade? No, do not rinse off the yogurt marinade, as it will create a delicious crust on the outside of the chicken. Simply scrape off any excess marinade then cook the chicken directly.

Don't Rinse

You should not need to do more than shake the excess marinade from your chicken, or if you want to be very thorough, pat it down with towels lightly. If you rinsed, you would be washing away from of the flavor developed by your marinade, and the seasoning at the surface of the chicken.

Marinating Time: Allow the chicken to marinate in the yogurt mixture for an adequate amount of time. Marinating times can vary depending on the recipe, but typically, a few hours to overnight in the refrigerator is sufficient.

You have to be careful with swapping Greek yogurt and regular. In some applications, the thinner consistency of regular yogurt doesn't impact the recipe at all. With baking, if a recipe specifically calls for Greek yogurt, the added moisture from using regular yogurt instead might make the dough or batter too wet.

Yogurt makes boneless, skinless chicken infinitely more tender, and a yogurt marinade is as easy as one-two-three: one cup of yogurt, two citrus fruits, and three garlic cloves.

Can you add vanilla extract to yogurt? Yes, you can! Adding a dash of vanilla extract in plain yogurt really complements the tanginess of the yogurt and gives it a subtly sweet taste and flavor. Make it even better by adding a tablespoon of honey!

Does Greek yogurt split when heated? ›

Our creamy, tangy Greek Yogurt is a great substitution for sour cream or other high-fat cream in soups, sauces and stews. But heat can cause yogurt to separate, so whisk it in off the heat at the end, gently re-warming the dish over low heat if necessary, but not letting it simmer or boil.

Once you've decided what you want to use, it's time to whip up this Greek yogurt with protein powder. In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, food processor or standing jar for an immersion blender, add the yogurt, protein powder, cocoa powder, vanilla and peanut butter.

Yogurt tenderizes meat much more gently and effectively than regular marinades. While acidic vinegar- or citrus-based marinades can toughen proteins like chicken breast to a rubbery consistency, yogurt slowly tenderizes them, resulting in meat that can practically be pulled apart by hand.

Start with a ½ cup of yogurt for each pound of meat. If you use Greek or Skyr for a marinade, you will need to dilute it with a little liquid such as lemon juice, water or milk. If you have regular plain yogurt, just add your marinade seasoning to it as is.

Yogurt marinade for grilled chicken is the best of all worlds: It makes for flavorful, moist meat and can be tossed together the night before without sacrificing quality.

Beyond adding tenderness and flavor, yogurt has other pretty unique superpowers, too. “It infiltrates the meat and builds this beautiful crust,” says Anissa Helou, a London-based cookbook author, about how yogurt-marinated meat, when cooked, can build a layer of caramelization.

Yogurt has two things working for it as a marinade: microbes and lactic acid. Dr. Justin Sonnenburg, a professor of microbiology at Stanford and author of The Good Gut, says that the active bacteria in yogurt breaks down protein, making chicken breasts and steaks moist and tender.

So if you use fermented dairy products, you won't get the adverse texture changes that can happen if you marinate meat in vinegar or lemon juice. This makes lactic acid marinades good to go for longer periods of time. For example, you can marinate chicken in yogurt overnight without any worry.