Yogurt marinated chicken is one of my favorite ways to make grilled chicken thighs!

The thick yogurt marinate gently tenderizes the meat and infuses it with lemony, garlicky, herby flavor. The grilled chicken thighs come off the grill hot and crispy, with bits of crunchy char and juicy meat.

We use a lot of fresh herbs (mint and cilantro!), along with coriander, garlic, and chile flakes, to pack in layers of flavor.

The cool thing about yogurt chicken is the marinade is very gentle, so it can sit in the fridge and soak up flavor for up to 24 hours. The longer it marinates, the more tender, juicy, and flavorful the chicken gets.

Plus, once your chicken is marinating, dinner takes 10 minutes to throw together! Who doesn’t love that?

Finally, we love a good sauce around here. While the chicken is juicy, crunchy, and super tasty on it’s own, you can also whip up a cool cucumber yogurt dipping sauce to take it to the next level. Grate a cucumber, stir it in some yogurt along with extra minced herbs, and you have a tangy, creamy, super fresh sauce to contrast that hot chicken.

Keep reading for answers to a ton of questions about marinating chicken in yogurt!

ingredients:

chicken thighs
yogurt
garlic
cucumber
mint
cilantro
lemon
olive oil
coriander
red chile flakes
salt and pepper

how to make yogurt marinated chicken:

Make yogurt marinade and add chicken.
Marinate in fridge for up to 24 hours.
Make yogurt cucumber sauce; chill.
Grill chicken thighs until crispy and cooked through, about 10 minutes.
Serve with yogurt cucumber sauce.

what to serve with yogurt marinated chicken:

Serve these yogurt marinated chicken thighs over a bed of rice, couscous, quinoa, or farro for a simple dinner.

I love it alongside these salads: butter lettuce salad, cucumber avocado salad, fresh herb salad. It’s even great with this southwest quinoa salad for a complete meal!

Grill up some broccolini, sliced portobello mushrooms, slabs of eggplant, or asparagus for a simple vegetable addition.

Chop up leftover yogurt chicken and toss it in a wrap or pita, spread with some whipped feta or mashed avocado for a fantastic meal!

answers to common questions I hear about marinating chicken and yogurt:

Why do we use yogurt to marinate chicken?

The lactic acid in yogurt gently breaks down proteins in the chicken, which results in tender, flavorful, juicy meat. It’s gentler than citrus juice or vinegar, which can have the same denaturing effect as cooking and make the meat rubbery or even mushy.

Yogurt is thick, too, which helps it cling to the meat and carry flavor throughout the cooking.

How long can chicken marinate in yogurt?

Chicken can sit in the yogurt marinade for up to 24 hours. I prefer to marinate the chicken for at least 4 hours. This gives the yogurt a chance to start tenderizing the chicken and infusing it with flavor, but as little as 30 minutes will work.

The longer the chicken marinates, the more tender, juicy, and flavorful it will be.

Do you remove the yogurt marinade from chicken before cooking?

There’s no need to rinse or wipe off the yogurt marinade (there’s so much flavor in it)! Let the excess drip off, shaking or tapping it a bit against the bowl, until there’s a thin layer of yogurt covering the meat. Then grill away!

Can you use any type of yogurt?

Sort of. I prefer to use full-fat plain yogurt, which has the best consistency for marinating. Greek yogurt can be very thick and will need to be thinned with a little bit of liquid (you can use water, olive oil, milk, buttermilk, or lemon juice) in order to effectively coat the meat.

Can I use any type of chicken?

Yes! I love to grill boneless, skinless chicken thighs for a few reasons: they have a large surface area (and no skin) to soak up the marinade, they’re juicier than chicken breasts, and they’re simple to eat.

You can use chicken breasts. I recommend butterflying them so they have more contact with the marinade and they cook more quickly and evenly on the grill. You could also cube the chicken breasts and thread them on skewers for yogurt marinated chicken kabobs.

Finally, feel free to use bone-in chicken thighs! I would remove the skin, though, for maximum flavor.

more chicken recipes to try:

chicken pot pie with puff pastry

marry me chicken pasta

harissa grilled chicken skewers

dijon mustard chicken

grilled turmeric chicken thighs

sheet pan harissa chicken with broccolini and chickpeas

spicy fried chicken sandwich with jalapeño slaw

spicy grilled chicken pita with jalapeño yogurt

yogurt marinated chicken

Print Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

These yogurt-marinated chicken thighs are juicy, crispy, and filled with lemony, garlicky, herby flavor. The longer you marinate them, the more tender and flavorful they get!

Author: Indi Hampton
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 27 minutes
Yield: 12 chicken thighs
Category: Chicken
Method: Grill
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

yogurt cucumber sauce

1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
½ English cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely grated
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lemon, zested and juiced (about 2 tbsp lemon juice)
2 tbsp minced fresh mint
2 tbsp minced fresh cilantro
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

yogurt marinated chicken:

1 ½ cup plain whole-milk yogurt
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lemon, zested and juiced (about 2 tbsp lemon juice)
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
2 tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp red chile flakes
1 tbsp kosher salt
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

yogurt cucumber sauce:

In a medium bowl, combine yogurt, cucumber, olive oil, lemon zest and juice, mint, cilantro, ½ teaspoon kosher salt and pepper to taste. Stir until combined. Add more lemon or salt, if needed. Cover and refrigerate until ready.