Here’s Why You Should Marinate Your Chicken In Yogurt

I feel like at this point most people know that if you want big flavor from your chicken, the key is to marinate it. Whether or not you’re going for a dry rub or a wet brine, if you want every piece of your chicken inside and out to taste absolutely fantastic, the key is marination. But what is the best way to marinate chicken? Cultures around the world each have their specific methods demonstrating the “best way“ that chicken should be marinated to reach maximum flavor payoff. But what if I told you that the best way to marinate chicken is with a breakfast staple: yogurt?

Videos by Sporked

A Brief History

Yogurt has long been used to marinate chicken in a way that has created a distinct culinary footprint in the Mediterranean, the Middle Eastern, and South-East Asia. In Middle Eastern and South-East Asian cuisines, yogurt is often paired with rich, warming spices that mimic something of a deep, curry-like flavor. In Mediterranean cuisine, yogurt is often paired with things like lemon and fresh herbs to make something fresh and vibrant.

Why Should You Marinate Your Chicken In Yogurt?

Aside from the cultural significance, yogurt has distinct benefits for marinating chicken, like improved tenderness, texture, and balanced flavor. I mean it’s been used to marinate meat for so long. It has to be for a reason, right? Exactly! Yogurt is lush with something called lactic acid―found in dairy products. Lactic acid acts distinctly as a gentle but effective tenderizing agent. It imparts juiciness and tenderness whilst penetrating flavor into the very core of the piece of chicken you’re marinating.

Yogurt is also a less intense marinade than if you were to marinate meat with some sort of acid like a vinegar or a citrus juice alone. So, it can be left to absorb the flavor of the marinade for longer without damaging the structure of the protein itself. The lactose in the yogurt also will caramelize upon contact with a grill or skillet and impart of more balanced overall flavor to the tangy and rich yogurt.

Overall, if you want a foolproof away to marinate your chicken to maximize texture and flavor payoff (even just a chicken breast), then yogurt is always what I would recommend. Yogurt-marinated chicken is the one thing that I make where, no matter the audience, I will always be asked for the recipe. So, next time you’re flipping through recipes, and you see one with yogurt in it, don’t be intimidated or confused. Be bold and embrace the big flavor that is coming your way.