Grilled South African Chicken
Chicken marinated in yogurt and South African spices grilled for a flavorful, juicy chicken.
- Prep Time: 10 mins active, 3 hours marinade
- Cook Time: 12 mins
- Total Time: 3 hours 22 mins (including marinating)
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: main
- Method: grilling
- Cuisine: South African
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 chicken breast fillets
For the marinade
- 1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
- 1 tsp fresh ginger
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp coriander
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp orange juice
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine all the marinade ingredients, yogurt through orange juice.
- Scoop out 3 tablespoons of the marinade, and place in a container to use as a topping. Refrigerate this portion of the yogurt spice mixture.
- Place the chicken in a sealable plastic bag. Add the remaining marinade to the bag, and seal. Gradually toss the chicken around in the marinade bag until it is well coated.
- Place the chicken in the refrigerator to marinate for 3 to 4 hours.
- Preheat a grill to medium high, leaving the back burner off if you have a gas grill. Take the chicken out of the refrigerator as the grill heats up.
- When the grill is ready, shake the excess marinade off, then place the chicken on the direct heat portion of the grill. Grill the chicken on one side for 5 minutes, then flip the chicken to grill toward the back of the grill for another 6 minutes. Check the chicken for doneness–chicken should be 165 degrees internal temperature when done. Put the chicken back on the grill for a few more minutes if it isn’t done after the first 11 minutes of grilling, and remove when done.
- Place the chicken on a platter. We typically cut the chicken fillets in half, and start each person with that portion. Pass the extra yogurt mixture at the table so people can add a bit of it as a topping for their chicken. Enjoy with chakalaka and South African Chenin Blanc for the full South African dining experience!
Notes
- Important food safety note: never use remaining marinade that had contact with meat as a topping, unless it has been heated to a safe temperature for at least 10 minutes. That is why we set aside some of the yogurt / spice mixture prior to introducing the chicken.
- Chicken grilling time will depend on size of the chicken breast.
- We used coconut mild yogurt but you can use whatever plain yogurt you like.
Keywords: South African Chicken, yogurt spice marinade for chicken, food to serve with Chenin Blanc
Find it online: https://cookingchatfood.com/south-african-chicken/
