A few weeks ago I was looking through the Epicurious app (this app is awesome, you must get it!) trying to find a Turkish-style chicken recipe. This recipe caught my eye because of the yogurt marinade. However, I have no idea what Aleppo peppers are, so I decided to substitute Chipotle powder instead. What a hit. If you are using wooden skewers, make sure you soak them for about 30 minutes to keep them from burning on the grill.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Chipotle powder
- 2 teaspoons Hungarian sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 cup plain whole-milk Greek-style yogurt
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (I didn’t have any on hand so I used white Balsamic vinegar instead)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 6 garlic cloves, peeled, flattened (I used a garlic press)
- 2 unpeeled lemons; 1 thinly sliced into rounds, 1 cut into wedges for serving
- 2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/4-inch cubes
- Red, green, and yellow peppers, cut into 1-inch cubes.
- 1/2 onion, cut into 1-inch squares.
Preparation
Place Chipotle powder, paprika, and red pepper flakes in a large bowl and stir in 2 tablespoons of warm water. You are trying to make a paste. Add yogurt, vinegar, olive oil, tomato paste, salt and pepper, and using a whisk, blend together. Stir in the garlic and lemon slices, and then add the chicken. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour; ideally it should be marinated overnight, but I only had a few hours to marinate the chicken and it still came out delicious.
Heat up your grill over medium-high heat. Thread chicken pieces on skewers, alternating with vegetables. Discard the remaining marinade. Brush grill rack with oil or spray with high-heat Pam. Grill chicken until golden brown and cooked through, turning skewers occasionally, 10 to 12 minutes total. Transfer skewers to platter, and serve with lemon wedges. You could also make this in your oven at 450 degrees F, cooking the chicken for about 15 minutes.
