![BBQ Chicken](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/09/06/dining/15JPGRILL1/15JPGRILL1-mediumThreeByTwo440-v4.jpg?width=1280&quality=75&auto=webp)
BBQ Chicken
Sam Sifton
2584 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
2,584
45 minutes
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Prepare the chicken: Cut each thigh in half against the grain. Rub with salt and set aside.
Prepare the marinade: In a small bowl, mix the yogurt, lime juice, olive oil, salt and garlic. Reserve and refrigerate 1 cup marinade for serving. Put remaining marinade into a large resealable plastic bag and add the ginger, cumin and chicken; squelch around to coat thoroughly then refrigerate for 1 hour, or up to 48 hours.
Remove the chicken from the refrigerator 1 hour before you plan to grill. If using wooden skewers, immerse them in water to soak for 15 minutes. Alternatively, use metal skewers or none at all.
Prepare the grill: Clean the grate thoroughly and build a hot fire. The skewers will cook over intense, direct heat. The coals are ready when they glow red and the grate hisses when you drop water on it.
Thread the chicken lengthwise onto skewers (if using), then smear with the marinade from the bag.
Prepare the baste: Place the butter and salt in a small saucepan to melt on the cooler side of the grill (or use the stovetop). Once butter is melted, add the lime juice and chopped herbs; keep warm but do not boil.
Grilling in batches if necessary, place the chicken on the grill a few inches apart. When you see a good char forming underneath, about 3 to 5 minutes, gently tug a skewer or the chicken: If it feels very stuck, leave it a few more minutes before turning. When the chicken releases easily and looks nicely charred in places, flip it using a fish spatula to gently pry any stuck bits off the grate.
Baste the chicken with the herb butter and arrange the scallions in a single layer on the cooler edges of the grill. Let the chicken cook on the second side until firm and cooked through and turn the scallions occasionally until grill-marked and tender, about 8 minutes.
Grill the pitas until marked, about 1 minute, turning halfway through. Lay them on the serving platter and place the scallions and chicken on top. Drizzle the bread, scallions and chicken with any remaining warm herb butter. Dollop chicken with reserved marinade, squeeze with lime and top with extra tarragon or mint.
Terrific recipe! Marinating the chicken in a bowl with a plate on top works fine and illustrates that we can cook without plastic bags and wraps. I’m on a mission! :-)
This was delicious! Definitely cut back the salt in the yogurt though. It was so salty I had to add a lot more yogurt, olive oil and garlic. I threw in a diced up cucumber in the reserve yogurt for a yummy labne-like addition. We also did naan instead of pita. This is now added our grilling go to faves!
I made this with chicken BREAST that I brined in salted water for 8 hours. Then I marinated the chicken in the yogurt sauce. This chicken was falling apart. Absolutely delicious! People tend to shy away from using chicken breasts, but brining really tenderizes the meat and makes it super juicy! I also has lots of mushrooms on hand and skewered those and threw on the BBQ with the chicken. Used the herb-butter baste on the mushrooms... so so good!
Flavors were great. I would cut out the salt added to chicken and then start with one teaspoon in yogurt marínate adjusting to taste. Cooked in oven on a baking sheet at 400F for 5 min on one side flipped over then added scallions for last 5 minutes. Then moved baking sheet to higher rack for 2 minutes on broiler setting removed scallions then turned over chicken and broiled for another 2 min until crispy & brown.
This chicken is juicy and flavorful. I don’t have a grill so I used a grill pan which resulted in a fairly smokey apartment - worth it.
What temp setting do people use? Recipe calls for a “hot fire” might as well call for wet water. Just curious what people are using.
We loved this! I didn't bother with skewers, or grilling the scallions, just did whole thighs, halved the recipe. Sprinkled after grilling with a mix of chopped mint, parsley and scallion, and served with the yogurt sauce. The lime really came through, and there was a bit of that tandoori vibe in the taste (yogurt marinade). I hope to make this for a crowd soon! Might even be worth doing the skewers and pitas, though it was great as it was.
I must say, for a novice like me, this is the best meal I’ve ever made. I’ve learned how to cook, thanks to the pandemic and the New York Times, and my boyfriend, but truly, this was fantastic. Super flavorful, not too hard though at the end with pita and herbs and grilling, I got a little bit flustered, but that’s just because I’m green. I highly recommend this dish.
We should make a rule that when reviewers state that a recipe was too salty and to cut it in half, etc., they must also include whether they followed the recipe and used kosher salt. I did not find the recipe too salty at all - I also used the called for kosher salt. If you're going to use regular salt you'll need to cut it in half for it to be about the same. We don't care for thighs so we used chicken breast and it was tender, moist and delicious.
Agree with the comments regarding the salt...way too much. I used a combo of fresh mint and tarragon and loved super summery flavors. Don't have access to a grill so I used a sheet pan under the broiler and it worked great. Grilled a halved lime and squeezed it over the whole dish before serving. Will definitely be making this again!
Winner, winner, chicken dinner! We live in an apt bldg with a shared backyard so grilled this on a gas grill on medium. Didn’t get the preferred char (color) and as soon as I put the butter/herb/lime mixture on, it got super smoky so had to abort mission before neighbor complained but the results were STILL delicious! Can’t wait to try this while camping or at park BBQ. Mmmmmmmm
Time-consuming and it makes quite a mess on the grill but delicious. We had no tarragon so used mint from the garden. And I agree with the comments on the saltiness; we cut the amount of salt in the marinade in half; given that the chicken is salted too, this is plenty. Didn't have any cucumbers but I think that would be a nice addition.
Cut out the salt added to chicken and use one teaspoon in yogurt marínade adjusting to taste. Cook in oven on a baking sheet at 400F for 5 min on one side, flip over then add scallions for last 5 minutes.Then move baking sheet to higher rack for 2 minutes on broiler setting, remove scallions then turn over chicken and broil for another 2 min until crispy & brown. Make more of the marinade/sauce. Can just do whole thighs, sprinkle after grilling with a mix of parsley,mint+chopped scallions
Tasty but be prepared for dealing with a full-fat yogurt marinade. It’s messy. Also recommend cutting the chicken into pieces before skewering. Easier to cook on the grill. Forget about the grilled scallions: mine turned out slimy and kept falling through the grill grates. The heat did nothing but made them go limp like overdressed ladies in the Mississippi heat.
I made this recipe substituting swordfish for chicken since I do not eat chicken. It was amazing.
Next time I’ll make more of the herb baste and use it to flavor the rice, which I served along side. Also grilled bell peppers and tomatoes and I would do that again. I used equal amounts of mint and tarragon from my garden — great combo.
Ground cumin. Add some ginger cumin mixture to reserved, plus one grated cucumber. Red onion wedges on skewers, chicken cut into pieces. Cut scallions, mix with chopped tarragon, chicken, onions
This dish was fantastic--I did not put any salt on the chicken, only the recommended amount of kosher salt in the marinade. The herb butter really finishes it off so amazingly. This has become a new family favorite--even my pickiest child loved it.
I used ground cumin instead of seeds in the marinade and then accidentally added it before separating the portion for serving - but it was delightful in the sauce!
This was meh. Flavors were good, but the yogurt marinade was messy. I think you need to really get a lot of it off before you put it on the grill. (I didn't skewer.) Some reviews said it was too salty, but I disagree -- you have to use KOSHER salt. If using regular, you'd have to cut back. The baste will cause your grill to flame up, so be careful. Not sure what the benefit is to grilling the scallions; next time, I'll just use fresh to add some crunch. It was meh, but there will be a next time.
A little hack to avoid burning your bamboo skewers over a grill (and also giving extra time for guests): Cut the chicken thighs into chunks, dip them in the marinade, then skewer them. Put the skewers in a pan and cover with remaining marinade. The marinade liquid soaks the bamboo so it doesn't burn, plus no last-minute prep.
I prepared this dish according to the recipe and loved, loved, loved it. So did my girlfriends who came over for lunch.
Thank you all those that commented about the salt. I sometimes forget about the differences among types of salt. This turned out great, made for a festive and easy camping meal.
Great flavor and recipe. I would not skewer the chicken. I am not sure why you would as thighs are very thin already and cook very fast. I will grill whole thighs next time.
I’d love to try this but it’s too complicated for someone like me. I need a shortcut version. Also three times the recipe calls for kosher salt. What’s so special about kosher salt? I have salt but not kosher salt.
This was delicious but definitely too salty for me. Next time I will reduce the salt in the marinade by half. Results in very tender flavorful chicken!
This was really good. Not as complicated as it looks! Do it.
Tasty, but high heat makes skewers break down, so I ended up with an unattractive looking help of chicken. Also, an awful lot of yogurt dressing disappears down the grill pan. Seems a pity.
I had way too much yogurt left in the marinade and felt like a waste to throw it out, so I put the marinade in with the chicken and turned it into a shredded chicken and yogurt sauce
We love this recipe -- it is easy and delicious. We add about 1/4 the recommended amount of salt, which suits our tastes. I cook this recipe on a Big Green Egg, direct heat but with 2/3rds of the coals on one side of the firebox and the chicken on the side of the grid away from the coals. This gives you a nice char without burning the yogurt to carbon. Do NOT recommend trying this recipe on a stovetop griddle -- we did it once and it set off our smoke alarms even with a strong exhaust fan!
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