Grilled Lemon and Fresh Herb Chicken~ Pollo Asado

It was the fourth of July! Of course I had to grill something and what better thing than some chicken. When trying to please a crowd of hungry friends and family at a reasonable price, chicken drumsticks are a good option. My goal for this summer, as far as grilling goes is to try some new and different ingredients. And one of those ingredients that I don’t use often in my cooking is plain Greek Yogurt. Lucky for me, I am on the Cabot  Cheeseboard and I have  enjoyed the Cabot brand of  cheese and Greek  plain yogurt a few times now, courtesy of Cabot. For a long time now, I have been anxious to try a Greek yogurt marinated chicken. I am a big fan of Greek food, chicken to be more specific. This was the perfect opportunity to try this new recipe. When a few of my foodie friends mentioned how they treat plain yogurt the same way as they would buttermilk. And we all know how tasty foods are that have been marinated in buttermilk, yum! That was all I needed to know. Our friends and family really enjoyed the chicken drumsticks on the 4th of July. And even more so, my husband and I enjoyed the leftover chicken for a few days after that. As my husband says, “This recipe is a keeper!”

 

Grilled Lemon and Fresh Herb Chicken~Pollo Asado

Ingredients
14 drumsticks or chicken pieces of your choice (4 to 5 pounds)
Salt, white pepper and granulated garlic  to taste
2 cups plain greek yogurt
Zest and juice of 2 lemons
2 tablespoons Maggi sauce or Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons Valentina,Tapatio  or Cholula hot sauce
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh oregano
1 1/2 teaspoon  dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons white pepper
Salt to taste

* I also added 2 large cloves of  grated garlic into the marinade

This mix as is can be used as a dipping sauce as well!

Out of all of the marinades I have used for chicken, this yogurt marinade has been the most flavorful.

After 30 minutes into the cooking time.

Directions

1. Season the chicken lightly with salt, pepper and granulated garlic, set aside. Combine all of the ingredients for yogurt marinade. Pour half of marinade over chicken and turn to coat evenly. Cover and chill for 4 to 6 hours. Reserve the remaining marinade.

2. Remove chicken from refrigerator 30 minutes before it goes on the grill. Prepare outdoor grill and preheat to med/high heat. Shake off excess marinade from chicken and place on hot grill. Grill for 35 to 40 minutes, turning every 5 to 6 minutes. Rotate the larger pieces closer to the heat now and then.

3. After about 30 minutes, I begin to baste the chicken with the extra yogurt marinade. I turned and basted about 4 times. Once I was done with the basting, I moved the chicken to the outer part of grill, away from the direct heat. I Cooked for another 10 minutes or until internal temperature reads 165 degrees F

4. The rain came so, I transfered my chicken to a large baking dish and covered with foil. It was at 150 degrees F. when I pulled it from the grill. I finished cooking the chicken in a preheated 350 degree oven for 25 minutes. Let chicken rest for 10 minutes before serving.Yields 6 to 8 servings.

Guacamole Sauce

1 large avocado, a full cup
2 serranos peppers, sliced
1 clove garlic, sliced
1/3 cup cilantro with stems or to taste
Juice of 3 key limes
1 cup cold water
salt to taste

Combine all of the ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth. Taste for salt. Yields about 2 cups. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

The Guacamole sauce was a last minute thought, and was perfect with the flavors of the chicken. I served with warm tortillas, instant taco night!