This Sumac Yogurt Marinated Chicken recipe brings a lot of flavor to Keto Chicken Thighs. These baked Mediterranean chicken thighs are a flavor explosion!
Sumac Yogurt Marinated Chicken
I have been craving Middle Eastern/Mediterranean cuisine for a while. Unfortunately, there aren’t any restaurants anywhere near us except for a couple of fast food donair places.
And because I convinced Holley to do a keto challenge for the next month (I’ve been getting softer during the COVID-19 quarantine), donairs aren’t going to work for me right now anyway.
Thankfully Holley picked up a container of sumac spice powder to play with.
I like it!
And we had some yogurt in the fridge that wasn’t getting a lot of attention. Plus Holley’s mom grabbed us a super-pack of chicken thighs last week. Whammo: Sumac Yogurt Chicken!
What Does Sumac Spice Taste Like?
Sumac has an astringent tangy lemony flavor. It has a little more complexity than a simple lemon.
It can jazz up all kinds of things. Add some to paleo hummus, eggs, cooked vegetables, and sprinkle on pork rinds. And of course, sumac yogurt chicken.
Why Marinate With Yogurt?
Yogurt contains lactic acid which acts to slowly tenderize the meat proteins. Not like pineapples which have an enzyme called bromelain and when left too long will over digest the meat proteins, leaving you with a weird mushy texture. I learned that the hard way when I made Filipino Pineapple Tamarind Chicken. 😝
Lactic acid is produced during fermentation. So yogurt (including our homemade non-dairy coconut yogurt), buttermilk, and milk kefir would all work.
Interestingly, lactic acid is what causes the tartness in each of these foods, as well as in sourdough bread.
And yes, it’s the same acid that builds up in your muscles when you feel the burn!
A yogurt marinade will help make your meat more juicy and tender.
To get your meat tasty and juicy, use your marinate for a few hours or overnight. Get some!
Tasty Keto Chicken Thighs
One of the things I’ve been doing while in COVID-19 Quarantine – which has not included much physical activity – is listening to audiobooks. The most recent one being Life in the Fasting Lane.
Yup. I am challenging my relationship with food through fasting.
I love food. But, I don’t think in an unhealthy way. But quite passionately.
So the practice of reducing the number of times I’m eating may sound crazy. And quite a challenge.
But what this means, though, is that every feeding time must be awesome. So planning a marinade for keto chicken thighs the night before is important.
Most of the time when I’m cooking, the meal is not planned. Usually, it’s based on whatever got pulled out of the freezer and what vegetables happen to be in the crisper.
Therefore, you know that Sumac Yogurt Marinated Chicken must be goooooooood!
BTW, what have you been doing during your quarantine time? Cooking more? Working out at home? Learning online? Netflix? If you need some ideas, check out our Top 30 Activities during Quarantine.
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Sumac Yogurt-Marinated Chicken Thighs
- Total Time: 40-45 min
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 2.5 lb chicken thighs (I used bone-in, skin-on)
- 1 cup Greek yogurt (you can even use our homemade coconut yogurt)
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp ground paprika
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground pepper
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 small jalapeno pepper
- 3/4 tsp sumac powder
- 1 Tbsp dried fenugreek leaves
Instructions
- Marinade blend all ingredients, except for the chicken, in a blender. (Remove jalapeno seeds first if you are really sensitive to spice.)
- Combine chicken and marinade mixture in a ziplock back and refrigerate, ideally overnight (if not, that’s ok but don’t expect it to be as good in the end).
- Preheat oven to 425 F.
- Cook for 35-40 minutes (or until internal temperature is 165 F using a meat thermometer).
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 35-40 min
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Keywords: Chicken
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