Memorial Day Recipes: Greek Grilling Part I

By Sportsglutton

Photo By: James Henry

Memorial Day weekend is finally upon us and with it the “official” start to the grilling season. Gone (hopefully) are the days of grilling in freezing temperatures, rain and/or snow…all of which I have done over the past six months.

To celebrate the holiday weekend, I’ve put together a phenomenal line-up of grilled Greek recipes which provides a tasty and easy alternative to the usual hot dog, hamburger, potato salad flare that we are all accustomed to.

Today and tomorrow I’ll be posting both appetizer and entrée recipes for a complete grilled Greek meal for you, the family, and/or your guests this weekend.  I’m talking; yogurt marinated chicken, stuffed lamb burgers, grilled Greek salad, homemade humus and baba ganoush, a feta artichoke dip, plus a few sauces.  Ok, so I’m throwing in some Mediterranean recipes, but I promise you they’re all tasty.

The first recipe below is for the yogurt marinated chicken, but be sure to check back in later today and tomorrow for all the recipes, including one or two wine selections to enjoy as well.

Greek Yogurt Marinated Grilled Chicken Recipe

This simple recipe for marinated chicken combines the tenderizing power of yogurt, with subtle hints of sweetness, citrus, spice and heat.  Smoke and char off the grill add that last level of flavor.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Marinating Time: 2-3 hours
Cooking Time: 10 minutes

The Necessities:

• 2 large skin/boneless chicken breasts (sliced in long thick strips)
• ½ cup greek yogurt
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 crushed garlic clove
• Salt and Pepper
• Oregano
• Juice of ½ of lemon
• Freshly chopped parsley (optional)
• Metal or wooden skewers
• Woodchips (optional)

Directions:

• In a medium-sized mixing bowl combine the yogurt, honey, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, oregano, garlic, and lemon zest. Stir until throughly mixed.

• Using a juicer or fork, extract the juice of 1/2 of a lemon into the bowl and stir into yogurt mixture

• Add the sliced chicken breasts to the bowl and with your hands or spatula make sure the chicken is coated with the yogurt marinate.

• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator.  Allow the chicken to marinate for 2-3 hours.
• When ready to cook, set-up your grill for direct  grilling and soak your woodchips in water (if necessary)

• Remove chicken from refrigerator.  Fold the strips of chicken in half and slide each piece onto the skewer through the thickest part of the meat.

• With a paper towel or cloth lightly oil the grill grate and place each skewer over direct heat on the grill.
• Cooking time should be around 5 minutes per side and the chicken is cooked when firm to the touch (please use a meat thermometer to confirm the internal temperature of the chicken is at least 160 degrees).

• Remove skewers from grill, place on platter, garnish with freshly chopped parsley, serve and enjoy!