Paprika Yoghurt Baked Chicken
Aperçu
Chicken marinated for at least twelve hours in yoghurt, paprika, cayenne, garlic and ginger, then roasted hot on a rack. No country is named, though the ginger-and-garlic-heavy marinade points broadly towards South Asian and East African cooking. The yoghurt marinade is doing real chemical work rather than just adding flavour. Its lactic acid tenderises the meat gently, which is quite different from how a lemon or vinegar marinade behaves, acid marinades are harsher and can turn the surface chalky if left too long, whereas yoghurt can sit for a full day without damage. Yoghurt also clings to the chicken where a thin marinade runs off, so the spices stay on the meat rather than pooling in the dish. Two things in the method are better than they look. The rack over a foil-lined pan lets air circulate underneath, so the chicken roasts on all sides instead of stewing in its own juices, the difference between roast chicken and half-braised chicken. And leaving the oven door shut is not fussiness: opening it repeatedly drops the temperature and the browning stalls. The marinade ingredients are not separated from the rest in the source, and the ingredient list contains no marinade heading at all. Everything except the oil goes into the marinade. Its gluten-free and low-calorie claims have not been carried across as claims.
Ingrédients
Les mentions alimentaires sont fournies par les contributeurs à titre indicatif. Elles ne sont pas vérifiées par AFN et dépendent des produits que vous achetez. En cas d’allergie grave, vérifiez vous-même chaque ingrédient. Cuisine, allergies et votre propre jugement
Préparation
- 1
Combine the yoghurt, paprika, cayenne, garlic, ginger and salt into a marinade.
- 2
Put the chicken pieces in a zip-lock bag and pour in the marinade. Seal and knead the bag until the chicken is thoroughly coated. Open it slightly, squeeze out most of the air and seal again.
- 3
Refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours. Turn the bag and knead it once or twice during that time.
- 4
When you are ready to cook, take the chicken out of the fridge. Line a large roasting pan with foil and set a rack over it, so air can circulate under the chicken as it roasts.
- 5
Set the oven to 425°F / 220°C and let it come fully up to temperature.
- 6
Brush the chicken with the vegetable oil, arrange it on the rack and put the pan in the oven. Keep the door closed.
- 7
Turn the pieces once after 30 minutes, then roast for a further 25 to 30 minutes, until slightly charred on the second side.
- 8
Test with a skewer, the juices should run clear.
- 9
Move the chicken to a warm platter and serve.
Notes de l’Africook
- Give it the full marinating time. Twelve hours is the minimum here and twenty-four is better; yoghurt is gentle enough that it will not damage the meat.
- Use the rack. Chicken sitting directly in a pan stews in its own juices instead of roasting.
- Keep the oven door shut. Every opening drops the temperature and stalls the browning.
- Squeeze the air out of the bag. It keeps the marinade in contact with the meat rather than pooling at the bottom.
- Yoghurt clings where thin marinades run off, which is why the spices stay on the chicken.
- Check the juices run clear rather than trusting the clock, bird sizes vary considerably.
Questions fréquentes
Why marinate in yoghurt?
Because it tenderises gently and clings well. The lactic acid in yoghurt breaks down proteins slowly and evenly, which is quite different from a lemon or vinegar marinade, those are harsher and can leave the surface of the meat chalky if left too long. Yoghurt can sit on chicken for a full day without doing damage. It is also thick, so it stays on the meat rather than running off into the dish.
How long should I marinate it?
Twelve hours at minimum, and up to twenty-four. This is not a marinade that works in an hour, the whole point of using yoghurt is that it can be left long enough to genuinely penetrate the meat. Turning and kneading the bag once or twice during that time redistributes the marinade. Anything shorter and you have seasoned the surface rather than the chicken.
Why roast it on a rack?
So air can circulate underneath. Chicken sitting directly in a roasting pan sits in its own rendered juices, which means the underside stews rather than roasts, you end up with one browned side and one pale, soft one. A rack over a foil-lined pan lets the hot air reach every surface, and the foil catches the drips so there is nothing extra to clean.
Where is this dish from?
No country is named. The heavy use of ginger and garlic alongside a yoghurt marinade points broadly towards South Asian cooking and towards the East African cuisines shaped by South Asian communities, Kenyan and Tanzanian kuku paka and tandoori-influenced dishes work on similar principles. The recipe as written is contemporary rather than traditional, and no attribution has been invented for it.
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