broiled yogurt chicken

Awhile back I made homemade onion dip with plain Greek yogurt I had on hand.  Since I had a big container of it, and I hate plain yogurt, I had to figure out what to do with the rest of the container.  I didn't want to throw it away, so I was determined to use it.

For Christmas Bob bought me a used cookbook I wanted:  How Cooking Works.  It's an older cookbook (it talks about microwaves being "among the recent innovations"), but it's chock full of information.  It talks about all the different cooking methods and why one works for certain foods and others don't, the different cuts of meat and poultry and how to shop for it, how ingredients work together, and how to choose the right ingredients.

I wasn't looking for a recipe containing yogurt when I was reading through the book last week, but I happened to come across one while reading about poultry:  Broiled Yogurt Chicken. It looked very easy:  marinade the chicken and then broil it.  I scanned the list of ingredients and guess what?!  I had them all!!  (Well, technically it called for a whole, cut-up chicken and I had boneless breasts.) The only issue was putting together the marinade without Bob seeing it.  It had an ingredient that would automatically take it off the "normal foods" list:  cider vinegar.  He hates vinegar.  I'm not overly fond of it on it's own, but I'm fine with it as an ingredient in salad dressings, buffalo chicken wings, and sauerkraut.  Anyway, I decided to try this recipe.  It was different and easy, I had all the ingredients, and I would use up more of the Greek yogurt.

Overall, it was a good dish.  The chicken was very tender and it had a tang to it.  It was also very garlicky; good vampire deterrent!  It cooked much more quickly that the recipe said; however, I used boneless chicken breast rather than a whole cut-up chicken.  I'm not sure I'd make it again, mainly because I just don't usually buy plain yogurt and I don't think I'd buy it just to make this.

Broiled Yogurt Chicken
(adapted from How Cooking Works)

1 cup plain yogurt (I used Greek)
1/4 cup brown sugar
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 TB cider vinegar
1 TB soy sauce
4 to 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts*
*Note:  You can use any kind of chicken in this:  parts, boneless breasts, boneless thighs, etc.

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients except the chicken and whisk together.  
2. Put the chicken in a Ziploc bag or non-aluminum bowl and pour the marinade over it.  Seal tightly and refrigerate for 2 to 4 days, turning it whenever you think of it. (I kept it in the fridge for 2 days.)
3. When ready to cook, put the broiler on High.  Move the oven rack to the very bottom so it's far from the broiler flame.
4. Put the chicken skin side down on a rack in a shallow baking pan.  Add a little water to cover the bottom of the pan.
5. Broil for about 10 minutes and then turn the chicken over to broil for another 10 minutes until cooked through.  Baste a couple times with the water in the bottom of the pan.  Note:  Be sure to check the chicken often.  Broilers get very hot and there's usually a fine line between under done, perfect, and charcoal.