Charred, tender chicken thighs marinated in a yoghurt, citrus and a mix of herbs and spices and grilled on the BBQ, paired with simple grilled vegetables and rice. It's the perfect summer meal and it's quick, easy and has minimal clean up. This is what I eat Monday - Thursday during the summer.
Category
Dinner
Servings
2
Prep time
1 hour 20 minutes
Cook time
15 minutes
Charred, tender chicken thighs marinated in a yoghurt, citrus and a mix of herbs and spices and grilled on the BBQ, paired with simple grilled vegetables and rice. It's the perfect summer meal, it's easy and has minimal clean up. This is what I eat Monday - Thursday during the summer.
Ingredients
- 4 chicken thighs, boned & skin off
- 150g plain yoghurt
- zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp sumac
- ½ tsp chilli powder
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to season
- 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed
- 1 red onion, cut into wedges
- 1 zucchini, quartered lengthwise, seeded
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lemon
-
steamed rice, to serve
BBQ Chicken Thighs
Grilled Vegetables
Directions
Step 1: Marinate the chicken
Place the chicken in a large bowl with the yoghurt, lemon zest and juice, cumin, coriander, sumac, chilli powder, garlic and oil. Season with salt and pepper.
- Toss well to combine and completely coat the chicken. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour, up to overnight.
Prep Vegetables
Place the chicken in a large bowl with the yoghurt, lemon zest and juice, cumin, coriander, sumac, chilli powder, garlic and oil. Season with salt and pepper.
- Toss well to combine and completely coat the chicken. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour, up to overnight.
Grill chicken and veg
Preheat a BBQ grill to high heat. Place the chicken on the grill, skin side down (even though there’s no skin, just the side the skin was on).
- Cook the chicken for 6-8 minutes, with the lid down. Turn over when browned and the chicken releases from the grill and continue to cook a further 6 minutes, or until cooked through.
- Transfer to a tray and rest for a few minutes.
- Place the zucchini and asparagus on the flat plate of the BBQ and cook with the lid down for 2-3 minutes, until starting to brown.
- Turn to cook the other side and add the red onions to the flat plate.
- Cook for a further 2-3 minutes, until charred and softened. Transfer to a tray and zest the lemon over the vegetables, then season with cracked black pepper.
- Serve the chicken and vegetables with lemon wedges on the side and steamed rice.
Recipe notes
Origins
This is a dinner staple of ours taking simple ingredients, and my go-to spices to pack a punch on flavour.
Prep
The chicken can be marinated ahead of time and refrigerated overnight.
Cooking method
If you don't have a BBQ, you can cook it on the stove in a heavy based pan (preferably cast iron or carbon steel) and follow the same cooking instructions. Just don't crowd the pan, cook it in batches to ensure the heat stays in your pan. And check the chicken doneness before pulling out of the pan.
Cook support
Don’t try turning the chicken over until it comes away from the grill plate…if it is sticking, then it isn’t ready to turn.
Storage
Refrigerate any leftovers in separate airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Serving ideas
You could opt for some fresh crusty bread or add some grilled potatoes instead of the rice.
