Grilled chicken thighs appeals to every palate with different marination and spice options. How about a delicious Turkish style grilled chicken recipe that you can easily prepare?
Chicken is an excellent source of protein for dieters, athletes and those who care about healthy nutrition. It is low in fat and high in protein, supports muscle development and keeps you full for a long time.
You should definitely try the “Soy Sauce Chicken” recipe.
How to Marinate Grilled Chicken Thighs?
Optimal marination times for chicken:
- Minimum: At least 30 minutes. This time is enough for the chicken to taste the marinade mixture.
- Recommended: 2-4 hours. This time allows the spices and flavors to penetrate the chicken better.
- Maximum: 24 hours. Marinating the chicken a day allows the flavors to penetrate deeply into the meat. However, marinating for longer than 24 hours deteriorates the structure of the chicken. And it negatively affects the texture of the meat.
Remember that the chicken should be kept in the refrigerator during the marinating process. Leaving it at room temperature for a long time is risky for food safety. Store your chicken in an airtight container or covered with plastic wrap. Leave it in the refrigerator for marination.
Marinating the chicken is very important. Marinated chicken becomes more delicious and tender when cooked. Another thing you should pay attention is to cook the chicken correctly. When you cook the chicken in a short time over high heat, it remains crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. When cooking on the barbecue, you must wait for the first heat of the coal to pass. Otherwise the outside of the chicken will burn and the inside will remain raw. You can roast the vegetables first and then cook the chicken.
If you have a food thermometer; make sure the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F (75°C). This way you can keep the chicken meat tender and juicy,
What goes well with it?
Grilled chicken thighs creates a more balanced and nutritious meal when served with a variety of vegetables. Grilled vegetables such as roasted eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, zucchini and mushrooms go well with chicken. A kebab salad with parsley and onion also goes well with grilled chicken. In Gaziantep, there is always a salad with kebab or grill. A green salad takes the weight of the meat and allows you to digest it more easily.
Click here for Turkish local recipes.
How to Make Grilled Chicken Thighs?
Antep Style Chicken Marinade:
1.Step: If you are going to use chicken breast, cut it horizontally as if you were making shcnitzel. Make sure you cut it in equal thickness. If you cut it too thinly, it may dry out while cooking. If you are going to use chicken thighs, remove the skin and bones.
With its high fat content, the skin burns quickly on the grill. With its smoke, harmful chemicals may stick to the meat.
2.Step: Prepare the marinade for the chicken. Mix olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt, black pepper, thyme and tomato paste.
3.Step: Pour marinade over chicken. Mix thoroughly with your hands. Then cover it and marinate it in the refrigerator for about 2 hours.
How to Cook Grilled Chicken?
4.Step: Once the first heat of the barbecue fire has passed and it reaches medium temperature, you can start cooking the chicken. However, make sure that the grill rack is clean and free of leftover bits. The old residues on it burn, then stick to the meat and may give it a bad taste. Also if there is residue, it will be hard to separate meat from the wire.
5.Step: Since there is oil in the marinade, you don’t need to oil the grill. Place the chickens directly on the grill and start cooking.
6.Step: Do not try to separate the meat from the wire early. Wait until it is cooked and releases itself from the wire. Otherwise you may tear chicken into pieces.
7.Step: When it reaches the desired cooking level, you can enjoy your grilled chicken thighs hot.
Grilled Chicken Thighs (Turkish Style)
Ingredients
- 1 kg chicken thighs
- 2 tbsp chili pepper I used Aleppo pepper
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ¼ cup olive oil
Instructions
- If you are going to use chicken breast, cut it horizontally as if you were making shcnitzel. If you are going to use chicken thighs, remove the skin and bones.
- Prepare the marinade for the chicken. Mix olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt, black pepper, thyme and tomato paste.
- Pour marinade over chicken. Mix thoroughly with your hands. Then cover it and marinate it in the refrigerator for about 2 hours.
- Once the first heat of the barbecue fire has passed and it reaches medium temperature, you can start cooking the chicken.
- Since there is oil in the marinade, you don’t need to oil the grill. Place the chickens directly on the grill and start cooking.
- Do not try to separate the meat from the wire early. Wait until it is cooked and releases itself from the wire.