Grilled Chicken Skewers With Tarragon and Yogurt

By Clare de Boer

Published May 20, 2020

Grilled Chicken Skewers With Tarragon and Yogurt
Andrew Purcell for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Carrie Purcell.
Total Time
1 hour, plus marinating and resting
Rating
4(2,389)
Comments
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These grilled chicken skewers are gently spiced with a ginger-and-cumin yogurt marinade, which makes the meat exceedingly tender and cooks to fragrant curds. As they grill, the skewers are gilded with a tarragon-mint baste that tastes distinctly Persian. Restraint and a very hot grill are both key to getting a good char: Don’t move the skewers until the yogurt is burnished and the meat releases from the grates. Color is flavor. Catch any juices that run out of the cooked skewers with warm pita bread. Leftovers make excellent chicken salad.

Featured in: Glorious Chicken on the Grill

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

    For Grilling

    • 2½pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
    • 2teaspoons kosher salt
    • 8scallions, trimmed
    • 6pita breads

    For the Marinade

    • 2½cups full-fat Greek yogurt
    • ¼cup fresh lime juice (from 2 limes)
    • 1tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
    • 2½teaspoons kosher salt
    • 1garlic clove, crushed
    • 1(2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
    • 2teaspoons roasted cumin seeds, bruised using a mortar and pestle

    For the Herb-butter Baste

    • ¼cup unsalted butter (½ stick)
    • ¼teaspoon kosher salt
    • 2tablespoons fresh lime juice (from 1 lime), plus 4 lime wedges for serving
    • ¼cup chopped fresh tarragon, mint or both, plus more torn herbs for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

563 calories; 25 grams fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 35 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 51 grams protein; 957 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Prepare the chicken: Cut each thigh in half against the grain. Rub with salt and set aside.

  2. Step 2

    Prepare the marinade: In a small bowl, mix the yogurt, lime juice, olive oil, salt and garlic. Reserve and refrigerate 1 cup marinade for serving. Put remaining marinade into a large resealable plastic bag and add the ginger, cumin and chicken; squelch around to coat thoroughly then refrigerate for 1 hour, or up to 48 hours.

  3. Step 3

    Remove the chicken from the refrigerator 1 hour before you plan to grill. If using wooden skewers, immerse them in water to soak for 15 minutes. Alternatively, use metal skewers or none at all.

  4. Step 4

    Prepare the grill: Clean the grate thoroughly and build a hot fire. The skewers will cook over intense, direct heat. The coals are ready when they glow red and the grate hisses when you drop water on it.

  5. Step 5

    Thread the chicken lengthwise onto skewers (if using), then smear with the marinade from the bag.

  6. Step 6

    Prepare the baste: Place the butter and salt in a small saucepan to melt on the cooler side of the grill (or use the stovetop). Once butter is melted, add the lime juice and chopped herbs; keep warm but do not boil.

  7. Step 7

    Grilling in batches if necessary, place the chicken on the grill a few inches apart. When you see a good char forming underneath, about 3 to 5 minutes, gently tug a skewer or the chicken: If it feels very stuck, leave it a few more minutes before turning. When the chicken releases easily and looks nicely charred in places, flip it using a fish spatula to gently pry any stuck bits off the grate.

  8. Step 8

    Baste the chicken with the herb butter and arrange the scallions in a single layer on the cooler edges of the grill. Let the chicken cook on the second side until firm and cooked through and turn the scallions occasionally until grill-marked and tender, about 8 minutes.

  9. Step 9

    Grill the pitas until marked, about 1 minute, turning halfway through. Lay them on the serving platter and place the scallions and chicken on top. Drizzle the bread, scallions and chicken with any remaining warm herb butter. Dollop chicken with reserved marinade, squeeze with lime and top with extra tarragon or mint.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
2,389 user ratings
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Comments

Kwp

Terrific recipe! Marinating the chicken in a bowl with a plate on top works fine and illustrates that we can cook without plastic bags and wraps. I’m on a mission! :-)

tracey

This was delicious! Definitely cut back the salt in the yogurt though. It was so salty I had to add a lot more yogurt, olive oil and garlic. I threw in a diced up cucumber in the reserve yogurt for a yummy labne-like addition. We also did naan instead of pita. This is now added our grilling go to faves!

KellyDorafshar

I made this with chicken BREAST that I brined in salted water for 8 hours. Then I marinated the chicken in the yogurt sauce. This chicken was falling apart. Absolutely delicious! People tend to shy away from using chicken breasts, but brining really tenderizes the meat and makes it super juicy! I also has lots of mushrooms on hand and skewered those and threw on the BBQ with the chicken. Used the herb-butter baste on the mushrooms... so so good!

sunnyday

Made with tempeh and was ok! Needed more punch maybe herbs would help in the yogurt or more cumin.

Heidiwhitey

Kind of gloopy with all the sauce on the grill. Should have wiped it off a little more before grilling. I packed the skewers prob a little too tightly so it took a while to cook and didn’t char as much. Next time I would put the skewers on a grill tray. And reduce the amount of marinade I prepared.

stormygirl

Very sticky on the grill, to the point that it was overcooked by the time I could flip it. Flavor was fine

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