RFL chicken for those bored with chicken

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An RFL-friendly chicken breast recipe for those days when you can't face the thought of another plain grilled, baked, or stewed chicken breast. The marinade is super easy, super forgiving, and will make the chicken juicy and flavorful.

This recipe isn't really mine, although I couldn't tell you where I first stumbled across it besides "the internet", and I've adapted it to my tastes.

Yogurt-Marinaded Indian chicken:

4-6 chicken breasts, trimmed of visible fat
1/2 c. plain (unflavored) NF Greek or NF regular yogurt.
4-6 cloves garlic, minced, or you can cheat and use garlic powder
2-3 tsp curry powder
1-2 tsp cumin powder
1-2 tsp red pepper flakes or chili or cayenne pepper (use less if you go the cayenne route)
1/2 tsp ground cardamom or 1 tsp cardamom seeds (optional)
1/4 tsp. tumeric (optional)
1 tsp salt
pepper to taste

Stir everything but the chicken breasts in the measuring cup you used to measure the yogurt. It should be quite thick, but if it seems much too thick for a marinade, add a tablespoon (or a bit more) of lemon juice, the liquidy stuff that sometimes accumulates on the top of an opened carton of yogurt, or even just water. You can also check the spice level at this point, adding more spice if necessary.

Put the chicken breasts and the marinade in a ziploc bag. Get as much air out of the bag as you can, seal it, and squish it around so that the marinade coats all of the chicken. Refrigerate for 8-24 hours, squishing and turning the bag over when you're going to the fridge for something else.

Shake/scrape the excess marinade off the chicken and discard it. Salt each side again. Grill or pan "fry" the breasts on the stovetop, using just as much oil as you need to keep the breasts from sticking to the pan.

NOTE: yogurt- and milk-based marinades burn more easily than oil-based marinades, so don't walk away from these. I often sear each side of the chicken, let the marinade and juices reduce, and then, when the stuff on the bottom of the pan starts to turn dark brown, add 1/2 cup of water to the skillet, cover it, and turn the heat way down to prevent burning.

The cook time will depend a bit the thickness of the breasts, but for the 6-8 oz breasts you get from most American grocery stores, I'd say check after no more than 8-10 minutes. (Like all meat, chicken will keep cooking a bit after you turn off the heat, especially if you cover the pan.)

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