This flavorful Grilled Masala and Lemongrass Chicken uses boneless skinless chicken thighs for a shorter cooking time. Lowfat yogurt helps keep them moist.
With a little planning, you can do all your cooking on the grill and avoid heating up the kitchen during the hottest months. Refreshing side dishes like fruits and salads, which require no cooking, make great accompaniments to those delicious grilled meat and vegetables.
Grilled foods need not be fat and greasy. Make them healthy with leaner cuts of meat. Instead of traditional barbecue sauce every time, use dry rubs and spices to create exciting new flavors. Low-fat yogurt works really well as a binder—it helps keep the meat juicy and moist with the advantage of an added layer of flavor.
Chicken is one of my favorites for the grill, and one of my favorite cuts is boneless, skinless chicken thighs. The meat is moist and flavorful, and it cooks relatively quickly. I like to enhance flavor with a myriad of marinades. Boneless, skinless thighs are also widely available, and one of the best buys in the meat case.
One of the challenges of grilling chicken – or any meat for that matter – is the tendency for it to burn and dry out. Boneless chicken without its protective skin is especially susceptible to this problem. Heat control is crucial. It should be high enough to cook the meat through, but not so high as to char the meat. A medium-low heat under a cover works best. This allows the meat to cook evenly without drying out.
Today’s Grilled Masala and Lemongrass Chicken recipe is a simple yet flavorful one. I marinated the thighs with a combination of store-bought garam masala, lemongrass, onion, and low-fat yogurt. I was really pleased with the outcome – the meat was very tasty and moist, fragrant with garam masala and lemongrass. This recipe is definitely a keeper; the family thoroughly enjoyed it.
Garam masala, which means “hot mixture” in Hindi, is a blend of ground spices, mainly coriander, cumin, fennel, cardamom, peppercorn, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and bay leaves. The combination differs region by region, family by family, and person by person. Garam masala is best made fresh with whole toasted spices and ground together. Garam masala mixtures are widely available at most grocery stores, as well.
Lemongrass, on the other hand, is an herb from the tropics, best known in Southeast Asia. It has a lemony flavor and aroma that combines well with garam masala. Always use fresh (or fresh-frozen) lemongrass, and only use the white parts. Fresh lemongrass can be trimmed and kept frozen for months. I do not recommend using dried lemongrass—it is tough and usually devoid of both flavor and aroma.
This flavorful Grilled Masala and Lemongrass Chicken uses boneless skinless chicken thighs for a shorter cooking time. Lowfat yogurt helps keep them moist.
- 10 pcs (2 lbs/900g) skinless boneless chicken thighs
- 1 tsp salt
- Vegetable oil for grilling
- 1 lemongrass (white part only)
- 1 onion
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- 2 tbsp plain low-fat yogurt (30ml)
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Grind lemongrass and onion in a blender or food processor. Add a little water if necessary.
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Pour into a bowl. Add garam masala and yogurt. Mix well.
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Sprinkle salt over the chicken thighs in a large bowl. Add spice paste. Stir to get chicken thighs well coated with spice paste. Allow chicken to marinade in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
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Pre-heat an outdoor grill to medium heat, about 250°F to 300°F (120°C to 150°C). Brush the hot grates of the grill with a little oil.
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Arrange the chicken pieces on the preheated grill. Brush the tops of chicken pieces with oil. Allow it to cook for about 16 minutes, turning once mid-way.
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Increase heat slightly to brown meat, turning whenever necessary. This will take another 5 minutes.
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Remove and serve immediately.
To keep the meal light and fresh, I served this Grilled Masala and Lemongrass Chicken with a cold Cucumber and Tomato Raita, a side dish dressed with yogurt, cumin, mustard seeds, and mint leaves. It was a nice counterpoint to the grilled chicken. Other side dishes like steamed corn-on-the cob or a toss vegetable salad will also be delicious. For dessert, we had homemade Cantaloupe and Mango Sorbet.
Enjoy…..and have a wonderful day! 😎
Haruna says
June 26, 2012 at 3:20 pmThis looks so tasty and good. Well done on making it to Light & Fresh!
Biren says
June 27, 2012 at 2:28 pmThank you! 🙂
Reem | Simply Reem says
June 26, 2012 at 3:44 pmYum!!!
I love how flavorful this is.. Totally bookmarking this recipe..
This really look very delicious…
Biren says
June 27, 2012 at 2:29 pmI hope you give it a try soon. We really enjoyed it.
Raymund says
June 27, 2012 at 1:42 amThat think looks like it packs a lot of flavour
Biren says
June 27, 2012 at 2:30 pmThanks Raymund! It was quite delicious! The family has requested for it again. 🙂
Blackswan says
June 27, 2012 at 3:54 amI love the scent from Lemongrass & your clever use of herbs! I’m inhaling it from here. Hahaha! This is just superb for entertaining.
Biren says
June 27, 2012 at 2:31 pmI much prefer boneless, skinless chicken for entertaining. Less mess. 🙂
denise @ singapore shiok says
June 27, 2012 at 6:19 amOh my! That looks so tantalising…. I can imagine the smoky note from the grill marks and the wonderful fresh citrus notes from the lemongrass. Divine!!
Biren says
June 27, 2012 at 2:33 pmYou are so right about the smoky and citrus notes. Hubby did a great job grilling these. Actually made them twice. 😀
Mari says
June 27, 2012 at 6:53 amThis looks absolutely delicious! The mixture of garam masala and lemon grass….ummm the chicken has to me as exquisite as it looks.
Biren says
June 27, 2012 at 2:34 pmThanks Mari! The family thoroughly enjoyed it. Will have to make more soon.
Ramona says
June 27, 2012 at 7:38 amLove the use of lemongrass here! The chicken looks gorgeous!!
Biren says
June 27, 2012 at 2:34 pmThanks Ramona!
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
June 27, 2012 at 7:44 amThe chicken must be very flavourful!
Biren says
June 27, 2012 at 2:35 pmThanks Angie!
kitchenriffs says
June 27, 2012 at 10:20 amNice recipe. I do a tandoori-style chicken the same way – mix yogurt with spices, marinate the chicken, then grill. Good tips here, great post – thanks.
Biren says
June 27, 2012 at 2:35 pmI have not made tandoori in a while. Got to look into that soon.
mjskit says
June 27, 2012 at 10:01 pmI agree – it’s so easy to overcook meat on a grill, especially chicken. I think the general rule is that boneless, skinless chicken is done a lot sooner than you think it is! 😉 Your chicken looks perfect and I love the preparation and seasoning. I’ve never used yogurt but it does look like it yields a perfect grill meat!
Kitchen Belleicious says
June 28, 2012 at 9:06 pmeveryone is using lemongrass these days. I need to jump on the bandwagon. I love working and cooking with it and this chicken looks perfect with the masala and lemongrass! well done my friend
Kari@Loaves n Dishes says
April 27, 2013 at 7:16 amBiren, I just discovered your blog! The flavors that you use are not ones I normally cook with, but I love them and I am looking to broaden my culinary vocabulary! I look forward to reading many more of your posts!
This chicken in particular looks so tasty and juicy, just perfect!
Biren says
April 27, 2013 at 6:54 pmThanks for visiting, Kari! Good to have you here. Please visit again soon. 🙂