Yogurt Marinated Air Fryer Chicken (2023)

FAQs

Does marinating chicken in yogurt work? ›

Yogurt tenderizes meat much more gently and effectively than regular marinades. While acidic vinegar- or citrus-based marinades can toughen proteins like chicken breast to a rubbery consistency, yogurt slowly tenderizes them, resulting in meat that can practically be pulled apart by hand.

No, do not rinse off the yogurt marinade, as it will create a delicious crust on the outside of the chicken. Simply scrape off any excess marinade then cook the chicken directly.

Close bag securely and marinate in refrigerator 6 hours or as long as overnight, turning occasionally. Remove steaks from marinade; discard marinade.

While you can cook and eat chicken that has been marinating for more than 24 hours, you're risking exposing yourself to some strange textures. Chicken can get both mushy and tough when it's been left to marinate too long. If it's been more than 48 hours, the USDA recommends throwing it out.

We like a little bit of tenderizing with meat, but when your chicken thighs are exposed to lemon juice, lime juice, yogurt, or vinegars for too long, the texture of the meat turns from tender to mushy and stringy, two words that have never been used in tandem to describe something pleasant.

Greek yogurt does more than simply flavor the surface of chicken. Thanks to its acidity — different from the kind you find in citrus or vinegar — it tenderizes the meat, keeping it juicy and never rubbery. Give yourself 15 minutes, and Greek yogurt will reward you with tastier, more tender chicken.

There is much talk of using buttermilk in fried chicken recipes, but I love the flavour of a good plain yogurt, and the thickness works well to coat the chicken while it marinates. The acidity tenderises the chicken and keeps it moist, while adding that tang of the signature fried-chicken flavour.

Since yogurt has more water content than mayonnaise, it clears the way for the spices to do their thing(s) more effectively. The catch is it takes a bit longer than 30 minutes for it to taste Indian-mom-approved magical; three hours at minimum.

Key step: Always start with a dry surface on the meat so you get a sear, not a steam. Even if you marinate the meat, pat it dry before cooking.

A soak in yogurt is great for lamb, beef, goat, and particularly chicken. I thought this story might be a long and winding myth-buster about whether or not yogurt truly works as a marinade, but here's the TLDR: It works. It works very well.

Can you marinate meat in yogurt overnight? ›

Yogurt is ideal to use in a marinade for both its flavor and ability to tenderize meat. It contains lactic acid, which tenderizes more slowly and gently than a citrus juice or vinegar-based marinade, so you can leave your meat to soak overnight without it becoming tough or rubbery.

How long should chicken marinate in this acidic yogurt based marinade? Chicken breasts or thighs should marinate for preferably at least 2 hours to soak up some of the flavor. For chicken breasts I recommend marinating no more than 8 hours. Chicken thighs can marinate up to 24 hours.

#6 You overmarinate the chicken

Wrong. Indeed, marinades with citrus juices like lime, lemon, and orange can actually break down the chicken meat, leaving it mealy or mushy when it's cooked. Buttermilk and yogurt can make the meat soft, too, but these ingredients are slower acting.

Give it 5-6 hours for the best flavour and texture – if you don't have that long, even 10 minutes of marinating will give flavour to the outside of chicken. Marinades without acid can be left longer but won't make them work any better, so stick to 24 hours as a maximum.

Most recipes for marinating meat and poultry recommend six hours up to 24 hours. It is safe to keep the food in the marinade longer, but after two days it is possible that the marinade can start to break down the fibers of the meat, causing it to become mushy.

The USDA recommends not keeping poultry in marinade for longer than two days, as it's possible that the marinade will start breaking down the meat's fibers and cause it to become mushy. A good rule of thumb is to keep marinating time under 24 hours.

Frugal cooks can put the leftover marinade to use as a sauce, but it must first be boiled for five minutes to destroy any harmful bacteria. This boiling process will render it useless as a tenderizing marinade, but it can still impart some flavor as a sauce.

Unlike other marinades that turn your meat into rubber if you leave it too long, yogurt is very forgiving (thanks to the higher PH, if you must know). You can marinate for 30 minutes or overnight, it's all good.

Velveting is a simple process of using baking soda or a mixture of egg whites, cornstarch and oil to marinate and tenderize economical cuts of steak, chicken and other meats before cooking. Velveting meat softens fibers to reduce toughness and enhance juiciness for maximum flavor and tenderness.

Take 1/4 cup of Stonyfield Whole Milk Plain Yogurt, add 2 tbsp of sriracha sauce or your favorite hot sauce, the juice from 1/2 lemon and mix it all together. And enjoy! Time to eat!

Does yogurt break when cooking? ›

PROTEIN CONTENT

Sour cream in a cooked recipe almost never curdles because it contains mostly fat, with very little protein. Yogurt may curdle if cooked too long or at too high a temperature, due to the higher protein content.

Instead of the buttermilk, egg, and flour mixture I use to coat my fried chicken, this chicken's breading is nothing more than yogurt and very light breadcrumbs. It just feels good goin' down! Serve it with a big, green salad with Homemade Ranch Dressing, and your family will give you a pedicure right after dinner.

Marinate your chicken.

Marinating your chicken in something overnight can help make it all the more juicier and tender. You can use a gluten-free, acidic marinade (like olive oil and lemon juice) or something breadier (like baking soda, egg whites, and buttermilk).

The chicken should be marinated -- in the refrigerator, of course -- at least one hour or overnight. If you don't have buttermilk on hand, substitute plain yogurt or milk, to which a small amount of lemon juice or vinegar has been added (1 teaspoon per 1 cup milk).

Should You Poke Holes In The Chicken Before Marinating? It is recommended to prick the surface of the meat with a fork or score it so that the marinade penetrates the meat as deeply as possible resulting in a more moist meat, but you don't have to.

DO marinate in re-sealable plastic bags, rather than in bowls or other containers. They cut down on cleanup and allow you to evenly distribute the marinade. But you can marinate in plastic, stainless steel or glass containers too.

As you go higher in temperature, the proteins shrink, moisture is pushed out, and the meat turns stiff and dry. All those things are especially unpleasant, and easy to do, with chicken breasts.

The yogurt marinade is a classic Indian marinade. The yogurt's acidity helps to tenderize the meat.

As a marinade, plain yogurt tenderizes poultry or meat thanks to the same bacteria that helps your digestive tract stay healthy when you eat a cupful.

Can I use sour cream instead of yogurt for marinade? ›

Greek Yogurt has active bacteria and lactic acid which slowly break down the protein, making the chicken moist and tender. Substitute with plain full-fat yogurt, buttermilk, or sour cream. Lemon is added for a classic Greek flavor and also adds more acid which helps to tenderize the meat.

There's a food-safety reason to avoid letting meat over-marinate as well: According to Federal Food Safety guidelines, raw chicken should only be stored in the refrigerator for one to two days (pork and beef are safe a little longer). After this, dangerous amounts of bacteria can grow, and you risk getting sick.

Always Marinate in the Refrigerator

Some older recipes call for marinating at room temperature. DO NOT FOLLOW THIS PRACTICE. Marinating at room temperature causes the meat to enter the “Danger Zone” (between 40°F and 140°F), where bacteria multiply fastest.

When stored properly, the shelf-life of yogurt is seven to 14 days. Storing longer than that allows molds, yeast and slow-growing bacteria to grow and spoil your yogurt. If left out of the refrigerator for two hours or less, yogurt can safely be put back in the refrigerator to eat at a later time.

Storing Chicken in the Fridge

No need to stash it in the freezer — it's OK to store raw chicken (whole or in pieces) for 1–2 days in the fridge. If you have leftovers that include cooked chicken, you can expect those to last in the refrigerator for 3–4 days.

Smell: If the smell is pungent, like rotten eggs, or ammonia, it should be discarded. Fresh and safe to consume chicken should not have a funky smell. Texture: Bad chicken can appear slimy or sticky to the touch. Mold: Any growth or spots of green or black fuzz is mold, which means the chicken is spoiled.

Marinating chicken doesn't moisten, tenderize, or add flavor to your chicken. It's been debunked. And chefs everywhere are beginning to accept that spending a long time marinating chicken is mostly a waste of time.

Then, let your chicken marinate — uncovered — in the refrigerator, so the skin is exposed to the air and can dry out a little. This extra step will help it crisp up during cooking.

The white goo is primarily water and protein. Protein from poultry meat is easily digested, which means it's denatured quickly through the cooking process, so it leaches out water, bringing out soluble protein.

If you marinate chicken too long, it can go soft and mushy. If you don't marinate long enough, the flavor doesn't penetrate.

Can you let chicken out if marinating for a few hours? ›

No, it is not safe to leave raw chicken out overnight. Raw chicken should always be stored in the refrigerator or freezer to prevent bacterial growth and foodborne illness. Bacteria such as Salmonella and Campylobacter can multiply rapidly at room temperature and make you sick if consumed.

Technique tip: Don't skip the step of cutting slashes into the chicken. The cuts allow the seasonings to get into the meat for better flavor throughout and also help speed the cooking.

MARINATING LONGER IS NOT BETTER! The ideal amount of time you should marinate chicken is 5 to 6 hours, but even 15 minutes makes a difference.

According to the USDA, chicken that has been marinated can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two days. However, if you plan to freeze the chicken, it is important to do so before the marinade has had a chance to spoil.

Give it 5-6 hours for the best flavour and texture – if you don't have that long, even 10 minutes of marinating will give flavour to the outside of chicken. Marinades without acid can be left longer but won't make them work any better, so stick to 24 hours as a maximum. Try one of our delicious marinade recipes.

From a practical perspective, Heck adds, yogurt can perform double duty in a recipe—you can use half of it to marinate the meat and the rest as a sauce or a side.

Yogurt is ideal to use in a marinade for both its flavor and ability to tenderize meat. It contains lactic acid, which tenderizes more slowly and gently than a citrus juice or vinegar-based marinade, so you can leave your meat to soak overnight without it becoming tough or rubbery.

If you don't have buttermilk on hand, use milk and add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar per cup of milk. This is a great substitute for buttermilk.

Buttermilk Substitute for Marinades and Brines

For the best tenderizing flavor, opt for a scant cup of milk with 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice, then add seasonings like salt, freshly ground pepper, paprika and minced fresh garlic or a dash of garlic powder.

For how long can I keep marinated chicken in the fridge? Marinated chicken can be kept in the fridge for 2 days; after that, any uncooked marinade should be discarded.