Grilled Moroccan Spiced Chicken Breasts

My first blog….

I had originally planned on making a Pasta tonight for dinner since it was just going to be the kids and myself, but my husbands class was canceled tonight so he was home too.  I needed to figure out something to make for dinner that didn’t take too long to cook and with ingredients that I had on hand.  I had some boneless skinless chicken breasts, plain yogurt, a variety of fresh herbs, lettuce, and some pita bread.  So I found a recipe that looked great and didn’t take to long to make or prep.  I made Moroccan Spiced Grilled Chicken Breast and served it with a green salad (with a cilantro lime dressing), basmati rice and grilled pita bread.

Here is the recipe for the Moroccan Spiced Chicken Breasts it is an adaptation of one printed in the Sacramento Bee.

 

6 oz plain yogurt

2 cloves of garlic, pressed

1 ½ teaspoons each smoked paprika, cumin, ground coriander

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

zest and juice from 1 lemon

salt and pepper

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

In a bowl mix together all ingredient but chicken. Set aside about a ¼ cup of the yogurt mixture to brush onto chicken while it is grilling.  Add chicken to the marinade and let marinate for 20 minutes to 12 hours, the longer the chicken marinates the better the chicken will be seasoned.

Heat up grill to cook chicken.  Be sure to oil your grill or spray with cooking spray before you add the chicken.  Cook chicken about 8-10 minutes on each side brushing with the reserved yogurt sauce after turning.

My notes on the meal:  The chicken was yummy we stuffed it into the grilled pita and piled the salad and rice on top and ate it as a pita sandwich (that was my daughter’s idea). A couple changes that I will make next time I prepare this dish; first I will marinate it for at least 4-6 hours, and second I will use Greek yogurt to give it more of a tangy flavor.