Spicy Chicken with Cucumber Yogurt Sauce

Dunk this spicy chicken recipe in cucumber-yogurt sauce to tame the heat of the curry-, cayenne-, and paprika-infused sauce for chicken. The tzatziki recipe is ideal to pair with a side of sliced veggies or pita chips, too.

Spicy Chicken with Cucumber Yogurt Sauce
Photo: Andy Lyons
Prep Time:
30 mins
Bake Time:
25 mins
Grill Time:
10 mins
Total Time:
30 mins
Servings:
8

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cup plain yogurt

  • 2 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced

  • 2 teaspoon curry powder

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1 teaspoon paprika

  • ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

  • 4 pound chicken wings and/or small chicken drumsticks

  • Fresh Mint (optional)

  • 1 recipe Grilled Peppers (optional)

  • 1 recipe Cucumber Yogurt Sauce

Grilled Peppers

  • Miniature or small sweet peppers

  • Olive oil

Cucumber Yogurt Sauce

  • 2 6 ounce carton plain yogurt

  • 1 large cucumber, shredded and well-drained

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • ½ teaspoon salt

  • ¼ teaspoon ground cumin

  • 2 tablespoon fresh basil or mint, if desired

  • Curry powder, if desired

Directions

  1. Combine the yogurt, ginger, garlic, curry, salt, paprika, cinnamon, and cayenne in a bowl; let stand 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

  2. Meanwhile, if using chicken wings cut each wing into two portions at the first joint. Place wings and/or drumsticks into a 2-gallon resealable plastic bag set in a shallow dish; pour on yogurt mixture. Seal and chill 6 to 24 hours, turning bag occasionally.

  3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Drain chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Line two 15x10x1-inch baking pans with foil; lightly coat with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange chicken in prepared pans (if using both drumsticks and wings, place them on separate pans. Bake small drumsticks for 35 minutes; bake chicken wings 25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through (180 degrees F).

  4. Cool chicken slightly. Transfer to storage containers; cover and chill overnight.

To Reheat:

  1. For a charcoal or gas grill place on a well-greased grill rack directly over medium heat. Cover and grill 10 to 15 minutes or until heated through, turning once after 5 minutes*. For a grill pan. Do chicken in batches. Grill directly on a greased grill pan for 10 to 15 minutes until heated through, turning once*.

  2. Transfer chicken to platter; top with mint. Serve with Grilled Peppers and Cucumber Yogurt Sauce.

Grilled Peppers

  1. Halve and seed sweet peppers; brush lightly with olive oil. Grill directly over medium coals for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly charred, turning once.

Cucumber Yogurt Sauce

  1. In a medium bowl combine plain yogurt, cucumber, garlic, salt, ground cumin, fresh basil or mint; if desired mix well. Refrigerate 1 to 4 hours before serving. Sprinkle lightly with curry powder, if desired, before serving. Makes 8 servings.

*

Do not turn too soon or chicken may stick to grill. If chicken does stick, loosen with a metal spatula before turning.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

343 Calories
21g Fat
10g Carbs
28g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 8
Calories 343
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 21g 27%
Saturated Fat 6g 30%
Cholesterol 100mg 33%
Sodium 589mg 26%
Total Carbohydrate 10g 4%
Total Sugars 7g
Protein 28g
Vitamin C 4.1mg 21%
Calcium 191.8mg 15%
Iron 1.6mg 9%
Potassium 504mg 11%
Folate, total 20.2mcg
Vitamin B-12 0.9mcg
Vitamin B-6 0.6mg

*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

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