Hungarian Barbecue Chicken

 

I cam across this recipe by Musa Dagdeviren.  He is the go-to guy if you want to know about Turkish barbecue and I wanted to learn. One of the things that really intrigued me about Musa Dagdeviren is he's adventurous when it comes to grilling and so am I.  He'll grill chicken thighs marinated in creamy Greek yogurt, concoct a chile paste, add garlic and then he'll grill meatballs, shallots, even bread dough loaded with ground beef.

This is one of his "simpler" dishes.  Chicken thighs marinated, spice-crusted, and grilled—and the combination of creamy yogurt, garlic, and pepper flakes produces the sort of chicken that has made the Turks the Near East's undisputed grill masters for centuries.

2 teaspoons dried crushed red pepper flakes, plus additional for sprinkling
2 teaspoons Hungarian sweet paprika, plus additional for sprinkling 
1 cup plain whole-milk Greek-style yogurt 
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 
2 tablespoons tomato paste 
2 teaspoons Kosher salt 
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
6 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed 
2 lemons,  1 thinly sliced into rounds, 1 cut into wedges for serving 
2 lbs. skinless chicken thighs (or breast halves)

Place red pepper and paprika in a large bowl and stir in 2 tablespoons warm water and let stand until paste forms, about 5 minutes.

Add yogurt, olive oil, red wine vinegar, tomato paste, 2 teaspoons coarse salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper to spice mixture in bowl; whisk to blend. Stir in garlic and lemon slices, then chicken. Cover and chill at least 1 hour. Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.

Heat grill to medium-high heat. Place chicken on heated grill and discard marinade. Sprinkle each chicken thigh salt, pepper, and additional pepper flakes and paprika.

Grill chicken until golden brown and cooked through, turning occasionally, about 10 to 12 minutes per side.

Transfer chicken to platter and surround with lemon wedges and serve.

This is a wonderful variation from traditional American barbecue!



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