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Smoked Yogurt Marinated Chicken Thighs

With Tomato, Cucumber, and Olive Salad
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours
Servings 6

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds Boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 4 TBSP Western Winged Rub, by Kairos Artisan Blends Or, any slightly sweet rub with smoked paprika and oregano.
  • 2 tsp Sea salt
  • 1 ¼ cup Plain Greek yogurt
  • 2 TBSP Yellow Mustard
  • 2 each Medium tomatoes, Romas should do fine
  • 1/4 each Red Onion
  • 2 each Mini/Persian cucumbers
  • 1/2 cup Fresh Parsley
  • 1 each Lemon
  • 1 cup Nablus or Castelvetrano Olives
  • 1 ½ tsp Sumac
  • 1 TBSP Pomegranate molasses
  • ¼ tsp sea salt
  • 2 cloves garlic

Instructions

  • Place chicken thighs in a gallon-sized ziplock bag, along with 1/4 cup of the yogurt, 2 tablespoons of yellow mustard, 4 tablespoons of the spice blend, and 2 teaspoons of salt. Allow the meat to marinate while you heat up your smoker/grill/oven. Meat can marinate up to 6 hours. Anything beyond 6 hours increases the likelihood of the meat gaining an unfavorable texture, due to the acidic nature of the yogurt.
  • Preheat your smoker/oven to 275℉
  • Once the smoker/oven is up to temperature and the desired marination time is complete, place the chicken in the smoker/oven and allow to cook for about 1.5-2 hours. Use and instant read thermometer to check for doneness. Chicken thighs are safe at 175℉, but are better if taken to 185℉.
  • While the chicken is cooking dice the tomatoes, cucumbers and onions into 1/4" or less. You want each element to be sized so that you can get a little of everything in each bite, without having a giant mouthful of food.
  • Mince the parsley and roughly chop or crush the olives. Add to a mixing bowl with the tomatoes, onion, and cucumbers. Then add the juice of half a lemon, 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil, 1½ teaspoons of sumac, and 1 tablespoon of pomegranate molasses. Stir to combine.
  • For the yogurt sauce, combine one cup of yogurt, 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt, juice of half a lemon, and 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced or grated on a microplane. If your yogurt is too thin, add more lemon juice or water to achieve a consistency that will allow for drizzling over the food.
  • Once chicken is completely cooked, allow to cool for a few minutes and then slice into 1/4" thick strips.
  • To serve, build a bed of rice (I used yellow turmeric rice), place chicken on top, drizzle with yogurt sauce, and top with tomato cucumber salad.