Saturday afternoon is always some type of meat being grilled on the barbecue/braai and after @normie.fitness mentioned in a reply he has to eat more chicken I thought I would cook chicken today and share a recipe. This is so simple and quick to do it is fool proof and yet it is so different.
This is really quick and easy and it is really good. The taste is very pleasant and unique which comes from the mayonnaise and Greek yoghurt forming the base and what coats the chicken.
Shopping check list for those who would like to try this out.
chicken fillet (skinless)
mayonnaise
Greek yoghurt or plain yoghurt would also work
salt and pepper
Peri Peri marinade/sauce or oil if you cannot find the marinade. One could just use chili flakes and lemon juice as a substitute.
oregano powder
onion powder
garlic powder
splash of white wine
For this recipe I used 10 skinless chicken fillets which I butterflied which is cutting them across the breast and doubling their size without cutting them in half. This allows the marinade to coat the breast properly and is also quicker for cooking times as it is now thinner. Chicken breasts on their own can be boring and the marinade helps trap the juices so the breast does not dry out.
I did not take pictures of that part and only decided oops I had better make a post and share as promised for @normie.fitness. The photographs you will now see are chicken fillets butterflied and in a bowl with a 500g tub of Greek yoghurt thrown on top and 6 tablespoons of mayonnaise.
If You cannot find Peri Peri do not worry. I noticed this bottle calls it Piri Piri and both use cases are correct. Portuguese explorers first used the local Birds eye chili pepper in Mozambique mixing this with garlic and wine creating a sauce. The LM on the bottle stands for Lourenço Marques which was the capitol of Mozambique before the name change to Maputo.
Once done you mix that altogether making sure the chicken is coated properly and then I use a Portuguese peri peri basting marinade x 2 variants. If you do not have these ingredients at hand then I would suggest improvising and adding a little heat of something like chili flakes and a dash of lemon juice or get creative experimenting.
Now we are building the overall flavors so you need to season with salt and pepper. I then add a tablespoon of garlic powder, 2 tablespoons of powdered oregano., 2 tablespoon of onion flakes and 1 tablespoon of chili powder plus a splash of white wine. Obviously you add whatever you want and can give the chili a miss if you don't like a slight burn. The yoghurt will dilute that on it's own anyway and it is very subtle.
The trick with this recipe is the Greek yoghurt and mayonnaise as it gives a really unique flavor that blends will with the chicken. All you do once you have finished is let the chicken rest and marinade for a good 45 minutes to an hour and you are ready to fire up and cook. The marinade is not runny and coats the breast perfectly.
A fillet butterflied becomes double the size.
We have cooked this a number of times previously and always people want to know what is the marinade. Obviously if you can find Peri Peri it does create the right type of bite and the chances are you will find it at a South African shop in your area. I know in the UK we had many dotted around and have heard the same story in the US, Europe and Australia.
Tonight we are having fillet burgers, but you could be healthier and have this with a salad.
My trick when cooking a chicken breast is the flop test and this is simply when you pick up the chicken breast it holds it's shape and does not flop. This is literally 4-5 minutes cooking time on each side and you will see the breast has stopped flopping around. You will notice once the breasts have been laid to rest juices will come out which is hardly ever the case when cooking plain breasts on a fire.
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