No-oil baked Chicken in a Garlic-Cilantro-Mint Marinade

As promised, here is another of my Quick fix healthy dinners. In case you missed the salmon post, Siv and I are trying to eat healthy at least a few days a week. We do go a little overboard on weekends, eating out or cooking the fattiest cuts of meat. But last year we used to get a lot of take-outs during weekdays, so we are in a much better place this year. Also, by not cutting the sinful foods completely out of our diet, we are not deprived and hopefully will stick with the plan longer.

During these healthy-cooking experiments, I think I’ve figured out the secret to making perfectly fork-tender baked chicken, that too with no oil. The secret is to bake the chicken in a covered pan, so it gets cooked in its own steam. I have tried different marinades with this method, and have always ended up with the most perfect tender chicken. It works best with the dark meat though, chicken breast doesn’t always end up so tender.

 

Ingredients

• 4 small chicken thighs
• 1/2 cup coriander leaves
• 1/2 cup mint leaves
• 2 tbsp garlic pieces
• Salt to taste
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp fat free yogurt
• 1.5 tbsp black peppercorns
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tbsp chopped green herbs (optional)

Method

Clean and pat dry the chicken thighs.

Crush the peppercorns in a mortar with a pestle. Add the garlic pieces and crush these coarsely. Place the mint and coriander leaves in the mortar and crush with the pestle to form a coarse paste. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the coriander powder, lemon juice, salt and yogurt. Mix well to form a marinade.

Apply the marinade liberally on the chicken pieces and marinate for about an hour or more in the refrigerator.

Pre-heat the oven to 375F.

Arrange the chicken pieces in an oven proof non-stick pan. (if a non-stick pan is not available, you will have to coat the cooking surface with a little oil.) Sprinkle the chopped fresh herbs on top of the chicken if using. Cover with a tight fitting oven-proof lid, or cover securely with aluminum foil. Bake for 35 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven, open the pan and cook on an open stove till all the liquids have dried up and the chicken pieces turn into a golden color.

Serve with salad or sauteed vegetables. You won’t need a knife to eat this one, it will be fork tender.

We had ours with a mixed greens salad with pear, walnut and a minty dressing. A healthy and satisfying meal.

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Category: Chicken, Quick-fix healthy meals