Chicken Goddess Melissa

I call out a nod to Melissa Clark in this recipe.  Not so much because I consider her an unsung Goddess of cuisine; so much as this is basically her recipe for tenderizing and flavoring chicken.  As she says, using yogurt to tenderize chicken is common in Indian cuisine - as for example in Tandoori chicken.

Here, I come close to Melissa's New York Times recipe, but did not use basil or buttermilk.  First, all my basil at this point is preserved as pesto.  But, I didn't want to overpower the subtle flavor of the dressing with pesto.  Secondly, I rarely have buttermilk on hand but always have plain Greek yogurt. Melissa does say you can use yogurt, and you need good salt.  All other herbs are negotiable.
2 green onions, coarsely sliced
large palmful cilantro leaves
large palmful parsley leaves
2 cloves garlic
juice of 1 lime
1-1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp salt

1 roasting chicken, cut in half

Place first group of ingredients into a blender and process until you have a smooth, pourable Green Goddess dressing.  You may have to scrape down the sides to get everything to mix in well.  Pour about a cup of sauce in a bowl, cover and refrigerate.

Place chicken in a very large bowl or casserole and pour remaining dressing over chicken.  Rub the dressing in well, and turn chicken pieces over, bone-side up, so meat is well immersed in sauce.  Wrap with plastic and allow to marinate 24 hours.

The next day, preheat the oven to 500F.  Oil a large rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan.  Remove the chicken from the marinade, wiping marinade away from the meat.  Place in pan, bone-side down.  Pat the skin a bit with a paper towel to remove most of the marinade - this will allow the best browning and crisping of the skin.

Bake 30-45 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the skin is nicely browned.  Remove chicken to serving platter and top with some of the reserved dressing.  Pass remaining dressing at table.


Serves 4.  Thank you Melissa.