This is the juiciest 6 ingredient chicken. In Bulgaria, we are known for cooking or baking with yogurt. Plain yogurt makes for the perfect marinade and also makes so many of our baked goods so incredibly delicious, fluffy, and moist. Yogurt has a very long history in our country. Many Bulgarians claim yogurt was accidentally discovered in Bulgaria thousands of years ago when nomadic tribes roamed the land. In Bulgaria, yogurt is everywhere. You’ll find it on falafel wraps, slathered on moussaka, and lined up in supermarket refrigerators. It is in traditional Bulgarian dishes such as “Tarator,” a cold soup made of yogurt, water, cucumber, and dill; and “Snezhanka,” a salad consisting of yoghurt, cucumbers, garlic and dill. People sip yoghurt drinks in the streets and we dip fried zucchini slices into yogurt dips too. We love yogurt with sweet bread, in soups, stews, and so many other recipes as well. There is a type of bacterium that can only be found in Bulgarian Yogurt. Our particular yogurt is a combination of bacteria that characterizes the thickness, acidity, taste and aroma of the yogurt and it’s more tangy. Bulgarian yogurt has a very specific way in which it is prepared using a combination of the two strains: Lactobacillus Bulgaricus and Streptococcus Thermophilus. This specific bacteria which causes milk to naturally turn into yogurt was known to be discovered by a Bulgarian scientist. It was named after our country so as you can see, we are very passionate about cooking with it so I hope you love it too.
Juiciest 6 Ingredient Chicken
Ingredients
- 8 chicken thighs any cut of chicken works
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ⅓ cup plain yogurt Bulgarian, Balkan-Style, or Greek
- 2 big pinches of salt
- pepper to taste
- paprika to taste
- tablespoon Italian seasoning or dry oregano
- ¼ cup water or broth
Instructions
- Add the chicken to a bowl with the rest of the ingredients and massage it really well. Let it sit and marinate in the fridge for at least one hour to overnight. You don't have to wait as you can bake it right away but it will be so much more tender if you do.
- Take it out of the fridge and transfer it to an oven safe baking dish. Pre-heat the oven to 400F.
- Push the chicken to the side with a spoon and add some water or broth and move the chicken around so that the juices are distributed evenly.
- Bake it uncovered for 45 minutes to one hour depending on the size of the thighs. To crisp up the skin further you can broil the chicken on top for 1-2 minutes but keep a very close eye on it. Enjoy on salad, mashed potatoes, on wraps, with rice, or with any side you like.
30 Responses
I think you once mentioned an alternative to using yogurt in this recipe- possibly mayo?
Hi sweetheart, yes great memory I have to adjust the recipe notes to add that in, you can definitely use mayo or sour cream
Does the water/chicken broth go in the marinade? Or just in the pan for baking?
Just in the pan right before you bake it 🙂
Could this be grilled or would that not work with the milk fats and would it be too easy to burn?
Absolutely works beautifully. Keep it on medium heat ❤️
The flavor was great but I didn’t get the crust I was hoping even after broiling. Any tips?
Hi love, did you leave it on broil at the end for a few minutes? I would leave it on broil and keep a very close eye on it ( top broiler only )
Love this recipe! Could i make it in a pan instead of baking it?
I would prefer the air-fryer, bbq, or oven. In a pan it might burn quicker because of the yogurt
Hi! I have a question. Why didn’t my chickens get crispy at all? They were just cooked 🙁
I used conventional heating. Should I use bottom element heat?
Also, I had to keep them in the oven for about half an hour to grill but the result wasn’t like yours at all 🙁
Did you put them on broil at the very end ? Using the top broiler only at the very end is what will make them crisp up
How long do I bake boneless skinless thighs for with this recipe?
Hi Birdy! Sorry for the delay. 45 minutes would be perfect
Hello how to i broil in oven? Is that a different setting ? Trying to get throat crispy end which I havnt been able to 🙂
Hi Natalia, Broil is the very top burner. If you turn on the top only, it will crisp up the chicken skin at the end
If I use chicken breast, can I airfry it? What is the temperature and how long?
I personally haven’t tried so I don’t want to lead you the wrong way until I test it out. You can also look at your air fryer manual to see the timing for chicken breast as it will depend on the size and if it’s bone in or boneless
Hi can I use plain greek yogurt?
Could I make it using whole chicken ?
Never mind my last comment, whole roasted 6 ingredient chicken turned out great! Wishing I could post a picture here with my rating, but you’ve just gonna take my word for it❤️
Sooooo happy Ann-Helen (and yes Greek yogurt is lovely as well)
Hi! For how do you store leftover in the fridge or freezer? Any tips for reheating?
Freezer for a few months and marinated in the fridge for maximum overnight. I re-heat mine in the oven.
Can I use butter instead of olive oil? Thank you!
Sure but butter will brown and burn a lot quicker so keep that in mind. Ghee is a wonderful alternative
Love this recipe! I have made it several times and always delish. You are my go to every Sunday morning for my meal planning! Thank you for sharing your recipes and making my weekly Sunday meal planning so easy
Hi Marzia, your words are so kind. Thank you for the review
Tried this recipe tonight and everyone was blown away by how juicy and flavorful the meat was! Definitely going to be a staple meat recipe at our house! Thanks Sneji!
Hiiiii Kinga! Thank you for the review sweetheart, means the world! So happy you loved it