Spiced Chicken with Honey-Yogurt Sauce

Tis the season for warm spices

In the wintertime, there’s nothing like some warm spice on slow-roasted chicken legs (or breast, although I love that rich and tender dark meat). Marinating chicken with warm winter spices offers several benefits that enhance both the flavor and texture of the meat. In addition, cinnamon and ginger have anti-inflammatory health properties so it’s a win-win.

You can use this recipe as a foundation to build your own flavors as well. Feel free to substitute the chicken with lamb, salmon, shrimp, or even beef. The sauce can be used on many other dishes including as a salad dressing or base for potato or chicken salad.

For the marinade:

2 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon honey

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1 lemon - juiced and zested

Combine ingredients and and allow the chicken to rest in the marinade for at least 30 minutes. Make the yogurt sauce while the chicken is marinading.

For the yogurt sauce:

1 cup unflavored Fage or Greek yogurt

1/2 cup mayo

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

3 tablespoon honey

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Whisk ingredients together. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

For the Chicken:

Place the chicken on a sheet pan and bake in a 275F oven for 15 minutes. At this point you want to cook the chicken over high heat. You can either: 1. Remove the chicken from the oven and cook on a high heat grill or 2. Blast the oven to 4050F and cook the chicken for another 5-7 minutes on high so it crisps up a touch.

Pull the chicken and drizzle with the yogurt sauce. This is great served over roasted potato, a salad or even some steamed cous cous.