Curry yogurt chicken marinade has just 5 ingredients and can be prepared in under 5 minutes! Perfect for jazzing up your chicken routine and is delicious served with roasted potatoes, naan bread, or over cauliflower rice.
When it comes to chicken marinades, the simpler the better! I love this curry yogurt chicken marinade because it is just so simple; you don’t even have to chop garlic or ginger.
Plus, we almost always have the ingredients on hand: yogurt, curry powder, lime juice, salt and brown sugar.
Now this is not a spicy curry marinade, rather a tangy chicken marinade with a punch of curry flavor. If you are wanting to kick it up a notch, I suggest adding some red pepper flakes (1/4-1/2 teaspoon) or cayenne pepper (1/8-1/4 teaspoon).
NEW: looking for Instant Pot Chicken Breast Recipes? Check this post out!
I absolutely love the tangy flavor that the yogurt gives to the chicken. It is so juicy, and so flavorful! There is something about the acidity of the yogurt that helps the curry flavor absorb into the chicken.
We have enjoyed this as a freezer chicken marinade as well, however you should be warned that the yogurt breaks after being frozen then thawed. It doesn’t alter the flavor at all, in fact this curry yogurt chicken marinade is even more flavorful after being frozen! However it won’t look quite as beautiful.
We love this yogurt curry chicken served with roasted potatoes and a tangy slaw, or wrapped up in naan bread with fresh veggies. I bet it would also make a great lunch bowl served with some cilantro lime cauliflower rice.
There are so many great options of how to serve this!
Tips for amazing curry yogurt chicken marinade:
- I used a plain full-fat yogurt; Greek should work well, but fat-free has not been tested
- Add some cayenne or red pepper flakes to bring some heat to the chicken
- Looking for more chicken marinade recipes? Check out this post with 7 Chicken Marinade Recipes You Can Freeze or the sequel: 7 Freezer Friendly Chicken Breast Marinades.
Curry yogurt chicken marinade
Ingredients
- This is enough marinade + sauce for 1 chicken breast; double the recipe for a pound of chicken to serve 4!
- 2 tablespoons yogurt
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a heavy duty freezer bag (long term/freezer storage) or a bowl (short term/fridge storage). Add chicken breasts and turn to coat in marinade.
Fridge
- Marinate the chicken in the fridge for 2-24 hours.
Freezer
- If freezing, place in the freezer immediately. Thaw in the fridge overnight, or by immersing the bag in a bowl of cold water for a couple of hours.
To bake
- Heat oven to 425°F. Bake chicken in a shallow baking dish for 10 minutes, flip over, then bake for another 10-20 minutes.
- For 5-7 oz chicken breasts, bake for 20 minutes total. For 10 oz and larger chicken breasts, bake for at least 25 minutes.
- Allow chicken to rest at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before slicing.
CeltIKerry
I made this as lunch meal prep for the week (served with roasted sweet potatoes, mushrooms, and onions) and it was delicious! The only difference was I cut the chicken into bite sized pieces before putting it in the marinade so I wouldn’t need to cut it up at work. It reheated well and I will definitely be making again – though this time I’ll be adding some of the red pepper flakes for a bit more heat.
Denise
I’m so happy you enjoyed! I bet the red pepper flakes would be great, or even some cayenne. Thanks so much for your review.
Lauren
This was a great dish! I did use fat-free Greek yogurt since that’s what I had on hand, and it worked great! My husband loved it and even loved it as leftovers (which is a challenge), so it will definitely be part of our usual rotation. I served it with couscous and steamed broccoli, so the whole meal came together really quickly. Definitely excited to try your other marinades!
Denise
I’m so glad you guys liked it, Lauren! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review. I hope you enjoy some of the other chicken marinades as well 🙂
Carol
Last night’s dinner with green beans and roasted sweet potato. Delicious marinade I will be doing again and again…Could have a problem deciding which marinade to try next but will likely try them all if they’re as nice as this one
Denise
I’m so happy you enjoyed, Carol! I hope you enjoy some of the other chicken marinades as well 🙂
Elsa
Thanks for this simple recipe! I’ll be trying it out.
Is it possible to make this without an oven? I can only fry the chicken on the stove unfortunately..
Denise
Hi Elsa! I’ve made this on the grill before and it turned out great. I bet it would work well in a pan as well.
Elsa
It did! Tried this recipe out last night, added a little oregano as a matter of personal preference but followed your recipe for everything else. It came out amazing – loved the taste that the yoghurt and lime bring to the chicken. Thanks so much for this!
Denise
Happy to hear that! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review, Elsa 🙂
Stephanie Maguigan
Made this tonight. Was a big hit!! Thanks so much!!
Denise
So happy to hear that, Stephanie! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review 🙂