• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Sweet Peas and Saffron

meal prep recipes for busy people

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
  • Home
  • All Recipes
    • Meal Type
      • Appetizers
      • Breakfast
      • Desserts
      • Drinks
      • Lunch
      • Salad
      • Sides
      • Soups & Stews
    • Method
      • Air Fryer
      • Grill
      • Instant Pot
      • One Pot Meals
      • Oven
      • Slow Cooker
    • Diet
      • Dairy-Free
      • Gluten Free
      • Low Carb
      • Nut Free
      • Vegan
      • Vegetarian
    • Main Ingredient
      • Beans
      • Beef
      • Chicken
      • Eggs
      • Lentils
      • Pork
      • Seafood
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Meal Prep
  • Meal Prep
    • How to Meal Prep
    • Vegetarian
    • Chicken
    • Beef
    • Breakfast
  • Instant Pot
    • Instant Pot 101
    • Chicken
    • Side Dishes
    • Vegetarian
  • Dinner
    • 30 Minutes
    • One Pot Meals
    • Salad
    • Soups & Stews
    • Casseroles
    • Instant Pot
    • Slow Cooker
  • Freezer
    • Vegetarian
    • Chicken
    • Casserole
    • Crockpot Freezer Meals
    • Chicken Marinades
    • Freezer Meal Do's & Don'ts
  • Shop
  • Start Here
    • Start Here
    • Denise Bustard of Sweet Peas & Saffron
    • Contact
go to homepage
Homepage link
  • All Recipes
  • Meal Prep
  • Instant Pot
  • Dinner
  • Freezer
  • Shop
  • Start Here
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Curry Yogurt Chicken Marinade (5 Ingredients)

    May 4, 2020 by Denise Bustard 22 Comments

    Home / Recipes / Dinner / Curry Yogurt Chicken Marinade (5 Ingredients)

    Jump to Recipe

    This simple curry yogurt chicken marinade tenderizes the chicken and infuses it with delicious Indian curry flavor. A delicious recipe to serve with potatoes, naan bread of cauliflower rice.

    Simple is often best when it comes to chicken marinades! Like my favorite cilantro lime and honey garlic chicken marinades, this curry yogurt marinade is simple to prep and delivers big flavors.

    sliced chicken that had been marinated in yogurt curry marinade

    This yogurt curry chicken marinade is not spicy at all, but rather is tangy from the yogurt and lime juice, with a delicious blend of flavors from curry powder. It pairs perfectly with coconut rice (or coconut cauliflower rice), grilled broccoli, or toasted naan bread.

    It's versatile and can be cooked on the grill, in the oven, or even in the air fryer!

    Reasons you'll ♡ curry yogurt chicken marinade

    • you need five simple ingredients
    • it's meal prep friendly
    • it packs a ton of flavor for such simple ingredients

    Don't forget to pin this post to save it for later!

    ingredients required for the curry yogurt marinade

    Simple ingredients for great flavor

    Yogurt is the perfect base for this marinade and serves two purposes: to diffuse the spice flavors, and to tenderize the chicken. Since yogurt is acidic, it helps break down structural proteins within the chicken breast, helping it absorb more liquid.

    In addition to yogurt, we are adding curry powder to add flavor depth and dimension, lime juice for extra tangy flavor, brown sugar to balance the acidity, and salt to enhance all the flavors.

    The best yogurt to use

    You can use any plain yogurt for this recipe. Stay away from flavored yogurts as they will have added sugar and other flavors that will likely not mesh with the curry flavor.

    We have used all types of yogurt from light/fat-free to greek, and all yogurts work well to tenderize the chicken. I do prefer a thicker yogurt when available as this helps the spices stick to the surface of the chicken and not run off once removed from the bag.

    Get creative with the curry powder

    This recipe was tested with mild curry powder found in the spice aisle of my grocery store. This is a blend of various spices including turmeric, cumin, coriander and more.

    You can put your own spin on this recipe by using different curry powders:

    • use a medium or hot curry powder to add some spiciness to your chicken
    • try using madras curry powder for a sweet/hot touch
    • try a Jamaican curry powder for hints of allspice
    • try Ras El Hanout for a Moroccan twist (caution- this can be quite spicy!)

     

    yogurt curry chicken marinade in a bag

    How to marinate your chicken

    The best way to get complete coverage of your chicken with the marinade is to use a bag; meal prep containers or bowls just done have the same surface coverage.

    Over the years, I've phased out plastic bags in favor of reusable silicone bags. Here are my faves:

    • use the sandwich Stasher bags for 1 lb (2 chicken breasts)
    • use the ½ gallon Stasher bags for 2 lbs (4 chicken breasts)

    *even after freezing this yogurt curry chicken marinade, the stasher bags washed clean and did not stain with the marinade!

    Plan for at least 2 hours

    My research tells me that yogurt can have a tenderizing effect on chicken in as little as 15 minutes, but for the full flavor effect, I recommend marinating for at least 2 hours.

    On the other hand, I do not recommend marinating chicken breast for longer than 24 hours as marinade ingredients can sometimes make the chicken mealy in texture.

    A note about freezing

    Yogurt maintain it's creamy texture after freezing and will break into small flakes. With that being said, the yogurt still does an amazing job at tenderizing the chicken and infusing the marinade flavors into it, so we simply scrape the flakes off and enjoy.

    Coconut yogurt freeze/thaws great, and may work in place of the dairy yogurt, however I have not tested this yet.

    Works with other proteins

    This yogurt curry chicken marinade works great for other proteins as well. While written for a pound of chicken breasts, you could use this marinade on:

    • boneless chicken thighs- 2-24 hours marinating time
    • shrimp or fish- 30 minutes marinating time
    • pork tenderloin- at least 24 hours to marinate
    • tofu- press first, then marinate for 2-24 hours

    curry yogurt chicken sliced on cutting board

    Cooking your chicken

    This recipe is written to bake in the oven, however you can cook it using any number or methods:

    • oven- Cook uncovered in a baking dish at 425°F for 25 minutes, flipping halfway through
    • grill- I recommend pounding the chicken flat before marinating to ensure it cooks through evenly. See my perfect grilled chicken breast recipe for full details.
    • frying pan- here's a good tutorial
    • air fryer- again I do recommend pounding the chicken before marinating. We cook 4 minutes + 2 minutes (flipping half way). Full details here.

    For pounded chicken, I make sure it cooks to 155°F before allowing to rest (carryover cooking helps it reach 165°F). For un-pounded chicken, cook to 165°F. Always allow chicken to rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing into it.

    This is my favorite digital thermometer!

    More tasty chicken marinades

    • 7 Freezer Chicken Marinades
    • 7 More Freezer Chicken Breast Marinades
    • Greek Chicken Marinade
    • Jamaican Jerk Marinade (shortcut)
    • Lemon Ginger Chicken Marinade
    Sliced curry yogurt chicken on a wood cutting board with lime slice
    Print Recipe
    5 from 8 votes

    Curry Yogurt Chicken Marinade

    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Indian
    Calories: 117kcal
    Author: Denise Bustard
    Servings: 4
    This simple curry yogurt chicken marinade tenderizes the chicken and infuses it with delicious Indian curry flavor. A delicious recipe to serve with potatoes, naan bread of cauliflower rice.
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time25 mins
    marinating time2 hrs
    Total Time2 hrs 35 mins

    Ingredients

    • ¼ cup plain yogurt (see * notes)
    • 2 teaspoons lime juice
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • 2 teaspoons mild curry powder (see ** notes)
    • 1 teaspoon brown sugar
    • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (roughly 2 breasts)

    Instructions

    • Combine yogurt, lime juice, salt, curry powder and brown sugar in a plastic or reusable silicone bag. Squish the bag around until all ingredient are evenly mixed. Add chicken breasts and turn to coat in marinade.
    • Marinate the chicken in the fridge for 2-24 hours.
    • Heat oven to 425°F. Bake chicken in a shallow baking dish for 10 minutes, flip over, then bake for another 12-17 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 165°F.
    • 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.

    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.

    Notes

    * any plain (unflavoured) yogurt can be used in this recipe, though I recommend a thicker one (like Greek yogurt) if it's available.
    ** as written, this is not a spicy chicken marinade. You could swap the mild curry powder for a spicy one, or add ¼ teaspoon of cayenne to the marinade to increase the spice.
    Storage
    Marinade may be mixed up 3 days before adding chicken.
    Cooked chicken may be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
    Alternative cooking methods:
    • grill- I recommend pounding the chicken flat before marinating to ensure it cooks through evenly. Cook over high heat 2 minutes per side until it reaches an internal temp of 155°F
    • frying pan- cook in olive oil over medium heat in a nonstick skillet for 5-7 minutes per side
    • air fryer- I recommend pounding the chicken before marinating. Cook at 390°F/ 200°C for 4 minutes + 2 minutes (flipping half way).
    Marinating time for other proteins:
    • boneless chicken thighs- 2-24 hours marinating time
    • shrimp or fish- 30 minutes marinating time
    • pork tenderloin- at least 24 hours to marinate
    • tofu- press first, then marinate for 2-24 hours

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1/2 chicken breast (3.5 oz) | Calories: 117kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 65mg | Sodium: 53mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @SweetPeaSaffron or tag #sweetpeasandsaffron

    About Denise Bustard

    Denise Bustard is the creator of Sweet Peas and Saffron, a meal prep-focussed food blog. With a PhD in biochemistry, Denise takes a scientific approach to perfecting her recipes. You can find Denise's work featured on Huffington Post, MSN, Self and more. read more

    Previous Post: « Perfect No Bake Energy Bites (+ 7 Flavors!)
    Next Post: Pulled Pork Burrito Bowls »

    Primary Sidebar

    https://sweetpeasandsaffron.com/about

    Hi, I'm Denise

    Meal prep took me from feeling constantly stressed out about meals to cool, collected and in control. I want to share this amazing and transformational habit with you, so you can feel in control, too!

    Read more about it here!

    POPULAR

    overhead shot of 7 easy stir fry sauces on gray background

    7 Easy Stir Fry Sauce Recipes

    freezer bags labeled and filled with chicken and seven different chicken marinades

    7 Chicken Marinade Recipes You Can Freeze

    overhead shot of sweet potatoes lined up with text showing number of minutes to cook each

    PERFECT Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes

    overhead shot of blue mason jar filled with crispy chickpeas

    ULTRA Crispy Air Fryer Chickpeas

    pile or air fryer chicken breasts with one sliced

    20 Minute Air Fryer Chicken Breast

    collage image that says 33 healthy lunch ideas for work

    33 Healthy Lunch Ideas For Work

    FREE EMAIL COURSE

    Meal Prep Quick Start Guide

    Tips & strategies to get you prepping...fast!

    In Season

    overhead view of spiralized pasta with egg in bowl

    Spiralized Pasta with Egg and Asparagus

    fork taking a bite out of the lemon pepper salmon

    Lemon Pepper Salmon Sheet Pan

    overhead shot of farro arugula salad with a soft boiled egg in glass meal prep container

    Farro Arugula Salad (Meal Prep)

    Close up shot of multiple healthy rhubarb muffins

    Healthy Rhubarb Muffins

    Pile of sauteed green beans with garlic butter on gray plate

    Sautéed Green Beans with Garlic Butter

    close up shot of a bowl of instant pot carrots with honey glaze

    Instant Pot Carrots with Honey Glaze

    Footer

    logos

    · Copyright © 2012 - 2020 Sweet Peas & Saffron · Nutritional Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Comment and Copyright Policy | Implemented by WPopt