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Im not a diva or anything—I swear, Im not—but if I don’t have a carton of yogurt in my fridge, I can barely eat. I mean, I start almost every single day with the stuff. Im either dolloping it into my kale smoothies, stirring it into my morning oats, or topping it with granola and bananas (by far my favorite breakfast).
And thats just the first meal of the day. For lunch, Ill top my grain bowls with yogurt. And for dinner, Ill use yogurt as a marinade for my meat.
Yogurt has two things working for it as a marinade: microbes and lactic acid. Dr. Justin Sonnenburg, a professor of microbiology at Stanford and author of The Good Gut, says that the active bacteria in yogurt breaks down protein, making chicken breasts and steaks moist and tender.
But it’s the lactic acid present in dairy that’s doing most of the work. Know how the high acidity of red wine breaks down short ribs? The same tenderizing magic applies to yogurt—with an added plus. Lactic acid is much more mild than the citric acid you’ll find in a lemony marinade, which means it works a little slower. “Lactic acid is a kind of mild acid, it’s not as strong of a sour flavor,” says Dr. Joseph Frank, a professor of food science at the University of Georgia. “It’s reacting with the food in a more gentle way,” says Frank. “In terms of chemistry, the pH is not going as low, and it’s not doing as much changes to the protein’s structure.”
Which means the chances of a yogurt marinade breaking down a piece of meat too much (making the meat mushy) are pretty low. Which may be one reason Middle Eastern and Indian dishes rely heavily on yogurt marinades. Of course, the deliciously tangy flavors the marinades impart dont hurt, either.
To play with yogurt marinades yourself, pick up some thick Greek yogurt and thin it out with lemon juice and olive oil. Use it for shawarma or Turkish chicken kebabs. Or for tenderizing a fatty cut of meat like chicken thighs or lamb. Mix in spices like paprika, cayenne, garlic, and cumin, and get ready to never marinade any other way again.
Greek yogurt marinades slowly tenderize the chicken to make it juicy. Yogurt is a gentle and effective way to tenderize meat. While acidic chicken marinades can toughen the meat and make it rubbery, yogurt slowly breaks down the proteins in the meat resulting in the most tender texture.
Which means the chances of a yogurt marinade breaking down a piece of meat too much (making the meat mushy) are pretty low. Which may be one reason Middle Eastern and Indian dishes rely heavily on yogurt marinades. Of course, the deliciously tangy flavors the marinades impart dont hurt, either.
All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.
But it’s the lactic acid present in dairy that’s doing most of the work. Know how the high acidity of red wine breaks down short ribs? The same tenderizing magic applies to yogurt—with an added plus. Lactic acid is much more mild than the citric acid you’ll find in a lemony marinade, which means it works a little slower. “Lactic acid is a kind of mild acid, it’s not as strong of a sour flavor,” says Dr. Joseph Frank, a professor of food science at the University of Georgia. “It’s reacting with the food in a more gentle way,” says Frank. “In terms of chemistry, the pH is not going as low, and it’s not doing as much changes to the protein’s structure.”
Im not a diva or anything—I swear, Im not—but if I don’t have a carton of yogurt in my fridge, I can barely eat. I mean, I start almost every single day with the stuff. Im either dolloping it into my kale smoothies, stirring it into my morning oats, or topping it with granola and bananas (by far my favorite breakfast).
Yogurt has two things working for it as a marinade: microbes and lactic acid. Dr. Justin Sonnenburg, a professor of microbiology at Stanford and author of The Good Gut, says that the active bacteria in yogurt breaks down protein, making chicken breasts and steaks moist and tender.
The Country’s Best Yogurt Column is an exploration of all things coagulated milk solids—how to cook with it, the fads that have surrounded it, and the many ways it has come to fit into our kitchens, grocery aisles, and restaurant menus.
So yes, marinating your meat in yogurt works. But marinating it and then frying it is otherworldly. Buttermilk fried chicken: so 2018.
It’s not entirely clear where, exactly, the yogurt-as-meat-marinade method was first discovered, but it likely happened somewhere in Central Asia, according to cookbook author Julie Sahni. It was a common practice during the Mongol Empire, which spanned the 13th and 14th centuries, to ferment mare’s milk (that would be from the horse) into yogurt and use this to marinate meat—particularly those cuts that had become old and tough.
According to Mary-Frances Heck, a cookbook author and senior food editor at Food & Wine, compared to other acidic marinades, like lime juice or vinegar, yogurt (with its higher pH level) is much more gentle and forgiving. “If you leave a chicken breast in red wine vinaigrette for two to three days, by the time you cook it, it will be jerky,” she says. From a practical perspective, Heck adds, yogurt can perform double duty in a recipe—you can use half of it to marinate the meat and the rest as a sauce or a side. You can even cook your meat in the yogurt marinade, Helou says—but to prevent curdling, make sure you are continually whisking the yogurt in the pot and not letting it come to a boil.
Scientifically speaking, according to Arielle Johnson, a food scientist and the author of the forthcoming cookbook Flavorama, when you coat meat in yogurt (most agree that plain, whole-milk yogurt is the best bet), the lactic acid present breaks down the connective protein collagen and acidifies the muscle fibers. Translation: When cooked, the meat tastes more tender and juicy, with an incredibly desirable tang. It’s similar to what happens in a ceviche, with the acid in the lime juice effectively “cooking” the seafood.
Marinating chicken in yogurt
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