Best 5 Cilantro Garlic Chicken Recipes

GRILLED ZA'ATAR CHICKEN WITH GARLIC YOGURT AND CILANTRO

Steps:

• In a large bowl or container, stir together 5 of the grated garlic cloves, half the lemon zest, 1/3 cup yogurt, the cilantro, oil, za'atar, oregano or marjoram, salt and black pepper. Add chicken and toss until well coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
• When ready to cook, light the grill to medium or heat your broiler with the rack 3 inches from the heat source. Remove chicken from bowl, shaking off any excess marinade, and grill or broil on one side until charred in spots, 5 to 8 minutes. Flip the chicken and grill or broil for another 5 to 8 minutes, until just cooked through.
• While the chicken is cooking, place remaining 2/3 cup yogurt in a small bowl. Stir in the reserve grated garlic clove and lemon zest, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cut one zested lemon in half and set aside for serving (save the other zested lemon for another use).
• To serve, place chicken on a serving platter and drizzle with olive oil and a large squeeze of the zested lemon. Top with cilantro and oregano or marjoram sprigs and serve with yogurt sauce.

GARLIC-GINGER CHICKEN BREASTS WITH CILANTRO AND MINT

Steps:

• Make the marinade: Add the garlic, ginger, mint, cilantro, lemon juice and 3 tablespoons oil to a large resealable bag. Seal the bag and massage to combine the ingredients into a paste. Add the coriander, turmeric, amchur (if using), red chile powder and salt, and seal the bag. Shake or massage to combine.
• Place the chicken breasts in the marinade and seal the bag tightly. Use your hands to gently massage the marinade onto the chicken breasts until each breast is coated. Refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
• Warm a large lidded skillet over medium-high heat. Once the pan is quite hot, add the oil, swirling the pan to coat the entire surface. Reduce the heat to medium, remove the chicken from the marinade and shake gently to remove any excess marinade. Add it to the pan. Working in batches if necessary, cook the breasts, undisturbed, until lightly golden underneath, 1 to 2 minutes, then flip them and cook until lightly golden on the second side, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook the chicken for 10 minutes (no peeking!). Turn off the heat (if you have an electric stove, take the pan off the heat) and let the chicken sit, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the breasts. Don't lift the lid, or you'll release the hot steam that finishes cooking the chicken.
• Check to make sure the breasts are cooked through: There shouldn't be any pink in the middle. If you have a meat thermometer, the chicken should register at least 165 degrees. Place the chicken on a cutting board, and slice each breast into strips. Garnish with mint and cilantro.

CILANTRO GARLIC CHICKEN

Steps:

• Place ginger, garlic, lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon salt into a blender; add 2 tablespoons water and blend until smooth. Place chicken pieces into a non-metallic bowl and pour ginger mixture over chicken. Rub ginger mixture into the meat, cover bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (up to 24 hours).
• In same blender pitcher (without rinsing), place tomato, cilantro leaves and stems, serrano chiles, tomato paste, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons water. Blend until smooth.
• Heat olive oil in a large, heavy nonstick pot with a lid over high heat. When oil is very hot, place chicken pieces with ginger marinade into pot; fry, turning chicken occasionally, until light brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Pour cilantro mixture from blender over chicken. Cook, stirring often, until sauce thickens and oil separates, about 10 minutes.
• Spoon yogurt into pot, cooking and stirring until yogurt is blended into sauce, 4 to 5 minutes. Sauce will be thick and edged with oil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook until chicken is tender and no longer pink inside, 10 to 15 minutes. If sauce seems too thick, thin with 1 tablespoon water or as needed.

CHICKEN MEATBALLS WITH MOLOKHIEH, GARLIC, AND CILANTRO

Steps:

• To make the meatballs, place the breadcrumbs in a small bowl and cover with water. Stir, then drain through a colander, squeezing out most of the moisture from the bread. (If using grated zucchini, toss it with ½ tsp of salt and place in a sieve set over a bowl. Let to sit for 20 minutes, then use your hands to squeeze out as much liquid as possible.)
• Transfer the crumbs to a large bowl with the chicken, garlic, spices, herbs, lemon zest, ¾ tsp salt, and plenty of black pepper. Using well-oiled hands, shape into about 30 small balls; roughly a scant 1 oz/25g each.
• Put 1 tbsp of oil into a large nonstick sauté pan with a lid, and place over high heat. Once hot, add half the meatballs and cook for 2-3 minutes, turning throughout, until golden brown all over. Transfer the meatballs to a baking sheet and set aside. Keep the pan on the heat and continue with the remaining 1 tbsp of oil and remaining meatballs in the same way.
• Return the same pan to medium-high heat. Add the 2 garlic cloves, lemon rind, and stock and bring to a boil-this should take about 3 minutes. Add the molokhieh (or the spinach and okra combination), cinnamon, 2 tsp of salt, and plenty of black pepper, then decrease the heat to medium and cook, covered, for about 20 minutes, or until the molokhieh is bubbling and completely defrosted. Add the meatballs, parsley, and ½ cup/10g of cilantro and cook, covered, for another 10 minutes, or until completely cooked through. Stir in the lemon juice.
• To make the adha, meanwhile, put the olive oil into a small frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until golden and crispy. Add the chile flakes, then remove from the heat and pour into a bowl. Stir in the cilantro and set aside.
• Divide the soup among four bowls and top with the fried garlic and remaining ½ cup/10g cilantro. Serve at once, with lemon wedges alongside.

CILANTRO GARLIC-HERB CHICKEN

Steps:

• Arrange the chicken in a baking dish in a single layer.
• Mix together remaining ingredients Pour over chicken, turning pieces to coat.
• Cover the dish with lid or plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Place uncovered dish in oven, bake at 350 for 30-45 until tender when pierced with a fork and juices run clear.
• Baste chicken with the pan juices a couple of times while baking.
• Serve the chicken garnished with fresh coriander leaves.
• Equally good cold.