Here’s another addition to what seems to have become yellow food month (why does yellow food always look so unappetizing?). I’ve been looking forward to trying out a dish based on one of the recipes from The Olive and The Caper, and this one seemed to fit the bill for a weeknight, as it didn’t take very much prep — whisking together the marinade, pouring it over the chicken, and tossing it in the oven. The kitchen smelled fantastic while this was cooking (although at 450 degrees the oven made the kitchen… an oven)! We served it with bulgur pilaf, from the same cookbook.

Chicken Baked in Yogurt
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1 cup plain nonfat Greek Yogurt
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
1 bay leaf, finely chopped
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground white pepper
2 1/2 lbs chicken breast, cut into pieces
1 large red onion, quartered and cut into slices
8 grape leaves, cut into 1-inch-wide shreds
2 tsp lemon zest

Preheat the oven to 450F. Whisk the yogurt, mint, bay leaf, cumin, coriander, turmeric, salt, and white pepper in a bowl. Place the chicken pieces into a 16×9 glass baking dish. Add the onion, grape leaves, and yogurt mixture, and turn to coat. Cover with foil and bake until the liquid is boiling and the chicken almost tender, 40 minutes. Remove the foil, stir, and continue baking for 20 minutes or until the chicken is very tender. Sprinkle the zest over the chicken and serve.

Bulgur Pilaf
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2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup coarse ground bulgur
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
salt
pepper

Heat the oil in a medium-size skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bulgur and onion and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the stock and tomato paste, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and cover. Simmer until the bulgur is tender and the liquid absorbed, about 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes. Fluff and serve.

Serves 4.