Best Lamb Or Chicken In Onion Yogurt Sauce Recipes

LAMB SOUVLAKI WITH YOGURT-GARLIC SAUCE

Steps:

• For souvlaki, mix first 5 ingredients to make a marinade and set aside. Distribute lamb, bell peppers, onion and tomatoes among 8 skewers. Place in a large shallow pan with marinade. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours, rotating skewers once. Heat a gas grill to medium, or use a charcoal grill and allow the coals to turn a light-ash color. Coat grill with cooking spray. Grill until lamb is medium rare and lightly charred, 5 to 8 minutes. Rotate to cook evenly. To cook in oven, broil on metal skewers 6 minutes, rotating until evenly browned. Grill or toast pitas. For sauce, puree cucumbers and a pinch of salt in a food processor. Place in a fine-screen colander and squeeze out the juice. Reserve juice and discard pulp. Whisk cucumber and lemon juices in a bowl with yogurt. Mix in garlic; season with salt and pepper. Serve with pitas and skewers.

YOGURT-MARINATED LAMB AND CHICKEN SKEWERS

Steps:

• Combine 1/2 cup yogurt, oil, lemon zest and juice, coriander seeds, and paprika in a bowl; add 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Mix well. Divide mixture between 2 resealable plastic bags; add lamb to one and chicken to the other. Seal bags after removing any air; massage meat to evenly distribute marinade. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour, or refrigerate up to 1 day (remove 1 hour before grilling).
• Thread meat onto long metal skewers (or soaked wooden skewers) with a lemon quarter on each end, leaving 1/4 inch between each piece to ensure even cooking. Thread tomatoes and onion onto separate skewers, then brush with oil. Season meat and vegetables with salt and pepper. Stir together remaining 1 1/2 cups yogurt, feta, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Transfer to a serving bowl; drizzle with oil and sprinkle with pepper.
• Preheat grill for direct-heat cooking (medium-high on a gas grill). Brush grates with oil. Grill chicken until just cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. Grill onions, turning a few times, until charred in places and softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Grill lamb, turning a few times, until charred in places, 6 to 8 minutes for medium-rare. Grill tomatoes until charred in places, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer meat and grilled tomatoes and vegetables to a serving platter. Grill pitas, flipping once, until charred in places, 1 to 2 minutes; immediately wrap in a clean kitchen towel to steam and soften until ready to serve.
• Serve meat, onions, and tomatoes with pitas, yogurt sauce, cucumber, and dill, with grilled lemon wedges alongside.

LAMB PATTIES WITH FRIED ONIONS AND TAHINI-YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• Put lamb in a medium bowl. Add 1 teaspoon salt, some black pepper, the cumin, coriander, oregano, cinnamon, scallions, cilantro, mint and garlic. Mix well with wet hands, kneading the mixture to distribute seasoning. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour so the seasoning penetrates. (Alternatively, season meat and refrigerate overnight.)
• Make the sauce: In a small bowl, put tahini, lemon juice, garlic and cayenne. Stir well to dissolve the tahini. Then stir in yogurt, and mix well. Taste and add salt, to taste.
• Heat olive oil in a wide skillet over medium-high. When oil is wavy, add onions and cook, stirring frequently, until they are crisp and well browned, edging toward burned, about 10 to 12 minutes. Lower heat if browning too quickly. Add a little more oil, if pan looks dry. Season lightly with salt. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.
• Light a charcoal grill for a medium hot bed of coals. (Alternatively, use a medium-hot gas or electric grill, a cast-iron pan or griddle, or a broiler.)
• With wet hands, knead lamb mixture once more, then form into 4 (8-ounce) oval patties (or 6 5-ounce patties), about 1-inch thick. Set aside until the fire is ready. Place the grill about 1 inch from the coals.
• Cook patties about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare, 130 degrees. After flipping, cook until red juices appear on the top of the patties. For medium, 140 degrees, cook longer, about 5 minutes per side. In either case, let them rest on a warm plate for 5 minutes before serving, to keep in juices. They will continue cooking a bit as they rest.
• Top each burger with fried onions. Serve with tahini-yogurt sauce and warm pita, if desired.

LAMB PITAS WITH YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; brown lamb in batches. Transfer lamb to a 3- or 4-qt. slow cooker, reserving drippings in skillet., In drippings, saute onion over medium heat until tender, 4-6 minutes. Add garlic and tomato paste; cook and stir 2 minutes. Stir in wine, 1 teaspoon salt, oregano and basil. Add to lamb. Cook, covered, on low until lamb is tender, 6-8 hours., To serve, dice enough cucumber to measure 1 cup; thinly slice remaining cucumber. Combine diced cucumber with yogurt and remaining salt. Fill pita halves with lamb mixture, tomatoes, sliced cucumbers and yogurt mixture. Freeze option: Freeze cooled lamb mixture in freezer containers. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Heat through in a saucepan, stirring occasionally; add a little broth or water if necessary.

GREEK LAMB WITH YOGURT MINT SAUCE

Steps:

• Place the garlic, rosemary, oregano, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse until the herbs are finely minced. Add the lemon juice, olive oil, and red wine and combine. Place the chops in a glass or ceramic dish just large enough to hold them in a single layer. Pour the marinade over the chops, turning to coat both sides. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours but preferably overnight.
• When ready to cook, prepare a grill with one layer of hot coals or turn a gas grill to medium-high heat. Remove the lamb from the marinade, sprinkle generously with salt and pepper, and grill for 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Remove to a platter, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and set aside to rest for 10 minutes. Serve hot with the cold Yogurt Mint Sauce.
• Place the scallions, mint, dill, red pepper flakes, olive oil, and lemon juice in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and puree until it's a coarse paste. Add the yogurt, salt, and pepper and pulse until combined. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to develop.

LAMB KABOBS WITH YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients. Pour 1/3 cup marinade into a shallow dish; add lamb and turn to coat. Cover; refrigerate for 15 minutes., Pour 1 tablespoon marinade into a small bowl. Stir in yogurt; cover and refrigerate. Cover and refrigerate remaining marinade for basting. Drain and discard marinade from lamb. On two metal or soaked wooden skewers, alternately thread lamb, mushrooms and zucchini., Grill kabobs, covered, over medium heat for 5-6 minutes on each side or until lamb reaches desired doneness (for medium-rare, a thermometer should read 135°; medium, 140°; medium-well, 145°), basting frequently with reserved marinade. Serve with couscous and yogurt mixture.

CHICKEN THIGHS IN YOGURT AND ONIONS

Steps:

• Heat a large frying pan and add 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the garlic and onion and saute until the onion is tender. Do not brown.
• Season the chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Heat another frying pan and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil.
• Brown the chicken on both sides and remove to a 13X9" glass baking dish.
• When the onions are tender stir in the yogurt and parsley off the heat. Salt and pepper to taste.
• Pour the mix over the chicken thighs and bake at 375º for 35 minutes.