Main Dishes

Milk Soaked Chicken Thigh Marinade with a Creamy Sauce & Crispy Sesame Crackers

A platter of grilled chicken skewers with crunchy sesame crisps, garnished with fresh cilantro, served over a creamy green sauce. A bright bouquet of orange and yellow flowers is blurred in the background. - 1

Prep

20 minutes

Cook

30 minutes

Yield

4 -6 people

This milk soaked Chicken Thigh Marinade keeps your chicken so tender and juicy. This is a great summer recipe for BBQ season.

Did you know that you might have easy ingredients for marinating your chicken right in your fridge? Milk is actually a fantastic marinade. It helps tenderize chicken and creates a juiciness to your meat. This recipe marinades the chicken for delicious flavor, thread it onto skewers and grill it up. Make the sesame brittle for a crunch, and the yummy green sauce. This is popping with flavor and is such a good summer recipe.

A close-up of a grilled chicken skewer being held above a plate with a green sauce and sesame crisps, garnished with fresh herbs. - 2

❤️ Why You’ll Love This Chicken Thigh Marinade

Easy: I love an easy recipe that is made with just pantry staples. This marinade for chicken thighs is made with simple, easy ingredients and still packs so much flavor.
Grilling Friendly: You can make these skewers on your BBQ for the summer or you can bake them in your oven if you don’t have access to a grill.
Healthy: This recipe is packed with protein, and it’s good for you. You can also pair it with your fav grilled veggies, corn, or whatever sides you wish.

🍲 Ingredients

Chicken Thighs – Chicken thighs are cuts of dark meat that are so juicy and flavorful. I find thighs lend itself better to barbecuing and slow cooking because it just gets better as you cook it (where breast can easily dry out). Chicken thighs are also nutrient dense – they’re packed with nutrients like iron and zinc, and the best part is, they’re budget friendly!

Sesame Seeds – For this recipe I used white sesame seeds to make a crunchy sesame brittle. They are nutty, crunchy, and packed with benefits such as being a good source to healthy fats, protein, and fiber. They also are rich in minerals like calcium and magnesium, so much is packed into these tiny seeds.

Plain Greek Yogurt – For the creamy green sauce that adds a little kick (from the jalapenos) and flavor, the base is Greek yogurt which is good for you and packed with protein. Greek yogurt is a staple in my kitchen because there’s so much you can do with it – use it as a marinate, use it in place of sour cream or mayo, and just eat it on its own! It’s also great for your gut, and helps improve digestion.

👩‍🍳 How to Make Chicken Thigh Marinade

Marinate the chicken

Add all of the chicken marinade ingredients to a medium bowl and whisk together to combine. Add all of the chicken thigh pieces to the marinade, toss to fully coat and let sit for 30 minutes on the counter or 1 hour in the refrigerator.

Make the sesame brittle

Preheat the oven to 275F and line a small baking sheet with parchment paper. To a bowl add the sesame seeds, honey, olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder and mix until combined. Spread on the baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes (or could take 25-30) or until crispy and golden brown. Set aside to cool.

For the creamy green sauce

To a small frying pan over medium heat, toast the cumin seeds until fragrant, about 3-4 minutes.
To a food processor, add the garlic and jalapeno and pulse a few times until you have fine pieces.
Next add the toasted cumin seeds, cilantro, parsley, chili flakes and salt. Pulse until everything is finely chopped. On low speed, drizzle in the olive oil until combined. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt or chili flakes for more heat.
Let the green sauce sit in the refrigerator.

Grill the chicken

Thread the marinated chicken onto the skewers, allowing any excess marinade to drip off, dividing evenly between the skewers.
On the outdoor grill -Heat the grill to medium-high heat, about 400F.Oil the grill well and when heated, place the skewers on the grill and cook, turning occasionally, for about 10-15 minutes or until cooked through (internal temperature reached 165F) and well browned.Remove from the grill and let rest for 5 minutes.
On the grill pan / oven -Preheat the oven to 375F.When the oven is preheated, heat the grill pan to medium-high heat. Oil the grill pan well and when heated, place the skewers on the grill and cook 4-5 minutes, flip, and cook 4-5 more minutes (you may have to do these in batches). Place on a baking sheet to finish cooking in the oven, until cooked through (internal temperature reached 165F).

Assemble the dish

Once the chicken has rested, mix together the green herby sauce with the Greek yogurt. Spread the sauce on a platter and then place the chicken skewers on top. Garnish by breaking up pieces of sesame brittle and placing them on top and beside the skewers, add fresh herbs and enjoy.

A close-up of a grilled chicken skewer being held above a plate with a green sauce and sesame crisps, garnished with fresh herbs. - 4

🗒 Tips and Tricks

Soaking: Allow your chicken breasts to soak in the marinade for at least 30 minutes. You can easily prep the chicken in advance and leave it in your fridge until it’s time to grill.
Try Buttermilk: Any milk works for this recipe but buttermilk can be an extra nice addition for an extra tang to your chicken thighs.
Season: You don’t just want to use only milk to soak your chicken, make sure you don’t skip on the other seasonings to really make your chicken full of flavor.
Pat Dry: After soaking, remove the chicken breasts from the milk and pat them thoroughly dry with paper towels. This helps achieve a better sear if you’re pan-frying or grilling, and promotes even browning.

🗒 Variations

If you like this Chicken Thigh Marinade, try one of my other marinades:

Greek Chicken Marinade
Greek Yogurt Marinade

🗒 Substitutions

Chicken: Swap the chicken thighs for chicken breasts if you prefer white meat over dark.
Seasoning: Use whatever herbs and seasonings you want in the marinade.
Milk: For this recipe I used regular milk but you can use plant-based milks, cream, or even buttermilk.
Jalapeno: If you don’t like spice, you can use less jalapenos or you can eliminate them all together and just have a herb-based sauce.

🗒 Best served with

Grilled Corn & Avocado Pasta Salad
Grilled Peach & Orzo Salad
Grilled Romaine Salad

👝 How to Store Leftovers

Store leftover chicken thighs in the fridge for up to 4 days. These are great cut up and used in salads or bowls. The green sauce will also store well in your fridge for up to 4-5 days and can be drizzled or spread over just about anything. It’s so good and flavorful!

🤔 Common Questions

A milk-soak marinade can help tenderize the meat. The calcium in milk can help activate natural enzymes in the chicken that break down proteins. It also helps add a tang and flavor to the chicken when combined with other seasonings.

For tenderizing, soaking for at least 2 hours is recommended. You can pre-prepare this chicken in the marinade and leave in the fridge overnight (8-12 hours), just avoid soaking for longer than 24 hours as you don’t want your chicken to get mushy.

You can use any kind of milk but I do prefer dairy milk. Buttermilk can be a great option too as it adds a little more tang to your chicken.