Hi! I’m Divya Gugnani and summer’s all about grilling and playing outdoors. A friend invited me over to give me more than just a few cooking tips. So let’s go behind the burner and meet the New York Jets linebacker.

Divya: So I’m here with Calvin Pace. Calvin what are you making for us today?

Calvin: I’m making yoghurt marinated chicken thighs. Today we’re going to start off with the smoked paprika, the cayenne powder, put two tablespoons of both. I use the smoked paprika to give it more of a smoky flavor and the cayenne is used mainly just for spice. And if you like it a little less spicy then obviously you add a little less. I use chicken thighs because for one, it’s a lot easier to cook, faster, and too more flavor.

Divya: So this is juicier because it has more fat.

Calvin: Definitely. And you know, somebody who’s not necessarily a griller doesn’t take chicken thighs. Taught them to grill for about three to four minutes each side and you’re ready to go. After you put two tablespoons of water, let it sit for five minutes and kind of come together as a paste. You add your yoghurt, couple of Greek style yoghurt.

Divya: And so to tenderize the way it breaks down the muscles you get softer, juicier and easier to cook.

Calvin: Definitely.

Vivian: You can also beat you chicken thigh, just a little bit and when you beat them it kind of even outs the meat, breaks the muscles and cooks easier.

Calvin: Before we put the garlic in, we’re going to do two tablespoons of tomato paste. Use this mainly for the color and the tomato paste going to add kind of a sweet flavor to it.

Divya: Do you want this garlic minced?

Calvin: You can either just crush it, flatten it out or you can mince it up.
And after you add the tomato paste, I want to put two tablespoons of the extra virgin olive oil, just a little lubrication to it so when you put them in the grill, it doesn’t stick to the grill. You definitely can’t go wrong with the Weber Grill. You will not blow yourself up with the propane. Just put the garlic in, you can then add chicken thighs or you can use breasts, drumsticks, whatever you like. The beauty of this marinade is you can let it marinate for up to a day. Really want to do at least an hour, just so you get the flavor.

Divya: It gets the flavor.

Calvin: Before I put on the grill, put just a little bit more olive oil just to make sure that your meat doesn’t stick to the rack. And then I put the salt on it just so.

Divya: It gets right on there. Calvin this is the best part when we get to eat.

Calvin: Yes it is. The spice, it’s crunchier.

Divya: Yes. It’s got a lot of juiciness and I’m a little bit mouth on fire which is a good thing. I’m a fan. Thank you so much for having us.

Divya: Stay tuned to Behind the Burner, where we give you the tips, tricks and techniques that are lighting the culinary world on fire.