Greek Chicken Marinade Recipe

Greek Marinade for Chicken is simply made with Greek Yogurt, fresh squeeze lemon juice, and fresh herbs. Grab these fresh and healthy ingredients and make the best marinade for your chicken with classic Greek flavors.

If you are planning on grilling out chicken this weekend, try this simple marinade. Check out this other family favorite recipe – Mayo Marinated Chicken recipe, Bourbon Steak Marinade or Best Grilled Chicken Marinade.

What is a Greek Chicken Marinade?

Greek Chicken Marinade is a delicious marinade that has a base of Greek Yogurt and olive oil. These two ingredients are mixed with fresh squeezed lemon, fresh herbs, and simple seasoning.

These ingredients are combined to make the best marinade that you will want the ingredients on hand at all times. Marinating chicken in yogurt makes for a full of flavor chicken breast.

What are the 3 Main Ingredients when Marinating?

Creating a marinade for your chicken is the key to adding so much flavor and helps keep your chicken juicy. To create a good chicken marinade it will need the following key ingredients. An acid, an oil, and a flavoring agent make up the marinade ingredients.

• Acid – Vinegar, wine, or citrus
• Oil – Olive Oil or Sesame Oil
• Flavoring Agent – Herbs and Spices

These ingredients are essential to make the chicken flavorful. Also the texture of the chicken is tender. We highly recommend this marinate to use for your chicken recipes.

Ingredients

• Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts – You can also make this chicken thighs
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Use any oil that you prefer.
• Fresh Lemon Juice – We prefer to use fresh lemon juice instead of bottle

Scroll to the bottom for the full recipe and ingredients in the recipe card.

How to Make Green Chicken Marinade

• Step 1 – Prepare Marinade – In a large bowl, whisk together all the ingredients except for the chicken.  Mix well to combine with the garlic, oregano and the other dried herbs.  

• Step 2 – Place chicken in marinade – Add the chicken to the bowl and make sure that it’s covered with the marinade.  Marinade the chicken for at least 20 minutes or up to 2 hours covered with plastic wrap.

• Step 3 – Prepare the Grill – Then preheat your grill over medium-high heat (approximately 400 degrees F). Rub oil on the grill grates to prevent the chicken from sticking to the grill. 

• Step 4 – Place chicken on the Grill – Place the chicken directly on the grill grate and cook for 5-7 minutes per side until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.

• Step 5 – Serve and Enjoy – Remove the chicken from the grill, let the chicken rest for 5 minutes. Then the chicken is ready to slice, serve and enjoy! Season the chicken with salt and pepper then serve.

Expert Tips

• Meat Thermometer – Use an instant-read meat thermometer to make sure that the chicken is cooked to a safe temperature. The internal temperature reaches 165 then chicken is done.
• Choosing the right Oil – Combining the oil with the other ingredients is essential for this marinade. We used an olive oil but you can also use an Asian oil if that works with your other ingredients.
• Fresh Ingredients – For the best flavor of this marinade make sure to use fresh herbs and spices. We also recommend to using fresh squeeze lemon for the best flavor.
• Marinade – Make sure to discard any of the marinade that you soaked the chicken in. You do not want to reuse this marinade.
• Chicken – You can easily use other chicken cutlets. We have used this marinade for chicken thighs or chicken tender for a delicious meal idea.
• Garlic – We used garlic powder but you can also use minced garlic or fresh garlic.
• Pound Chicken – To flatten out the chicken on the thickest part, we recommend pounding the chicken. This helps to cook the chicken evenly.

How long to Marinate Chicken

Marinating your chicken it recommended because it adds so much flavor to your chicken. Putting together a quick marinade that includes easy spices and oil is easy to do.

We recommend marinating the chicken for at least 30 minutes and no more for hours. If marinating the chicken for to long it could cause the chicken to break down.

How to Grill Greek Marinated Chicken

Prepare the grill by preheating it and oiling the grill grates. Place the marinated chicken on the grill and grill chicken about 5 minutes on each side. Cooking time may vary based on the size of your chicken.

Make sure to use a meat thermometer to check the chicken internal temperature. The reading should show 165 degrees to know that the chicken is done and cooked through.

Can you Bake Greek Chicken?

We use marinades for multiple ways of cooking chicken. You can marinade your chicken and toss it in the crock pot or even do bake chicken.

• After marinating chicken, place the chicken in a baking dish.
• Place in a preheated oven at 400 degrees and bake for about 20 minutes.
• I like to flip and cook for additional 10 minutes.
• Use meat thermometer to ensure chicken is cooked.

We also love to make a stir fry with the marinated chicken. It taste so much better than take out and I know exactly the ingredients that have been added. Free free to also cook on the stovetop in a cast iron skillet for delicious flavors.

What to Serve with Greek Chicken

We eat Grilled Chicken a lot especially during the summer months. When we grill out, I like to make easy side dishes to get dinner on the table with ease. Here are some of my favorite sides:

• Baked Potatoes – We love using our instant pot. It has been a game changer for my family. This instant pot baked potatoes recipe is ready in about 15 minutes.
• Green Beans – Adding a side of green beans is easy option. It is simple but delicious.
• Rice and Grilled Chicken – Rice is also tasty. We actually keep this in the freezer so it is so easy on busy nights. Learn how to freeze rice and you can make this meal even easier. I love to grab the rice from the freezer and we all can enjoy a really easy meal.
• Steamed Broccoli – Add a simple side salad or steam broccoli in the microwave for another easy side idea.