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By: the Evinks24 Comments
Posted: 02/25/23Updated: 11/06/20
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Greek Chicken Marinade is a quick and easy marinade recipe that will give your chicken amazing flavor and make it so tender! The combination of classic Greek flavors like lemon, garlic, and oregano will have your taste buds bursting. This is perfect for an easy grilled dinner recipe on a busy weeknight.
Tender, Juicy Greek Chicken!
You’re going to love the subtle taste and flavor of this delicious recipe. It’s so simple to make but packs on a huge amount of taste and flavor. And the best part? The chicken stays so juicy and tender, just like our Teriyaki Marinade!
Since my Greek Chicken Kabobs were such a hit I decided that we need some more grilling recipes using your favorite Greek flavors!
This chicken recipe is the perfect dish for a busy weeknight meal. It’s simple, delicious and goes well with just about any type of side dish. We especially love grilled sweet potatoes on the side!
Contents show
Ingredients for Greek Chicken Marinade
If you’d rather skip my (very helpful, I think) tips and tricks, essential cooking info, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to this delicious this easy recipe –simply scroll to the bottom of the page where you can find the printable recipe card.
- Chicken breast – We used boneless chicken breasts, but you could also use a boneless or bone-in chicken thigh.
- Olive oil – Helps infuse the chicken with flavor from the seasonings, plus helps the chicken not stick to grill grates while cooking.
- Lemon – The high acidity of lemon helps break down the tough fibers of the chicken, plus infuses flavor.
- Garlic – Balances flavor in the marinade and is a popular ingredient in Greek cooking.
- Herbs – We used a mix of oregano, basil, dill and thyme. This marinade calls for dried herbs, but you can use fresh. The typical rule is to use twice as much fresh as dried.
- Kosher salt – Adjust to your preference.
- Black Pepper – Freshly cracked black pepper will always give it the most flavor!
How to Make Greek Chicken Marinade
- Mix Marinade – In a medium bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and seasonings. Reserve ½ c. of marinade; set aside.
- Marinade Chicken – Toss together with chicken, cover with plastic wrap and set in fridge to marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours..
- Grill Chicken – Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard remaining marinade. Place chicken breast on hot grill grates, cover lid and grill for 5 minutes. Flip chicken over and allow to grill for 5-7 minutes longer or the internal temperature of the thickest part of the breast reaches 165 degrees F.
- Tent & Rest – Remove chicken from grill, tent with foil and allow to rest 5 minutes before slicing and enjoying.
Helpful Tools
How Long Should I Marinate the Chicken?
We recommend at least 30 minutes to really get the full flavor profile from the marinade. Of course, even 10 minutes it better than no time at all. We don’t recommend leaving the chicken in the marinade over 24 hours.
Can I use Frozen Chicken with this Marinade?
Yes, you can. As long as you’re thawing out the chicken in a safe manner, you can easily add frozen chicken to a marinade.
Keep in mind though that until it really starts to thaw, the marinade won’t start penetrating through to the chicken.
If you want to marinade your chicken all day because you will be gone I highly recommend using frozen chicken in the marinade, then placing in the fridge or the lemon will start to break down the chicken after 2 hours if you used thawed chicken!
Can I bake Greek Chicken?
Yes you can! If you want to skip the grill and bake this chicken instead it’s a great option.
Marinate the chicken like you would if you were going to grill it. Then discard the marinade, place the chicken in an oven safe pan and bake it at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Remove from the oven, let rest for five minutes and then serve!
Serving Suggestions!
You can serve anything that you want! Any type of vegetable, like easy Grilled Vegetables, would go great with this or serve it up with a nice side salad like this Grilled Caesar Salad.
Other great options are serving it with a platter of hummus, flatbread and chopped vegetables.
Serve your favorite cold pasta salad along side of this chicken.
Turn it into an easy Mediterranean salad for a complete meal!
More Delicious Marinade Recipes!
A quick marinade can make your protein have so much flavor! Here are a few of our most popular marinade recipes!
- Steak Marinade
- Pork Chop Marinade
- Teriyaki Marinade
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Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure tag me on Instagram at @gimmesomegrilling or #gimmesomegrilling so I can see your grilling masterpieces!
Greek Chicken Marinade Recipe
Quick and easy marinade recipe for chicken with all your favorite Greek flavors!
Prep:5 minutes mins
Cook:15 minutes mins
Marinating Time:30 minutes mins
Total:50 minutes mins
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Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breast
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 lemon juiced
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 Tablespoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon basil
- ½ teaspoon dill
- ¼ teaspoon thyme
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
In a medium bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and seasonings.
Toss chicken with mixture until thoroughly and evenly coated.
Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let chicken marinate at least 30 minutes and up to two hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit or preheat grill to medium high.
Prepare grill by lightly oiling the grates or oiling the grill pan over stop top. Set heat to medium high.
Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard remaining marinade. Place chicken breast on hot grill grates, cover lid and grill for 5 minutes. Flip chicken over and allow to grill for 5-7 minutes longer or the internal temperature of the thickest part of the breast reaches 165 degrees F. The amount of time the chicken takes to cook will depend on the thickness of the chicken breast and size. Always check the internal temperature of the chicken.
Remove chicken from grill, tent with foil and allow to rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
Tips
Nutrition Facts are based on all the marinade being used. Some of this will be discarded.
How long should I marinate my chicken? – If you’re using a lemon marinade, don’t marinate your chicken for longer than 2 hours. This is because the lemon has an acidity to it that will break down the chicken and actually make it a tougher meat than it was before. This recipe does have lemon in it so we recommend marinating it for about 2 hours.
Can I use frozen chicken – Yes, you can. As long as you’re thawing out the chicken in a safe manner, you can easily add frozen chicken to a marinade. Keep in mind though that until it really starts to thaw, the marinade won’t start penetrating through to the chicken. If you want to marinade your chicken all day because you will be gone I highly recommend using frozen chicken in the marinade, then placing in the fridge or the lemon will start to break down the chicken after 2 hours if you used thawed chicken!
Video
Nutrition Information
Calories: 267kcal (13%), Carbohydrates: 3g (1%), Protein: 37g (74%), Fat: 12g (18%), Saturated Fat: 2g (13%), Cholesterol: 109mg (36%), Sodium: 780mg (34%), Potassium: 674mg (19%), Fiber: 1g (4%), Sugar: 1g (1%), Vitamin A: 72IU (1%), Vitamin C: 10mg (12%), Calcium: 37mg (4%), Iron: 1mg (6%)
© Gimme Some Grilling ®
We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box is calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.
Meet the Evinks
Hi! We are Jason & Julie! We focus on easy, simple recipes that everyone can tackle on their smoker and grills that the entire family will enjoy!
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Reader Interactions
Leave a Comment
Elizabeth Hernandez says
I didn’t have dill so I substituted 1/2 tsp of rubbed sage. Turned out really good with lots of flavor.Reply
Sarah Hill says
Yummy substitute! Very happy it turned out well for you – thanks for commenting and rating this recipe!
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Ronald Niemasz says
can I make this on a pellet grill/smoker?
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Courtney says
Yes!
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Gitta says
How can you reverse a 1/2 cup marinade when it barely makes a 1/4 cupReply
Nicole Natyniak says
wondering the same. am I missing something?
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Bev says
Loved this. So easy and so good. Can you make the marinade in advance and store it? How long?
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the Evinks says
You can mix up a few days in advance and store it in the refrigerator.
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Nicol says
FANTASTIC flavor, didn’t go far so we added more oil. Loved it.Reply
the Evinks says
Wonderful to hear Nicole! Thanks for commenting and rating the recipe!
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RG says
I’m a little confused, there’s less than 1/2 cup of marinade, how are you supposed to save some?
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Megan Mitzel says
If you wanted to save some, you could double it. Otherwise just discard the remaining marinade if there is any.
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Katie says
I also don’t understand how you reserve half a cup of marinade, when there isn’t even half a cup to begin with. Is there a portion of oil missing?
RG says
Even doubled I have 7 Tbsp of liquid btw the lemon juice and olive oil, The video looks like there’s a lot more juice than a half of a lemon.
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Katherine says
What an incredible combo of flavors!Reply
Megan Mitzel says
So glad you loved it! It is definitely a favorite!
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Beth says
This marinade stole my heart! I love how a simple step like marinading, can bring a plain dish to a fabulous dish! Can’t wait to try this one!Reply
Megan Mitzel says
Hope you love it!
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Terry says
What is in the dipping sauce it’s white color ?
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Megan Mitzel says
Hi Terry – it is our Tzatziki Sauce. Here is the recipe! https://gimmesomegrilling.com/tzatziki-sauce/
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Danielle Green says
What a perfect flavor combination in this marinade! Yum!Reply
Megan Mitzel says
Thank you!
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Malinda Linnebur says
I made these last night and they were so flavorful! I plan on making them on my grill pan this winter as well! Thanks!Reply
Megan Mitzel says
Awesome! Thanks for trying – glad you enjoyed it!
Reply