Packed with classic flavors like lemon, garlic, and oregano, this Greek chicken marinade takes mere moments to whisk together and works its tenderizing magic in as little as 30 minutes. Pair it with any cut of chicken and bake, pan-fry, or grill as desired.
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“This is a summer regular at my house. I prefer boneless-skinless thighs and we usually use this chicken as a salad topper or stuffed into pita sandwiches with tzatziki, feta, lettuce, and lovely summer tomatoes. Just noting that this marinade would also be an excellent salad dressing!” -Alice, FoodieCrush reader
The Greek Marinade I’ve Been Using on My Chicken for YEARS
Hey, ho, whaddya know?!!! You ready for the best? Because I’m giving you the best!
It may be a bold statement to make, but unlike fake politicians, sorcerers, and that guy overseas who says he’ll double your money if you’ll just wire it to him, I’m standing behind my claim that this super easy, extremely delicious Greek chicken marinade very well could be:
- the yin to your yang.
- the butter to your nutter.
- the pop to your lock.
That’s what makes this little diddy of a recipe the best lemony, best garlicky, best Greek-y, best oregano-y chicken marinade EVER.
Enjoy!
Heidi’s Tips for Recipe Success
Never reuse marinade after it touches raw chicken. It might sound like a good idea to baste your chicken with the same marinade, but there’s a trick to keeping it healthy if you do. Boil any used Greek marinade first to destroy any harmful bacteria. Or set aside a portion of the marinade to use later before putting raw poultry into it.
Use the chicken in various recipes. Add the cooked chicken to your favorite Greek salad, use it to make a Gyro Salad, slice and serve it over creamy asparagus orzo, and more.
Use the marinade as salad dressing. Skip the chicken altogether and use the creamy Greek yogurt marinade to dress your favorite leafy greens (do NOT do this if the marinade already touched the raw chicken.)
The 5 Main Ingredients
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Greek yogurt — This is a new addition to my regular Greek marinade. I added the yogurt after making my easy chicken gyros where the yogurt tenderizes the chicken for a very nice, juicy bite.
- Lemon juice + zest — The acid from the lemon also helps break down the tough fibers of the chicken as it adds a flavorful zip to each bite. Adding the zest of one lemon to the marinade amps the flavor up even that much more.
- Garlic — Because hello, garlic.
- Olive oil — Olive oil adds a bit of fat and helps create a barrier while the chicken is cooking.
- Oregano — Because dried herbs are stronger in flavor than fresh, I’ve found that dried oregano works best for this marinade, and a healthy dose of it is definitely required.
How to Make Greek Chicken Marinade
- Prep the chicken. Trim the chicken breasts of any extra tendrils or pieces of fat and pat dry before adding to the marinade.
- Mix the marinade ingredients together. Then, immerse the chicken in a shallow bowl with the yogurt marinade, or in a zippered freezer bag.
- Cook the chicken to an internal temperature of 160-165°F. You can pan-fry, grill, or bake it depending on the recipe you’re making.
- Let the chicken rest. This gives the juices time to set.
How Long Can Chicken Sit in the Marinade?
This chicken doesn’t need to sit in the marinade for very long to soak up lots of flavor! The chicken is adequately flavored in just 15 – 30minutes. Or, let it soak in all that Greek flavor for up to 3 hours.
Recipes That Use This Easy Marinade
This is a multi-purpose marinade that works for any Greek-inspired chicken recipe. I typically make Greek grilled chicken with this recipe, but here are some other favorite recipes you can make:
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.
THE BEST Greek Chicken Marinade
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 large breasts)
- ⅓ cup plain Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 4 lemons
- 4-5 cloves garlic , pressed or minced
- 2 tablespoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place the chicken pieces in a freezer bag or a bowl and set aside.
- Add the Greek yogurt and olive oil to a medium size bowl. Zest one of the lemons and add to the bowl. Juice that lemon into the bowl with the zest. Slice the other three lemons and set aside. Add the minced garlic, oregano, kosher salt and black pepper to the lemon juice and zest and stir. Pour half of the marinade into the freezer bag or the bowl with the chicken pieces and reserve the other half of the marinade for basting. Marinate the chicken for 30 minutes or up to 3 hours in the refrigerator.
- When ready to grill, prepare the grill by lightly oiling the grate with vegetable oil or cooking spray and set to medium high heat.
- Grill the chicken, basting with the reserved marinade and turning often so each side browns and has light grill marks, until cooked through, about 15-20 minutes or until the chicken juices run clear. During the last 5 minutes of cooking add the 3 sliced lemons to the grill, turning once or twice. Allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serve with the grilled lemons. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days.
Notes
Nutrition
FAQs
Marinate your chicken for as little as 15 minutes or up to 3 hours. (If you go too long, your chicken or meat will become mealy and tough.)
Cook the chicken until it reaches 160ºF to 165ºF.
Here’s some basic cooking times to do so, but always defer to a meat thermometer to be sure:
-Bake skinless, boneless chicken breasts at 400°F for 18-22 minutes
-Grill over medium heat for 15-20 minutes
-Pan fry (depending on thickness) over medium heat for 18-22 minutes
Whether it’s vinegar, wine, lemon juice, or yogurt, the acid in any marinade helps break down the connective tissue in meats, and creates a more tender bite.
Yep! Whisk together the Greek-style marinade and store it in an airtight jar until you’re ready to use it.
What to Serve With This to Make a Meal
- Appetizers — Baba Ganoush, Spanakopita, or Tzatziki
- Salads — Greek Pasta Salad, Greek Chickpea Salad, Greek Salad With Avocado, Greek Potato Salad, or Horiatiki
- Sides — Lemon Rice, Sun-Dried Tomato Couscous, or Grilled Asparagus
More Greek Recipes You’ll Love Too
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Bill H
Absolutely the best Greek chicken I have ever had…..Restaurant quality! I have made this recipe at least two dozen times now and everyone loves it. The only thing I changed is I use Greek seasoning instead of oregano
lizzie lewis
Can I bake this in the oven if I do not have access to a grill?
Yes, you can absolutely bake in the oven. See my post for the best baked chicken here for cooking instructions.
Emily
This was SO good. But SOS please help me figure out how to make this marinade into a cream sauce because the flavors are bomb.
Hey Emily, add yogurt to make it creamy. However, don’t use the marinade after steeping in the chicken. You’ll want to set some aside first.
Alice
Delicious! I used boneless skinless thighs and didn’t add quite as much lemon as the recipe called for because I only had two large lemons. But it was so delicious. I chopped up the chicken and we put into warm pita bread with tzaziki, tomatoes, lettuce and a little feta cheese.
So glad you liked it Alice, and thanks for the 5 star rating!
Vanessa
Awesomeness!
Dana Childs
Finally! I found a recipe that turned out great even if I did mess up/substitute a few things. I will definitely be making this regularly!
I substituted sour cream for the yogurt because I didn’t have any. I squeezed all the lemons (I love my SMEG juicer) and then realized later I was supposed to only squeeze one and slice the other three for topping…soooo…I decided “oh well, I guess I’ll make fresh lemonade too,” but needed more juice to make the simple syrup but didn’t have enough lemons…so I sliced only one of the remaining lemons grabbed an orange for other slices (1 lemon and 1 orange sliced for the grilling part) juiced some of the orange to my lemonade mixture. I zested both the lemon and orange for the marinade, added about 1/2 cup of lemon juice for the marinade and made lemonade (simple syrup recipe) with the remaining juice. Chicken marinated for about 20 min which ended up being plenty and grilled the chicken on the Weber charcoal grill. Next time I will set aside less basting marinade because they came out wetter than I would prefer (I like my chicken on the dry(er) side, but still delicious! I will make this again and try to follow the recipe closer next time. I will still use the sour cream since I never have greek yogurt, but always can use sour cream in the house.
So glad it worked for you Dana. Subbing in with what you have is the joy of cooking. Glad it worked well. Thanks for the 5-star rating!
Cat N
This was delicious! And easy to whip up with mostly pantry items. My picky 6 year old ate every bit of the chicken. My husband asked for this recipe to go in heavy rotation!
Thank you for the 5-star rating Cat! SO glad your picky eaters liked it too.
Tracy
This was perfect on the grill. Our lemons were extra juicy so I ended up adding an extra half cup of greek yogurt to thicken it up. My only other adjustment was I replaced oregano with Penzys greek seasoning due to my personal preference. This is a keeper!
Stephen Jones
Greek yogurt really made a difference. The chicken had a nice slightly tangy flavor, and it was very tender and juicy after being cooked on the grill.
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
I think so too!
Vicki
Tried making it twice and both times (once with low fat and once with full fat yogurt) it curdled! What am I doing wrong?
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
Try whipping the ingredients first and then adding them slowly to the yogurt
jody
Could I use this marinade with a pork tenderloin?
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
Absolutely!
Jen
This was phenomenal! So easy and just perfect. Will be out in the regular rotation:-)
Taylor Phillips
This recipe was so flavorful and tender. It was so good. Probably the best chicken. THere is no complaints, my family And I loved it. Serving it with sliced lemons makes all the difference. I can’t even explain how good it taste.
D Berger
Not sure how 2 chicken breasts can feed 4 people?
4 ounces is one serving.
Ian
This has become my go-to chicken recipe! In the summer, I cook the breasts on the BBQ, but during the winter months, I bake the chicken in the oven, and then give it a quick sear in a cast-iron frying pan (basting the breasts with the leftover marinade) to add a bit of crisp to the outside of the breasts. Still confused about how many lemons should be juiced into the marinade though. I have been using one lemon all along for the marinade, and the chicken has been perfect every time. I am a bit reluctant to add the juice of three more lemons, as I think it could be lemon over-dose and could make the marinade too citrusy and runny. Otherwise, this is one great recipe!
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
I am so so glad!!
Robin M.
This recipe is awesome!! I marinated mine for a longer time, about 6 hours, and cooked them in my Air Fryer. Came out perfectly tender and juicy!!
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
Thanks Robin!
Danielle
I dont have a grill, can I bake this? Or saute the chicken?
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
Absolutely!
Breanna
Made this when we we’re camping, we didn’t have salt and pepper on hand but it tasted lovely, so simple!
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
I love that you took it camping!
Bill Hins
So simple and honestly it is amazing. I really love it with boneless skin ON chicken thighs or breasts. I have used this marinade a dozen times in the last six months and everyone asks for the recipe. Thanks for sharing
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
Thank you so much!
mark
i used 2 lemons i thought it would to much but no. one zest from one lemon and juice from 2 was great follow the recipe and you will love this or add some oregano and some ground cloves not much it turned out great grill it and you and your friends will think you r the best cook ever
So glad you enjoyed it Mark!
Ang
Can the chicken be in the marinade longer than 3 hours?
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
Yes definitely!
Nicole
This sounds amazing. Is there a substitute for Greek yogurt? And what would be some good sides for it?
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
You could use regular yogurt or a light sour cream! I love it with green salad and rolls!
Kristine
I’ve made this several times. Initially I was just using one lemon, then realized it calls for three others. I actually like it with less lemon as it’s thicker and great to add to the chicken after it cooks. Either way it’s a great marinade and everyone loves it!
Sue
I’ve made this recipe at least 5 times for different people. Everyone loves it! It takes way more than 20 minutes to cook, though. I usually plan on 40 minutes now, and it’s great.
rekha
wow so yummy thanks
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
Thanks!