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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Keri
You’d think I was on the brink of starvation the way I gobbled up this potato salad. The vinegar is everything. Thank you!
Joannne
Very tasty and easy to make.
Emma
Love, love, love this marinade for Greek dish. I serve with Greek salad, tzatziki, hommous and Greek flat bread
Hayley
We’re so glad you enjoy it, Emma!
Hannah
Found this recipe several years ago. This is one I keep going back to time and time again. I cook it on the pellet smoker instead of grill. I love serving it with a big Greek salad and pita. So yummy!
So glad you enjoyed Hannah!
Caitlyn Allen
Did you change this recipe recently? I don’t remember it using Greek yogurt, but I’m not sure what it replaced
Hi Caitlyn, nope, no change. it’s always called for Greek yogurt. The yogurt acts as a tenderizer.
Shannon Porter
This was awesome! Thank you!
Thanks Shannon, glad you enjoyed it.
patricia
Delicious, flavorful and easy, perfect for grilling on the stove, barbecue . Didn’t try in oven or air fryer. Everyone loved it. If you want a little spice add some ground red pepper to taste.
Thank you for sharing
Thank you Patricia! Glad you enjoyed!
Angie
The best chicken we have ever grilled. I don’t think I can ever order Greek style chicken at a restaurant again.
Happy to hear you enjoyed Angie!
Dan
Will this work with Pork?
Hayley
Hi Dan! We haven’t tried this with pork before but it should work great!
Beryl
Can I marinade the chicken and then freeze it?
Hayley
Hi Beryl! Yes, you can totally add the chicken to a bag with the marinade and then immediately freeze it (freezing stops the marinating process until you defrost).
Diane
Hi! Is it OK to cook this chicken in the air fryer instead of on the grill? And how about the lemons?
Hayley
We think that would work okay! We’re not sure about the lemons though, but might be worth a try?
Bob
This is a no-fail marinade, absolutely delicious! For a recent camping trip, I diced the cooked chicken and added it to your Greek Pasta Salad recipe. It was a hit. Thanks!
I’m glad you enjoyed!
Colleen
I have a spent a lot of time with Julia Child and need to change my cooking as my husband now has to deal with salt and sugar issues. This recipe, however, is not the answer and is completely inedible.
Barbara
That is not the authors fault if you have served overly salted and full of fat French dishes to your husband over the years. It’s up to you to find recipes and adjust your cooking style to suit his dietary needs. Shame on you for writing a negative comment just because it doesn’t meet your approval.
Jon Mathias
Please tell me that two tablespoons of dried oregano is a typo. Two teaspoons at most, surely?
Hayley
Hi Jon! Nope, not a typo.
Jon Mathias
Really good marinade. I couldn’t use your quantities as I’m in the UK and this whole “cups” thing doesn’t really make any sense.
However, the ingredient list is great and any decent cook can guess the required proportions.
Dawn Mahoney
BEST MARINADE ever!!!
Janice
OMG ! Game changer! Just served last night for a dinner party and everyone RAVED about it. Thanks so much for sharing!!
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Kelley
Delish!! Will be in my rotation! Love it!!!!
Kaarina
I make this all the time and everyone always loves it. Thanks for the easy marinade idea!
I’m glad you all enjoyed it!
Venae Warner
Can you freeze the marinade?
Cat Nolan
I’ve made this several times. It’s delicious and easy. I make extra marinade to use with left over chicken for pita pocket sandwiches.
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
lauren
can you marinate this longer?
You can marinate the chicken longer, but the acid could break the chicken down and make it mealy.
Donna B
Delicious! I use one lemon in the marinade. It’s plenty. We substituted dairy free yogurt and it worked great. Making it again tonight!
The way the recipe is written is a little complicated for me. Since everything goes in the marinade, it would be simpler not to worry about which goes in first. Just combine all. Unless there’s a reason I don’t know about?
5 stars in flavor, for sure! Especially if it’s grilled!
Elaine
Excellent marinade!!! Thank you. Big hit with the whole family. Made it as directed but didn’t need the extra roasted lemons. The marinade was lemony enough and I was the only one who added an extra squeeze from the roasted slice. 1 roasted, 1/8” thick slice per person as a garnish is enough for me.
Happy you enjoyed Elaine!
Michele Macdougall
Absolutely delish!!
Simple but so good. New go to chicken recipe.
Diana Lawrence
This recipe is wonderful! The marinade made the chicken so tender, flavorful and juicy on the grill. I made this recipe and your Greek Salad recipe last night and served it with homemade focaccia bread topped with cherry tomatoes from my garden (which was also used in the salad. The only thing I left out was grilling the lemons at the end, due to time. The whole meal was a delicious Mediterranean treat. I will definitely make this again. Thank you!