Need something easy and flavorful to throw on the grill this weekend? This Greek Marinated Chicken is it.
The marinade for this chicken (similar to what I used for this Chicken Shawarma ) takes just a few minutes to stir together and creates an absolute explosion of flavor. It’s incredible. I only marinated my chicken in this magical mix for 30 minutes, but the flavor was still loud and clear. Once marinated, you can grill the chicken outdoors over a gas or charcoal flame, or (if you don’t have a grill) you can bake it in the oven. Either way, you’ll get a super flavorful and moist end product.
I served this Greek Marinated Chicken with my Lemony Cucumber and Couscous Salad, which was the perfect cold summer side, and incorporated both starches and vegetables into the meal. Two birds with one stone!
Greek Marinated Chicken
Greek Marinated Chicken
Servings 8 piecesIngredients
- 1 cup plain yogurt ($0.63)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.32)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced ($0.32)
- 1/2 Tbsp dried oregano ($0.08)
- 1 medium lemon ($0.49)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
- freshly cracked pepper ($0.05)
- 1/4 bunch fresh parsley ($0.20)
- 3 1/2 to 4 lbs chicken pieces ($6.86)
Instructions
- To make the marinade, combine the yogurt, olive oil, minced garlic, oregano, salt, and some freshly cracked pepper in a bowl. Use a fine holed cheese grater or a zester to scrape the thin layer of yellow zest from the lemon skin into the bowl. Also add the juice from half of the lemon (about 1-2 Tbsp). Stir until the ingredients are well combined. Roughly chop a big handful, or about 1/4 bunch, of parsley and stir it into the marinade.
- Add the chicken pieces and marinade to a gallon sized zip top bag. Remove as much air as possible, close the bag tightly, and massage the bag to mix the contents and make sure the chicken is well coated. Refrigerate the bag for 30 minutes.
- After marinating for 30 minutes, either cook the chicken on a grill OR preheat the oven to 375 degrees in preparation to bake the chicken.
- To bake the chicken, place the chicken pieces in a large casserole dish (9×13). Bake the chicken in the preheated 375 degree oven for 45-60 minutes, or until golden brown on top.
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Notes
Nutrition
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Step by Step Photos for Greek Marinated Chicken
First prepare the marinade. Combine the yogurt, olive oil, oregano, minced garlic, salt, and some freshly cracked pepper in a bowl. Add the zest from one lemon and the juice from about half of it (1-2 Tbsp). Stir these ingredients until well combined.
Add a handful, or about 1/4 bunch, of roughly chopped parsley. This is your finished marinade (or a REALLY awesome dip!).
I used about 3.75 pounds of chicken pieces (drumsticks and thighs). You could easily half this Greek Marinated Chicken recipe, if needed.
Add the chicken pieces and the marinade to a large, gallon-sized zip top bag and mix it around to make sure the chicken is well coated. Refrigerate the bag for 30 minutes.
After marinating, you can either grill the chicken or bake it. I don’t have an outdoor grill, so I decided to bake it. Place the chicken pieces in a large casserole dish. I ended up pouring the extra marinade over top, but later realized that this just made it take longer to brown, so I don’t suggest doing so. There is plenty of flavor in the marinade that you won’t need to add the extra.
Bake the chicken in a preheated 375 degree oven for 45-60 minutes, or until it is golden brown. It will smell SO good! Now eat!
I served this Greek Marinated Chicken with my Lemony Cucumber and Couscous salad and it was PERFECT! :D
Love the fresh taste of this recipe!
I couldn’t get it to brown very well, even at 60 minutes and the chicken is quite dry/chewy at the 60 minute mark so I’m not sure I could leave it to brown further, but still yummy!
E.L. Everyone’s oven is different. Next time you cools heat a cast iron skillet. Brown the chicken skin side. Flip and straight into the oven to finish. Or after cooking in the oven, put them under the broiler for about 5 minutes.
Can you marinate this longer than 30 minutes
Hi Jacklyn, You can marinate in the fridge for up to 8 hours,
Question has anyone ever made this in a crockpot?
Now I’m curious about this too! I wonder if the yogurt + lemon juice would hold up or curdle over a few hours though.
Has anyone adjusted this recipe to chicken breast vs. bone-in? Just wondering what I may adjust the cooking time/temp to…
I’m trying this boneless and in a crockpot. I will post how it turns out.
Can this be a freezer meal?
We haven’t tried this dish as a freezer meal, and freezing chicken in marinades isn’t something we do very often. Since we haven’t tried this method, I hesitate to give you any specific suggestions that may not be successful. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give it a shot! If you do, let us know how it goes. Good luck! ~ Marion :)
Can you use Greek yogurt?
Greek yogurt has quite a bit less moisture than regular yogurt, so you might find that it coats the chicken too thick.
I’ve always used Greek yogurt, the first time by accident, without issue. Turns out perfectly moist every time! I’ve been using this recipe for years and come back to it every time.
One question: Where on Earth can you buy 4 lbs of chicken for $6.86???
Well, that was almost ten years ago, but it was just at my local supermarket (in New Orleans). You can see the packages with the price tags in the step by step photo section.
Sam’s club!!! Just got 4.3 lbs for less than $4
Can I marinate potatoes with the yogourt mixture too and add them to the marinated Chicken. In the pan?
I’ve never tried marinating potatoes before, so I’m not sure how that would turn out.
Would this taste as good with Turkey?
Probably, but it’s hard to say for sure without trying it. :)
So excited to try this. I only have about a pound of chicken breast strips. Would you recommend baking or sautéing? If I bake at 375 should I bake for 30 minutes?
I would do it in a skillet. It will be faster and you’ll have less chance of them drying out, plus you’ll get some nice browning on the outside.
Do I cover this with foil before I bake it
Nope. :) That will always be included in the instructions if it is required.
I am going out of town for work. Can I pre make the marinade for my hubs and then have him ad it to the chicken day off? The marinade would be in the fridge for 3 days.
Yes, that should work fine. :)
Excellent. I was a little skeptical. But, it was surprisingly tasty. I grilled it. Ate more then I should have, it was so darn good.
Could I leave this marinade overnight?
Yes that would be great!
I made this today using a whole chicken instead of chicken pieces. It was delicious. I marinated the chicken in a bag for about 4-5 hours, then roasted it in a pan over cut up potatoes with some olive oil, slat and pepper on them. So good. Next time I’ll probably use chicken pieces because I really hate carving a chicken, but I’ll definitely use the marinade again.
How long would you bake if you were using boneless skinless breasts? This looks amazing, btw….
I’d recommend about 30 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165.
Hi! Is it okay to marinate a little longer? Or will it start breaking down the chicken too much? Thanks! Can’t wait to try tonight!
No it definitely can’t hurt!
Has anyone tried this in an airfryer ?
I just did this afternoon. 10 minutes on 400F, flipped, then another 10 minutes at 400F. It came out well. Nicely browned and juicy. I marinated the chicken(skin on, bone-in, thighs) overnight.
Hi and thanks for the recipe. Was wondering if it would be good sliced after cooked and put in a tortilla wrap with lettuce, tomato and onion?
That sounds delicious!
HOLY COW. THIS IS SO SIMPLE AND AMAZING. thank you for sharing this. my two year old eats this with us, i skip the salt and fresh parsley (i didn’t have any in my fridge), add a little extra lemon juice (pre-squeezed from store-bought bottle) with a side of steamed zucchini and plain couscous. absolutely delicious!
i left it in the fridge to marinate for almost three hours. the chicken drumsticks turn a little blue because of the acid and i know it’s oven ready.
i used thighs only for the last batch, and it was a little oil-y so, next time i’ll skip the olive oil for chicken thighs.
thank you for our family dinner!
This recipe looks amazing! I can’t wait to try it! For those who may be interested in the nutrition values like me:
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories 434
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 18.6g 24%
Saturated Fat 4.9g 24%
Cholesterol 178mg 59%
Sodium 340mg 15%
Total Carbohydrate 3.5g 1%
Dietary Fiber 0.4g 1%
Total Sugars 2.4g
Protein 59.4g
Vitamin D 0mcg 0%
Calcium 95mg 7%
Iron 3mg 15%
Potassium 576mg 12%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice.
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What is the serving size? 4 ounces? 8 ounces? Thank you!
I’d say two to three drumsticks a serving.
This was SO good! I used boneless skinless thighs and it was juicy and tender.
I broiled it for a few minutes to get a nice char and sprinkled some sea salt before serving.
Can’t wait to make again, thanks !
375 Farenheit?
Yes 375 degrees Farenheit.
This is one of my favorite recipes to make for dinner for my family! Thank you- we love it!!
Love it Lydia!
So good! Turned out great. The only moderation I did was turn it up to 415 the last ten minutes for a crispier skin :)
Nothing wrong with getting a little extra crispy skin!
I used greek yogourt for the marinade. While the chicken was cooking in the oven, I was looking for sauce to puddle on the bottom of the dish and it wasn’t happening, so I added some olive oil and a little bit water…this propably made the yogurt curdle a bit. However, the chicken was excellent and flavourful. Maybe next time I will use another kind of plain yogurt.
Oh no! Yes that could possibly be the culprit.
Thank you thank you! My VERY fussy son just ate three pieces of chicken tonight and asked me to make it again next week. He almost never eats meat (4years old and also hates red sauce) so to see him eat anything other than pasta and cheese nearly made me cry. I used Greek yogurt and marinated for 8 hours. Delicious.
This is awesome Carrie!! Thanks for sharing!
I love this recipe but I can never find the right way/time to cook the drumsticks. Any suggestions???
Are you baking them as the recipe states? “Bake the chicken in the preheated 375 degree oven for 45-60 minutes, or until golden brown on top.”
I love this recipe and I am thinking of using the marinade and put the chicken in a slow cooker…. any thoughts on any changes I should do to make it work… I am trying to do a shredded Greek chicken for in pitas
Hmm, I have to be honest, I’m not sure how a marinade like this would hold up in a slow cooker. I’ve never done a yogurt based sauce in a slow cooker, so I don’t know if the yogurt will curdle more or stay smooth. If you get brave and decide to give it a shot, let me know how it turns out!
I do this recipe boneless, skinless thighs. Then I dice it up and eat the meat in a wrap with some romaine lettuce, tomato, olives, and feta. I also save some of the marinade (before adding the chicken) to use as a sauce! It’s been a favorite in our house for years!
Do you do it in the oven or on the stove top?
Can u make full marinade,recipe and save half for next day?
Yes, the marinade will be fine in the refrigerator for a day. :)
This was really good. I’ll have to let it marinate a little longer next time to really soak up the flavors. But we really enjoyed it served with a cucumber salad, flatbread, and couscous. Thanks for another great recipe!
Wow!! We loved this chicken. I never made a yogurt marinade before. I used bone in breasts and they were so moist and full of flavor. I’ll definitely make this again. Thanks for another great recipe!!
Can I use Greek yogurt instead?
Greek yogurt has a lot less moisture, so it will definitely affect the texture of the marinade. I haven’t tested using that ingredient, so I’m not sure how that would affect the end result.
I used Greek yogurt and will from now on. It was good. But the recipe calls for only half the juice of a lemon where the ingredient list says 1 medium lemon. It was pretty lemony.
Used Greek yogurt instead and nixed the lemon zest (my shredy do-dad wandered off). Turned out great on my chicken quarters. Moisture level was spot on. Even better as leftovers. Reminded me a lot of chicken in a bag, which you can’t find anymore. Tasted like I put in a lot more work than I did. Used the extra lemon half to season some boiled green beans for a side.
My husband doesn’t eat anything with bone in it. I want to make this recipe with Boneless Chicken Breast. What do you think I should do for time wise on them?
For boneless breasts I’d probably cook them in a skillet instead, so you get some browning action and the quick heat will prevent them from drying out. The total time will depend on their size and thickness, but probably about 5-7 minutes on each side, over medium. Or, if you still want try baking them, you can use this method.
Made this tonight using boneless skinless chicken leg meat. It turned out great. Also, I have to say the marinade (before adding the oil) is pretty amazing on it’s own. It could make a nice sauce for something. I baked it in a dish and there was enough flavorful liquid left in the pan I might try using it to cook some rice!
Delicious! I tweaked this recipe a little by using boneless thighs and added some chopped mint, green onions, a little onion powder, and paprika for color to the marinade. I was worried that the thighs would dry out so I also used a little more yogurt than in the recipe. So juicy and flavorful, will definitely make again. I had never used yogurt as a marinade before, but will now try making other marinades with it, thank you!
I can marinade overnight?
Yes
I love this recipe and have made it many times, it’s always a crowd pleaser. I am hosting some ladies next week but need to work around food allergies dairy is one of them, has anyone made this recipe with coconut milk yogurt?
Do you know the nutrition value of this dish?
TIA
This is a pretty good recipe. For 4 lbs of chicken, I made adjustments using 1.5 tbsp of dried marjoram in lieu of oregano, 5 cloves of smashed garlic, 1 tsp of turmeric to color the yogurt mix. Oh, and I used home-made kefir yogurt instead.
My marinating time was around 10 min, but the chicken came out very flavorful and juicy. I think the extra liquid from the kefir yogurt allowed the chicken to stay moist during the baking process. Anyway, this was a fun and straight-forward recipe that I will try again. Thanks!
Thanks for the recipe Beth! Made this for dinner but used chicken breasts and Greek yogurt since it’s what I had on hand. I think I’d have to agree with most of the others that it wasn’t quite as flavorful as I would’ve liked but maybe it’s the Greek yogurt and dried parsley sub. In any case, still very tasty and it wasn’t completely lacking in flavor. I ended up slicing up the chicken throwing it in a wrap with some spinach, tomatoes, and cucumbers and a smear of hummus! Would highly recommend :)
Also made the potato wedges with shawarma sauce which were bommmmb per usual. Thanks!
So good! I used this recipe with boneless skinless breasts and fat free greek yogurt. I sliced the chicken and served on flat bread with homemade tzaatziki for a healthy take on chicken gyros. My husband loved this so much that he asked me to make it again in the same week and asked to have it in our weekly rotation. Thank you!
Do you cover the dish in foil when baking?
No foil :)
Can’t wait to make this! Can I make the marinade in the morning and leave the chicken marinating all day until I get back from work to cook it? Or would that be too long? Thanks!
That should work fine. :)
what yogurt do you use?
I don’t remember for sure because this was a long time ago, but Dannon 2% plain has always been my favorite regular yogurt, so it was probably that.
I am a college student and do not have an oven, could you prepare this in a microwave or on the stove?
Unfortunately for this one you need the dry heat of a stove. :(
Can we cook this in an instant pot?
No, you definitely need the dry heat of an oven for this one. Pressure cookers hold in all the moisture and cook in a steam environment, which will make the skin soggy.
I bet you could cook it in the instant pot for moist chicken and finish in the broiler to crisp up the skin. That’s what I’ll be doing.
Works as “Greek Marinated Turkey” also. Good recipe.
This recipe was delicious. I substituted with chicken breast instead of a whole chicken. The chicken was tender and tasty! My husband requested that this recipe stay in our rotation! Thank you!!!
We love this recipe at my house! Thanks for sharing it. Do you think this could be prepared as a freezer meal?
I think you could combine the chicken with the marinade and then freeze it, but I don’t think I’d try freezing this one after cooking.
Great recipe! It’s become my go-to chicken dinner dish…THANK YOU!
I gave this recipe a try last night for dinner and it was spectacular! I used Greek yogurt as I couldn’t find regular & accidentally used the juice of one entire lemon. My fiancé enjoyed it so much that he asked me to make it again tonight! So excited to have found your website! Your recipe collection is great! I’m an avid cook and I really look forward to trying more of your recipes! Thanks for the great work!
I accidentally bought sour cream instead of yogurt. I’ve already got it marinating w chicken. Do you have any recommendations for baking this differently from your regular recipe? I hope it turns out ok.. any advice would be helpful. Thank you.
I don’t think you’ll need to do anything differently as far as baking it goes. It will work the same way, just have a slightly different flavor.
Did you use greek yogurt or just plain regular yogurt?
Just plain regular yogurt. :)
Love this recipe! Even my somewhat picky teen asked to have it again. My chicken is marinating now and I can’t wait for dinner.
This was excellent. I set aside a bit of the yogurt mixture before marinating to serve with the finished dish, and that was great too.
Anyone use it with chicKen breast??
Yes, I used bone-in chicken breasts and it’s comes out delicious and very juicy. I have made this three times in the past two weeks. It is a big hit in our house. Note: I marinated mine overnight.
This recipe was an instant hit with my fiancé, he raved in a way that he’s not particularly prone to when he bit into it last night!
Just made this recipe this evening and it was definitely a crowd pleaser with our family! Thought we might add some kalamata olives and green olives next go around. Served it up with some steamed veggies and it was a simple, light, healthy meal! This is a keeper!
HI, Wondering if this would cook well on a gas grill?
Yes, this will probably work on a grill.
This is one of our favorite recipes: We eat it regularly and we love it! It’s my go-to recipe when we want to eat chicken but don’t have many hours to marinate it: 30 minutes will do, and it is quite flavourful !
I want to know how this turns out on a an indoor/electric grill, like a george foreman grill… if anyone else as tried it that method please let me know!
Looks yumii… I wana ask can I marinate it over night and cook it the next day?
Yes, that should be okay.
Hi, can this be frozen?
This one doesn’t freeze quite as well. I find that cooked bone-on chicken that has been frozen takes too long to reheat so the meat tends to over cook. The skin may get kind of slimy as well.
I made this the other night with greek yogurt and it was delicious!!
Thanks I was wondering about Greek yogurt!!
This looks amazing! What kind of yogurt would you recommend for this recipe? Did you use a greek yogurt or regular? Thanks!
Just regular yogurt. :) I think the extra moisture that regular yogurt has allows the flavors to penetrate and blend better than a lower moisture Greek yogurt would.
I must of done something wrong. The chicken didn’t any flavor but it did smell nice.
What brand yogurt did you use?
Can you use this as a stuffing for chicken
Can the chicken thighs be left in the fridge overnite? I’m just worried about the acid in the lemon cooking it. What about freezing the chicken in the marinade?
It will break down the meat a bit if left too long, but some people don’t mind or can’t even detect the textural changes. It’s probably just subjective. :)
Great recipe! My home smells amazing. Can’t wait for this to come out of the oven :)
Can I use Greek yogurt instead of plain yogurt?
You can, although it will be more expensive and the marinade a bit thicker.
Do you think this recipe would work in the instant pot?
I think the Instant Pot is too moist for this to cook correctly (it will probably get slimy and soupy). You need the dry heat environment of an oven or grill.
Hi Beth. Thanks for sharing such a lovely recipe. I made this a week before and it turned out to be great. My family loved it. Infact my sister made it at her home and her family also loved it. Besides the above ingredients i added mushrooms also. Its Simply & Easy to make.
This IS my FAVORITE chicken recipe of all time!!! You MUST use full-fat yogurt (I prefer not greek), and do all the ingredients just as stated. I like to cut 2 chicken breasts into 1-inch pieces before marinating, then put them single-layer in a casserole dish. I bake for 35 minutes, then turn the broiler on to brown the top, have to watch it. It is so tender and flavorful. It is quite brothy, almost like soup, but would still be amazing over rice. I don’t know if its possible to keep the yogurt from curdling in the lemon juice, but if it would cream together with the broth, that would be perfect.
It’s safe to leave marinating overnight, right? I find I have more time to prep for meals at night, haha. Also I discovered that chicken takes on much more flavor if seasoned at least 24 hours previously to cooking. It’s not that I don’t trust your judgment, it’s just that I see a lot of reviews stating that the chicken didn’t take on much of the flavor.
I think a couple people have commented that they did marinate overnight (just make sure it’s in the refrigerator the whole time) and they enjoyed it. I’ve never tried it, though.
Wonderful recipe. I have made it twice. It will be a regular in our rotation.
Those chicken looks great! I can’t wait to test this recipe!
I know this sounds stupid but i cooked the chicken and forgot to marinade it can i reheat the chicken in it
You can just use the unused marinade as a sauce on the cooked chicken.
I’ve made this chicken many times and it always comes out great. I’ve made with bone-in skin-on chicken thighs, but most of the time I use boneless skinless chicken thighs. I also normally bake it but one time I grilled it for my sister and she absolutely loved it. She even asked me for the recipe. She’s a bit picky too so that should say something.
When she came over I ended up making too much chicken, so I ended up freezing the rest of it. I just took out of the freezer last week and used it for sandwiches (just homemade hamburger bun, cheese, mayo/mustard), and wow I can’t believe how good they turned out. I really enjoyed eating them for lunch for a few days. So I plan to make another big batch this week and freezing half of it again. Thanks for a GREAT recipe!
Made this tonight for the family. Everyone enjoyed it very much. Came out very tasty and full of flavor. Will definitely be making again in the future and it was very easy to combine the ingredients and marinate.
Hi Beth! I love your recipes. And this particular one is our household favorite! I’m glad that the internet connects us all and that ur website made its way to Malaysia especially for someone like me who’s learning to cook! 😂
This sounds so goooood!!!!!!!
But one question cook this un covered?
Thank you
Correct! :)
If I don’t have fresh parsley how much dried or could I substitute spinach? Thanks :)
I’d add a 1/2 Tbsp dried parsley to the marinade. Dried parsley doesn’t quite taste the same as fresh, but I’m sure it will still taste good. :)
hi Beth. lovely blog you have here. Question on the greek marinated chicken, if I am to bake it, should i cover in foil or just bake in an open casserole dish?
Bake it open because if you cover it the steam will be trapped and it will be kind of soggy and gooey. :)
Amazing dish, super moist, flavorful and easy dish.
I was so excited to make this. I followed the recipe perfectly even marinated it longer assuming it’d be more flavorful.
In short, it smells better than it tastes. This is the blandest chicken I’ve ever tasted. 0 stars and a thumbs down.
If I were to marinate chicken, I season it before and after so it’s not bland.
I want to make this recipe but I want to use boneless and skinless chicken. My only problem is that I don’t know how to adjust the oven temp and time. Any suggestions?
Hmm, you know, I’ve never really just baked boneless-skinless breasts before (strange, right? But I guess I usually use quick cooking methods for that cut, like grilling). I think your best bet would be to google a baked chicken breast recipe and use that as a guide. The sauce/marinade shouldn’t change the cooking time. It will also most likely vary slightly with the size of the breast.
Recipe looks good. Can this be marinated over night?
Found your recipe on Pinterest on I guess your website — Budget Bytes.
I haven’t tried marinating it that long. I’ve read that if you marinate chicken too long it can break down and become a little mushy, but I haven’t tested that to know how long is too long.
can i use bone-in chicken breasts for this? that’s my favorite cut
Yes, but you will probably have to cook longer because the pieces are so large.
Can i put this with chicken breasts in a slow cooker?
I don’t think this one will turn out very well in the slow cooker.
I made this last night for a team of softball players. I used drumsticks, because the girls are tiny, and they also are little savages who like to eat with their fingers (watching them help themselves to a platter of these drumsticks was like a scene out of Game of Thrones). I made extra sauce and put it with smoked tofu for the two vegetarians. The only change I made was to lower the garlic and the lemon just a little because of young stomachs. A great recipe and one I will definitely make again!
Adding: my sister says they were more like drunken pirates.
Ha! Drunken pirates! :D
EXCELENTE MUY RICO
Awesome recipe! Will make again.
Great Greek chicken
Could I use sour cream instead of yogurt ?
While they both have “creamy” and “tangy” characteristics, I find their flavor to be quite different. I’d stick with the yogurt for this one.
This recipe was the bomb. We just finished having this dish for dinner. I used greek yogurt but I didn’t have any parsley on hand. I did noticed that after 45 minutes the chicken was still looking a little pale so I basted it with the pan drippings. After 15 minutes the chicken was nicely browned. I also made a nice gravy with the drippings. I will definitely be making this again and again. Thank you Beth!
Can I marnaite the chicken overnight in the fridge ??
Pra ser bom tem que tirar a pele, do contrário assim meio cozido, é nogento!
You could add the marinade to a sauce pan and cook it to pour over the chicken after it is cooked. Looks too yummy to waste. Heading out now to get the chicken and yogurt. Can’t wait!!!!!
Yep. When cooking used marinades you need to be sure to boil it for at least ten minutes.
I made this using the chicken thighs. It was excellent. I had tried wings before on the grill but the thighs in the oven were perfect. I added some fresh rosemary because had quite a lot in the garden and because why not?
Me gusta su pagina
I made this last night with greek yogurt, but accidentally left out the lemon zest. I loved how tender the chicken was (because of the yogurt?!), but I thought the dish was extremely bland and boring….
Seems like other people used greek yogurt and got a successful dish, not sure what went wrong. Especially since I thought the marinade tasted great! I can’t imagine the zest having THAT much of an impact, but maybe I will try again and see.
I made this dish last wk & it was the same for us- very bland/lacked flavor. But like you mentioned, the chicken (breasts & thighs) was very tender. We used Greek yogurt instead of regular yogurt. I wonder if it just needs longer to marinate? The recipe only called for 30 min & that just doesn’t seem like enough time. What saved the meal is that we made the suggested couscous recipe as a side dish & it was delicious!!
The first time I tried it I thought is was bland as well but it had promise. I added a half teaspoon of onion powder and a tablespoon of white wine vinegar and marinated overnight. I then made a sauce similar to the marinade with a little white wine vinegar and diced onion to spoon over the chicken after is was cooked. Now that’s the stuff!
All the same! What I did differently was that I used “Greek style yogurt” replaced oregano with taragon, and had to use dried parsley since I did not have any fresh ones. It came out bland too. I think the marinade time is a bit short too, just as Ellen said. I probably won’t try this recipe again, or at least not as a marinade. But as a dip, it has potential. :)
SO glad I found your blog! This is my new favorite way to do chicken, the Greek yogurt makes it so moist! I can’t wait to try it with your recommended couscous side. Your recipes are so full of flavor and healthy!
Another home run Beth. The lemon zest really added to this recipe!
I am so excited that I found your website! The recipes look amazing and I’ve got the Greek Marinated Chicken in the fridge marinating as I type. I tasted the marinade before adding the chicken and it was delicious. I’ve also signed up and look forward to finding more goodies in my inbox.
Thanks! k
I’ve got to try this Greek Marinated chicken. This is just the change I need from the same old chicken recipes I’ve been using. Thanks so much!
I made this last night it was delicious. Used boneless skinless chicken thighs and Greek Yogurt. Don’t know how anyone could say this was tasteless or dry.
Awsome. This is so good. I´m gonna keep this resipe close at hand. Looking forward to cook this on the bbq when the weather permits.
I made these and accidently used Greek yogurt… no bueno. May I ask, did you use regular yogurt? Did you grill or bake them? I’m going to try this again, because that marinade looks too good — can’t give up just yet! Wish me luck.
Some leftover yogurt in the fridge and chicken drumsticks in the freezer- this is so happening! Can’t wait to grill these up! I included these in my weekly menu plan post http://www.bostongirlbakes.com/2016/02/28/sunday-meal-plan-week-1/ had to share :)
In a pinch, do i still need to marinade it for 30 min?
I would at least marinate for as long as you have time for. The more time, the more flavor.
I made this recipe and it had absolutely no flavor and the chicken was dry. I followed the recipe exactly. Probably one of the worst dishes I have ever made. I have no idea what went wrong. I will not be making this again.
Hi, Beth, greetings from Romania!!!
We loved your recipe, so many, many thanks :)
I made this today and served it with your carrot orzo salad. I had to use Greek yogurt because that was all my store had for plain yogurt. It smelled really good and was tender. However it was not as flavorful as I’d hoped. I used 3 large bone in breasts with skin on and marinated about 2 hrs. Next time I might remove skin or use smaller pieces. I definitely haven’t given up on this recipe — I love Greek flavors!
Has anyone tried this in a slow cooker?
What is the best yogurt to use? I made this one time it was amazing my husband couldn’t get enogh of it I’ve made it two more times after and it hasn’t been the same. I’m still trying to figure out what’s going on! I think it has to do with the yogurt. The past two times I used chobani Greek plain yogurt and it just wasn’t as good.
Please let me know. Thanks!
I think I just used generic, to be honest. :) Maybe try regular yogurt instead of Greek? The extra moisture in regular yogurt might help the flavors infuse throughout better.
Just curious if it matters if the chicken is skinless or has to have the skin on?
You could actually probably do this with skinless as well. The thick marinade should help hold in the moisture similar to the way the skin does. :)
I made it with skinless thighs and Greek yogurt. Turned out delicious.
Does anyone know how many carbs this is?
Would this go weird if i bagged the chicken in the marinade and froze it for later? Im not sure how the yogurt would go…
Honestly, I’m not sure how the yogurt marinade would hold up either. :P
Looks delicious
Do I have to cover it ?
I’ve made this a d=few times, sometimes in the oven other times in a grill pan on the stove. I’ve never covered it. Hope this helps.
I don’t have plain yogurt..went to the store and thought I had it, turns out its vanilla :(
You think sour cream could be a substitute?
Yes, sour cream would be the next best I think. Not quite the same, but it will work.
Made this tonight! yummy yummy in my tummy! Will make this again for sure!
Did you cover it ?
A delicious, flavorful dish that takes no time to make. I love it — thank you!
Great recipe! Will appreciated more recipes!
Made this for my daughters 16th birthday and it was a big hit with everyone. We did have a “chef” in the house at the time. He suggested that next time I made this to take the pan drippings and add a little corn starch to make a sauce to go with it.
Sorry the yogurts go cut off. Needing to know size of yogurt. Thanks .
Hi , and thanks for the recipe in advance . Sorry to be so remedial but what size you did you use ? We eat a lot of chicken at our house , so I can’t wait to try this .
I used one cup of yogurt, which is 8 fluid ounces.
Should I use plain yogurt or Greek yogurt?
Regular plain yogurt. :)
I used plain greek
Thank you for posting such a wonderful recipe like this. It looks delicious. Can’t wait to try it.
I made this tonight and it was delicious. I used skin-on chicken thighs and baked uncovered for 55 minutes. I was hesitant not to cover it for fear the chicken would dry out. Quite the opposite. The chicken was juicy and the skin crisped up just enough to my liking. The marinade absorbed into the chicken wonderfully. I did, however, use garlic powder instead of fresh garlic. And that’s only because I was too lazy to go to the freezer in the basement to retrieve my fresh (frozen) garlic. (An oxymoron, I know).
I have been counting calories and trying to reduce my carb intake and this recipe was a perfect fit. I paired it with a chopped Greek salad With balsamid dressing and steamed broccoli.
well, I have been waiting for two weeks to make this and my mouth has watering for hours to taste it. I don’t know if it was me but it was not good, to much lemon, to much parley, but it did look like the pictures but was not good,help!
Hello, I made this twice and it was delicious. I’m not an expert cook but I do have a heightened sense of taste. I find both lemon & parsley to be stronger flavors. I would suggest making this again but mix the marinade using LESS lemon/parsley and tasting the marinade as you go. Adjust it to your preference and what you know you like or don’t like. Also, when zesting the lemon, do not zest down to the white part – it’s very bitter. Hope this helps and hope you try it again!
Can you marinate the chicken overnight?
I haven’t tried it, but I think the only possible issue might be that if meat is marinated too long in an acidic mixture it can start to break down and get mushy. Since I haven’t tried it, I’m not sure if overnight would be long enough to cause that problem.
what can I sub for parsley?
I think I’d just leave it out instead of adding something in its place. If you have it available, a little dill or mint would also be good in this, although not necessarily a “replacement” for the parsley.
I have made this recipe twice now. It has been a hit every time! Nice to find something new to do with chicken. Definitely keeping it on the rotation.
Love it, this one’s a keeper!
For a side dish, I put aside a few tablespoons of the marinade, whisked in some extra olive oil, and used that on some zucchini and summer squash. Just put the veggies and diluted marinade in a foil packet and stuck it in the oven 15 minutes after I started the chicken.
Love this marinade! I’ve used it on boneless, skinless chicken breasts and it’s still very good.
Oh that’s what I would do! Same cooking time?
A little less time
I made this last night and can’t thank you enough for the recipe! I only had one package of chicken thighs to serve 2, so I parboiled baby yellow ‘tatoes, sliced them in half, doused them with a dash of Balsamic vinegar, gave them a quick toss in olive oil and the same spices used for the chicken (minus garlic). I tucked them in all around the chicken and baked them at the same time.
For a veggie, I sliced a zucchini, cut a few “channels” in each half, brushed those with olive oil and freshly ground pepper and sprinkled them with feta. I tucked those in foil and popped them in with the chicken/’tatoes for the last 15 mins. I had an entire meal out and ready at the same time.
Oh – and the meaty pan drippings went over the chicken and ‘tatoes. If I could have eaten it two times in a row without my belly bursting, I would have. This will be a regular meal for us now.
I made this a couple nights ago. I was good and had so much flavor. I just used lemon juice and it worked out fine and I marinated it for an hour and baked it with all the marinade. It was good and I served it with rice.
I’m in the middle of making this right now…I wasn’t all that impressed with the marinade UNTIL I opened the ziplock bag to cook the chicken!! I added a small Vidalia onion to mine as well as using fresh oregano instead of dried. It smelled SOO good!!! I can’t wait to taste it!!! I can already tell it’s going to be scrumptous!
Can’t make your salad atm, suggestions on other things to serve this with?
It would probably be really good with this Carrot Orzo Salad, too.
I’m making his tonight and it smells absolutely amazing! Almost done can’t wait to try it!! This is what I made as a healthy side to stick with the Greek theme! Very simple too :)
http://www.closetcooking.com/2008/04/spanakorizo-greek-spinach-rice.html?m=1
This recipe is one of my top 5 faves of all time. I make it often, with all different cuts of chicken, and its always delicious.
I tried this last weekend and absolutely LOVED it! Made it with chicken breasts and grilled the chicken after marinating them for a couple days, SO good. I enjoyed it so much I put a batch of chicken thighs in the marinade tonight to have again this weekend. VERY flavorful, would definitely recommend to anyone!
D-licious! Lemon and garlic perfectly. Thanks for sharing. I found it on Pinterest.
*Perfectly balanced
I saw this recipe in a newspaper publication and thought it looked pretty good. I made it last night using bone-in thighs. It was delicious! The skin was crispy and the meat moist. I decided I had to share it with my friends. Rather than mixing the ingredients in a bowl, I put them in the bag and kneaded it until blended then added the chicken. I worked the chicken around in the bag until the pieces were covered. Easy peasy. I baked it for an hour but could have cut the time a bit. Still moist tho. Next time. Btw, this is my first online recipe review. That’s how much I liked it.
Outstanding
Hello, I tried the recipe once before and the family loved it. I was wondering if I could pre-make the recipe and then freeze for use at a later date.
I haven’t tried freezing this. I’m not sure how the yogurt marinade would hold up to freezing.
Thanks for sharing. Do you think that it could be made in a crockpot?
This one wouldn’t work well in a crock pot because that cooking method holds in too much moisture. You definitely need dry heat for this one.
Can I use plain greek yogurt ? or will that be too thick?
It might be a little thick, but if that’s what you already have on hand you can thin it out with a little more olive oil and extra lemon juice.
Out standing, we loved it. Will be making it again Thank You. We had it with Greek lemon spuds and pita bread and hummus. Trouble is I ate too much. We grow our own Russian garlic and it was wonderful in this recipe.
Wayne & Mona
Nakusp, B.C.
Can’t rate it yet, making it right now, but it sure smells good. And me, never too much garlic. Let you know how it is later, bet it is wonderful.
W&M
Nakusp, B.C.
I love this recipe so much! I marinate the chicken overnight and bake the chicken on wire racks with ciabatta bread underneath to catch all the drippings! Very tasty and super affordable!
Do you think it would work if I subbed sour cream for yogurt? I have some in the fridge that needs to be used up.
Thanks!
I think it would still be pretty tasty. The flavor will be different, but probably still good.
Can this be frozen?? Perhaps add the yogurt when thawing??
Honestly, I’m not sure how that would work out without trying it.
Today was the first time to visit your site. I grilled the Greek Marinated Chicken tonight. This chicken recipe is the best “new to me” recipe in a long time. Because I am allergic to citrus I substituted Marukan Lite Rice Vinegar Dressing for the lemon rind and juice. It tastes good enough to put into regular rotation. Good enough for company!
This recipe did not turn out so good for me. It looks like the picture but I find it lacking flavor especially considering it says “recipe very garlicky”. My family and I love garlic so I kept the amount as is and we couldn’t taste at all. I found this recipe to be a lot of effort for not a lot of flavor.
I have had this recipe on my pinterest board for over two years now and finally got around to making it. The result absolutely delicious. I didn’t have oregano so I used herbs de provence, which paired great with the yogurt, lemon, parsley, and garlic. I also like how versatile this recipe is-I’ll add more garlic next time.
This is my FAVORITE recipe on your site! My husband and I adore your recipes!!!
As for those that are having a tough time finding this flavorful, make sure that you zest the ENTIRE lemon and maybe use a little extra lemon juice?
Hope that helps!
Thank you so much for your site!
My husband and I enjoyed this recipe so much! Thank you!
I made this a few months ago. I really enjoyed the flavor of this dish however the Greek yogurt coagulated a lot while cooking and there was a lot of cooked Greek yogurt leftover. Wasn’t sure what to do with it. This dish came out nicely though, thanks for the recipe.
Can the chicken marinate over night?
Yes, it can. :)
Do I bake covered or uncovered?
Uncovered. You need to allow the excess moisture to evaporate otherwise it will get a bit soupy.
My 17 year old daughter has been interested in cooking and choose this recipe for last nights dinner. I cant explain how amazing it was! Like…restaurant worthy type amazing! She paired it with a baked garlic asparagus topped with feta and lemon. Im seriously the luckies single mom in the world, coming home to a dinner this delicious!
Also, we changed nothing in the recipe. She followed the directions to a T! As for people who have made this and said it didnt have flavor…Im lost for words. Did you make it wrong? Are you tastebuds dying? Im not sure what to say to anyone who thought this as this had a flavor that packed a punch (like a really good punch!) Thanks for sharing this recipe!!
Thanks to your review, I am making this tonight. I am even going to take your suggestion and roast some asparagus, the way your daughter did. I can’t wait to try this :)
Not my favorite. I followed the recipe but was disappointed by the flavor – there was none. Chicken was dry and bland :( Won’t be making again.
I’m making this recipe for guests tomorrow but I’ve already tried it out on my husband. What’s so nice is that, besides being easy and very tasty it doesn’t actually have to be served HOT! Room temp. works just fine.
P.S. The Lemon Couscous goes beautifully with the chicken too.
I made this twice. The first time on the bbq. Fail. Marinade was charred. Second time, in the oven. Marinade melted right off. The chicken was moist but I honestly didn’t taste the marinade at all. I followed this recipe exactly. Maybe I should have covered the dish with foil but I don’t think I will make it again.
The Greek marinated chicken was truly a winner winner chicken dinner lol and it will be made again in our home.. :)
I had a lot of tzatziki leftover from a BBQ so hunted for a yogurt marinated chicken dish and came upon this. Just amazing! The chicken skin browned up beautifully and the meat was incredibly moist and tasty. Will definitely make again.
What is the nutrition information for the very tasting looking “Greek Marinated Chicken”?
My garlic turned blue-green… has this happened to anyone else?
How well would this freeze? if I wanted to make a double batch and freeze one for later.
I’m not sure how well this would freeze because of the yogurt. Sometimes that can act kind of funky when thawed.
I had some thyme left over from another recipe, and it just smelled so “Greek” to me, so I added a few sprigs to the marinade and it turned out delicious! Of course the biggest reason for that is a killer recipe to start with. I used chicken breast cutlets and put them in pita pockets with tomato and cucumber and it was a huge hut with the fam!!
After reading a lot of recipes for baking chicken, I found yours and I am so glad I did! This is my first attempt at baking and I love the way you presented the recipe. Hope it turns out well!
This looks fantastic, I would love to try with chicken breasts. I am allergic to dairy, any substitution rec’s for the yogurt? I was thinking mayo but not sure how mayo would fare in the oven :/ Thanks!! Looks delish!
Hmm, I don’t really know what you could use in place of the yogurt because it’s one of the major flavor elements here, so anything else will change the flavor a lot. I think the closest thing would be sour cream, but I don’t know how good it would turn out.
Speaking as someone with an allergy/intolerance since I was 13 (most people it’s their whole life, but not mine!), yogurt, especially Greek, is something my body seems to tolerate more easily than say… cheese or ice cream.
I would love to make this using thin sliced boneless chicken breasts– do you think this would work? If so, how should I adjust my cooking time?
I think that should work, although I don’t know how long to cook it because I haven’t tried it (and I can’t see the size/thickness of the pieces). But in general, boneless and thin cut will cook MUCH faster than bone-in, not cut thin pieces.
Made this tonight & it was excellent! I used boneless skinless chicken breasts and baked for 1 hour. The chicken was full of flavor and juicy! Thanks for the great recipe.
Do you use all the zest from the lemon. Like zest the whole thing?
Yep, zest from the whole lemon, but juice from half of it.
I made this in the oven today and it was delicious! Can’t wait to try this grilled. Thanks!
This looks delicious. Do you think it would work well in the crockpot?
No, I don’t think this one would be very good in the crock pot because there would be too much moisture. The skin would get slimy and the marinade would get soupy.
does anyone know if the uncooked marinated chicken can be kept in the freezer? if so, how long could it last?
1/2 teaspoon of salt for 4 pounds of meat sounds a bit low .. is the salt measurement correct ?
Well, that’s the amount that worked for me, but salt is very subjective. :) And remember, this is bone-in meat, so the actual meat part is less.
i loooooved it , amazing recipe and so easy, am in the process now cant wait till i finished it
curious if this would be good grilled? Could I use boneless pieces? thanks!
I think this recipe would do very well on the grill and yes, it will also do well with boneless pieces. :)
i love this recipe so much. we make it at least once a month. I have recently started weight watchers and was wondering if anyone could help me with my points. I would consider a serving 1 thigh or 2 drumsticks of chicken. would you consider this to be around 4 points??? any feedback would be great!
Use your receipt builder. I LOVE it!!! If you put all the ingredients in, it will give you a point value based on ingredients. Good luck!!
I’m doing Weight Watchers too and put it in my points finder using chicken drumsticks… it came out to 9 pts a serving. :-)
Actually i have a question.. I can’t set temperature in my oven..there are only low, high, medium written.. so to do this recipe how should i set the temperature to preheat and cook. please help me.. I just love the recipe
Hmm, I guess I would try medium?
Nasira
I think if your purchase a oven thermometer that would solve any temperature problems that may come up. I use one all the time my oven runs hot.
I thought this recipe was terrible. I really wanted to love it, but I hated it….
I can’t leave anything alone, so I used sour cream instead of yoghurt (no carbs) added juice from 1 1/2 lemons, fresh basil, Greek seasoning, fresh baby silver beet and topped with lots of fresh grated Parmesan. I cubed 2 chicken breasts and marinated. Baked at 190C for 30 minutes
Sour cream still has carbs, there will be lactose (sugar) from the dairy, but it is low. About 3g per 100g of sour cream
Sorry you didn’t like it, but having said that there is a difference between a terrible recipe and something that is just not to your taste
I was just wondering if we can keep the chicken in the fridge longer to marinate, would it be better?
Yes, it probably would be a bit tastier.
I was just wondering, how long can i keep it in the fridge? can it be longer than 3o minutes?
Yes, some people have commented that they’ve marinated for 8 hrs as it turned out well.
This might be a dumb question but I do not cover it with tin foil?
It’s not a dumb question. :) Don’t cover it with foil because that will hold in the steam and prevent any sort of browning (the chicken will basically steam and be milky, eww).
Love love love this! I cant stress my love for this recipe. In one week I have used it twice. Last evening I used it on a whole chicken (i just cut it in half). I marinated the chicken for about 45 minutes, baked it and it came out superb!!
You’re a genius. It was extremely delicious and so easy to made :)
I am using Greek Yogurt that has Honey in it. Will that work?
It’s hard to say without testing it out.
Can i cook it in the store too???? My oven dont work..
I have been eyeing this recipe for weeks and I’m going to go for it tonight. I don’t have parsley but I have cilantro can I use that instead?
Well, cilantro has a drastically different flavor than parsley, but if you’re a cilantro fan it will probably be tasty! :)
ive made this about five times always subbing cilantro for parsley and its awesome.
This is probably a dumb question, but can you over marinate it? It would be way easier for me if I could marinate it a few hours before I cook it, but I don’t want anything to go wrong!!
I think a few hours should be fine. From what I’ve read, if you marinate meat too long in an acidic marinade it can cause it to get mushy, but I think that’s more like if you marinate for a day (it happens much faster with fish, though). A few people have commented that they marinated overnight or all day and it turned out well.
Thank you! I made this 1x so far and marinated for half an hour. I made 2x the sauce and only used half to bake it in and kept the other half to put on it after it had cooked. IT. WAS. AMAZING. I’m making it again for dinner tonight and I’ll marinate it for a little longer bc it will make it easier for me but I’m going to increase marinate time slowly so I don’t mess it up. This recipe is definately a keeper. My husband and 2.5 year old both loved it!!
I only cook for myself, so I often mix up a half-batch of this recipe, then cook it one piece at a time over three or four nights, leaving the remaining pieces to continue marinating in between. Let me tell you–it’s even more delicious after marinating for a couple days!
Great tip, thank you!!
Has anyone tried this as a crockpot recipe?
It’s important to cook this recipe in the dry heat of an oven, which allows the skin to crisp up and brown. In a crockpot, I think it would turn out soggy…
I am putting this recipe on my meal planner this week to try. I am excited to try it!!! We have a baby coming and I am looking for recipes that I can freeze. Can this recipe be prepared ahead of time and then frozen?
I’m really not sure how this one would fare after being frozen. I’m not sure how the yogurt would hold up.
This recipe was so incredibly delicious. I used greek yogurt, and added just a touch of water to thin it out a bit, but left the rest of the recipe unaltered— Delicious! Before I marinated the chicken, I tasted the marinade and I’m convinced it would be a delicious dip with some pita! Love love love… Thanks Beth!
My husband and I really loved this recipe. I had boneless chicken thighs left from another recipe. I used greek yogurt because I had it on hand since I had just made tzatziki sauce. Cook time was about 50 minutes, but then I broiled them for a few minutes to get a bit of crispy skin. I paired it with wild rice and drizzled a little tzatkiki sauce on top. We will definitely make these again. Thanks for this blog, it has really helped us waste less food and stick to a budget.
I am interested in trying this recipe tonight. My only hang up is that I don’t have plain yogurt on hand and was wondering if cottage cheese would make a good substitute?
No, unfortunately cottage cheese will not work for this recipe. You really need the acidic yogurt to make it work.
This was fantastic! I served it with the lemon couscous and it really was a perfect pair. Thanks so much for posting such delicious recipes!
This looks SO delicious. I have a pork tenderloin marinading in this right now – I am excited to see how it turns out!!
Beth – I just made this for an early dinner (only marinated for 30 min!) and all I can say is WOW! I used chicken drumsticks and the flavor was packed in there with every bite! I did not have parsley so I used some dill I had lying around and it still came out wonderfully. I will be making this again for my Greek mother and I know she’ll love it more than her traditional Greek chicken recipe.
Beth – would using different cuts of chicken work? I used a chicken breast, but the chicken turned a little dry and didnt brown much. I am new to cooking, but are you able to interchange meats/cuts like this?
Love the lime flavor! Thanks.
You will need to adjust the cooking time a little depending on the cut and whether it is boneless or bone-in. Boneless tends to cook faster. If you’re having trouble with it browning, you can try putting it under the broiler for two to three minutes. That’s very similar to putting it on the grill and usually browns very quickly. :)
Thank you so much!
If you remember – what is the texture of chicken after you baked it? I noted that it just had the texture of a regular breast, no creamy/thick coating of the yogurt. Maybe I didnt drizzle enough marinade on top of the marinaded chicken. I also left the chicken to thaw in the marinade, so maybe it got a little watery and less thick that way.
Hmm, I don’t remember specifically, but yes, thawing in the marinade will definitely make it more watery. :) You can even try drying off the chicken after it thaws with a paper towel to help the marinade stick.
I am not sure what I did wrong here. The marinade looked very flavorful and smelled great, but the roasted chicken had very little of the flavor. I used drumsticks so the marinade seemed to get on the skin and probably slid right off. It was disappointing :(
Yummy! This was easy to make and tasted delicious-even my 2 year old loved it! I will definitely make this again and again!!
Made this Friday night. The house smelled amazing! Used the leftovers to make chicken salad for lunch today. Awesome!
great recipe! just made this tonight for dinner and it was very tasty (not to mention healthy!). I made the lemon cucumber couscous that went with it and that was really good as well.
Thank you Beth for making this website, posting these wonderful easy to make recipes!
I’m making this and notice I’m out of oregano. Should I go to the store, or could I use Italian seasoning??
I think I’d go to the store. Italian seasoning has a few other spices in it that might clash with the theme.
Holy moly, this is so good! Just tried it today and it’s really flavorful and easy to make. Thank you! :)
Absolutely fantastic, loved it and had to share it on my website as well. Thanks for the great work
Hey, my fiance found your recipe above via Pinterest. We had never marinated anything with yogurt before, FANTASTIC recipe, it was delicious. We did a minor variation of your recipe, have a read http://ifigottagetup.com/recipe/greek-marinated-chicken-potato-couscous/
This one wasn’t all the way there, flavor-wise. It tasted GOOD, because it was baked chicken drumsticks, so of course it did! The chicken was very juicy and I broiled it at the end so we enjoyed the crisp skin. But by Beth’s disclaimer about how strong the garlic was, I was expecting a VERY flavorful outcome, and didn’t get it. Every few bites I’d get a little burst of lemon and that was nice, but overall it just tasted like yummy baked chicken, and I didn’t get much of the marinade flavor at all.
I wonder if I can (a) marinate overnight, (b) skip the parsley and (c) cover/uncover (and when)?
I wouldn’t suggest marinating over night because the acidic marinade can break down the meat with extended exposure (or so I’ve read). You can skip the parsley. I wouldn’t cover it because it will hold in too much moisture and make the skin soggy. :)
Anyone try this with plain GREEKS yogurt. I have some I need to use up because I’m not a fan of it. Was wondering if cooking with it would help.
I used Fage greek yogurt and my chicken was very very moist. word of caution, greek yogurt has a natural tang so use more lemon juice and garlic to over power its tanginess.
I’m glad I read this suggestion before cooking since I’m using Greek yogurt as well. Good looking out!
I followed the recipe exactly and marinated for about 5 hours. I covered the pan for the first 30 mins to lock in moisture and then removed it for the last 20 or so. I also broiled for about 5 to crisp up the skin. Overall, I felt the flavor wasn’t really there, especially in the breasts. Plus, the skin didn’t really get crispy enough and so the texture was weird when eating it. I think brining is probably the way to go next time.
This recipe was really delicious. I used boneless skinless chicken thighs and baked for 40 minutes. It turned out well. I might try this with chicken breast next time (and reduce cooking time) and see how it turns out. I served it with the lemony couscous. I’m definitely adding this to my regular recipe rotation! Thanks for posting the recipe!
I made this dish last night for dinner. It was Fabulous ! Followed directions without any modifications. Plus I made the Lemon Couscous that is with this recipe also. Loved it! Perfect pairing!
After reviewing what everyone said, I brined chicken breasts in saltwater for thirty minutes. My chicken breasts were already a bit flat. I marinated the chicken for 24 hours. Then I baked it with all the sauce still on it at 375 degrees for an hour. However, the last ten minutes, I took out the breasts out of the sauce mixture, and placed the chicken breasts on a new cooking tray and finished baking it. It didn’t really brown much though (Maybe because of all the sauce still on it). However, the chicken was juicy and full of amazing flavors! This is going to go in my dinner rotation. Thanks Beth for a great flavorful recipe! :)
Mom and I was looking for a quick marinade recipe to go with a package of drumsticks and thighs that she bought. While I thought the flavor “translated” into the chicken rather well, I was a bit disappointed that the chicken did not brown at all. Drumsticks browned only slightly, and probably because we left the skin on. The flavor was nice but both mom and I agreed that it could have used a bit more salt. Maybe I’ll make it again and have it marinate for a bit longer, even though we marinated it for about an hour.
Has anyone ever heard of “salt-licking”? I do this with nearly all of my proteins, especially chicken. It seems the biggest concern here is the lack of flavor to the bone. Salt licking does just that –it not only makes your chicken fork tender, it makes it juicy and flavors it to the bone. I use this technique when I am marinating any type of chicken whether it’s boneless or bone-in. It is magic with baked or fried chicken. I stated using this technique on steaks. It is so simple — just generously salt each piece with Morton’s Sea Salt (the big navy colored box), for bigger pieces up to 2 hours like bone-in chicken breasts, for tenders 30 minutes, for legs about 1 hour, for thighs 2 hours works well. After you have salted your chicken rinse off all of the salt under cool water and set aside on paper towels to give them a gentle dry. The salt changes the composition of the protein itself as it salts from the outside to the bone. I make this special recipe of mine with marinated bone-in chicken breasts, red grapes and pears and the raves come from the presentation and taste but the magic is in how flavored and tender my chicken is. I imagine with the combination of this marinade and having already salt licked your chicken –it would be nothing short of fabulous! I have my entire family salt licking their proteins now.
Interesting! Thanks for sharing that technique, I’ve never heard of it. :)
Thanks for sharing this technique. I am intrigued and will be trying it soon!
A rare failure from budget bytes. Marinated for 30 minutes. Chicken had no flavor after cooking. Also, the texture of the chicken was weird. None if the fat cooked out of the chicken, maybe because of the extra fat from the yogurt. The skin was soggy and the meat had an off putting texture.
Sounds yummy! Could you do this in a slow cooker??
You could, although the chicken skin might get really mushy in the cooker. I think this one is better baked.
Wanting to make this tonight and I noticed on this full recipe it says plain yogurt. On the blip about it it says greek yogurt. What did you all use? I am not a greek yogurt fan, but willing to try cooking with it.
I used plain (non-Greek) yogurt. :)
Delicious and easy to make. I added more salt to the marinade and baked the chicken breast/drumsticks with baby potatoes. Kids (picky eaters) and hubby love it. Will definitely make it again.
I made this last night and it was delicious and I don’t even like yogurt! My roommate’s picky two year old even loved it. I will definitely be making again along with many other yummy dishes from the site!
Followed the measurements of the recipe, but let the chicken marinate over night before cooking. I think the flavors translated well, but would definitely add more salt next time. Very moist and easy!
Just made this tonight and it was phenomenal! I followed the recipe exactly, though I used skinless chicken breasts because that was all I had on hand. The yogurt sauce didn’t smell like much when I first made it, but when I poured the chicken into the baking pan it was clear everything came together. It smelled incredible the entire time it was cooking, and even more so once everything was all done and I pulled it out.I ended up shredding the chicken and stuffing it into pita bread with some slices of romaine lettuce, roma tomatoes, red onions, a bit of kalamata olives, feta cheese, and some crispy bacon bits and it was fantastic! I also made a bit more of the marinade just to use as a sauce for the pitas. I highly recommend this recipe, because I absolutely loved it and so did my family.
House smelled great and chicken looked really good. However, no flavor at all. Very bland. All the flavor was in the skin of the chicken. Very disappointed. Will not make again.
This is one of the best recipes on this website because it’s so quick. With my electronic chopper I was able to cut the prep time down to just a few minutes – chopping parsley by hand takes a while, but with a little chopper its done in seconds. I like to marinate the chicken for longer than the 30 minutes, just to let those flavors really sink in.
The quick prep time on this dish is awesome, the cost is low, and the outcome is amazing. I served this with a side of white rice and some steamed carrots, which complemented this dish quite nicely – and rice and carrots are cheap too!
Thanks for the recipe, I use a bunch of recipes from this site but I am making this one right now and figured I would comment to say thanks!
So, I just tried this. Really good. What I did different, is that I made the marinade by itself earlier, about an hour & just let the flavors merry together. I bake it and we really liked it. Thanks so much for the recipe.
I made this tonight after letting the chicken marinate for two days. I agree with the others who say the chicken was only mildly flavored, but it did brown nicely and was incredibly moist.
The one change I made was lining the baking dish with a layer of crusty bread before arranging the chicken on top, marinade and all. The bread absorbed the extra marinade and savory chicken juices and, after removing the finished chicken to a platter, I ran the flavorful bread under the broiler for a couple minutes to crisp it up slightly before serving it alongside the chicken. Delish!
I love that bread idea! Thanks for sharing!
I made this last night and it was delicious! Threw in a bit of rosemary and marinated in the fridge for 30 mins. Added sliced lemon on top as it cooked on the grill. It had really great flavour and was super moist. It made for really great sandwich meat the next day! I’ll definitely be making this again
This recipe is so good! Have made it at-least 4 times now. What I do different is add more lemon, jalapeno and red crushed pepper. It has a great taste and find yourself wanting more.
I cut the recipe in half, added a bit more salt and pepper, and marinated a pound of chicken tenders in it for a few hours. I grilled the tenders on my stove-top grill pan. I thought the results were very flavorful…not at all diluted as previous reviewers stated. Perhaps it’s because the tenders don’t need very long to cook? I do wish I’d set aside a tablespoon of the flavorful marinade (before pouring it on the raw chicken) in order to brush over the cooked chicken tenders before serving them, but it was still very good.
I made this with 2 large boneless skinless chicken breast which I cut in half giving me 4 pieces. I marinated for about 8 hours. I salted and peppered the breast when I put them in the baking dish. Baked it in the oven 375 degrees for 45 minutes with all the marinate on it. The breasts browned nicely and tasted delicious. Lots of flavor.
I’m going to agree with what some other people here have mentioned about the flavor not really translating over into the chicken. Based on the reviews I also seasoned the chicken with a little salt and pepper before dousing it in the marinade to make sure I had some flavor if it didn’t work out. The marinade tasted awesome! I marinated my chicken for about 24 hours (boneless skinless thighs and a breast).
I grilled these and I must say I was a little disappointed because most of the marinade flavor was completely gone. I was happy I added salt and pepper first. I’m wondering if baking would lend to better flavors because the marinade can’t just slide off.
I think I will try this again by baking the chicken instead of grilling. I may also try another batch of grilled chicken and retain some of the marinade to coat it after it has been grilled.
I’m going to give it 4 stars because the marinade was so delicious and may be able to be re-purposed. I also think using the marinade as a sauce afterwards will make this better.
Totally agree with the last comment, i have made this before and before putting the marinade over my chicken, i took to it with some crackers and it made a fantastic dip:)
I would suggest putting foil on the grill to prevent the juices from leaving the chicken.
The marinade smelt and tasted great, but it didn’t seem to translate to tasty chicken (I used drumsticks), though it was very moist. I think I would consider trying the marinade again but use smaller chicken pieces, e.g. sliced up breast, to get more surface area for the flavour. I wouldn’t make it again as it (and husband agrees)
This recipe sounds so delicious! However I am on a keto diet, so can I replace the yoghurt with sour cream? Would it greatly affect the taste or texture?
It would have a slightly different flavor, but it might work.
In think the sour cream is more fattening then yoghurt
I just found your site and tried this recipe with the Lemony Cucumber and Couscous salad, and it was awesome! I used Greek yogurt and 2 cloves of garlic and, due to some last minute schedule changes, it marinated for 2 days and was still great. Fast, easy, and delicious are my requirements for a perfect meal, and this one was also inexpensive, which makes it a win, win, win, win in my book. Speaking of books, I just ordered yours and can’t wait to get it. Your site is fantastic. I will be looking for more great recipes.
I am trying this marinade on pork chops tonight. My husband thinks yogurt of any kind is vile, so I have to be very sneaky and get the chops grilled before he gets home, but I am excited to see how this tastes. I’ll be serving this will garlic and rosemary roasted potatoes and fresh blanched green beans.
My chicken has been marinating for 9 hrs. Dish is in the oven. I will keep you guys posted!!
how was it?
My chicken is marinating in the fridge now. I tried some of the marinade before I put it over the chicken…it tastes a lot like tzatziki and would make SUCH a great dip!! I may make another batch and keep it around just for that purpose:)
I made this with four pounds of skin-on chicken drumsticks. I marinated the chicken early in the afternoon (when I had time) and grilled it on indirect heat several hours later. When it was done being cooked I stuck in on direct heat to crisp up the skin. There wasn’t a ton of the marinade flavor left to it but it was extremely moist and very good.
This recipe turned out amazing! I squewered the peices of chicken and grilled them on the BBQ. I will make again and share this recipe with friends for sure!
My fiancé and I LOVED this marinade! Used it for Greek salad tacos yesterday, and using it tonight as a tzatziki on Greek pizza :) Yes, using this marinade AS a tzatziki. Love it.
I loved this recipe. I did marinate it over night and I used cilantro instead of parsley. Other than that no changes and it came out great!
Could I sear with evoo or coconut oil in a pan before the oven? I don’t have a grill, would a cast iron grill pan be better? I’m gonna make the marinade tonight for tomorrow’s dinner. Thanks!
I do like the idea of searing before it goes in the oven and cast iron is great for the job. :)
I’m making this tonight, and I’m sure it’ll be great. I used to make a more middle eastern flavored yogurt chicken with boneless skinless breasts. Many of the same ingredients – yogurt, garlic, lemon, EVOO. But also cumin and paprika and cayenne. Maybe some cinnamon too, but I can’t remember. I loved it, so I have no idea why I stopped making it.
I threw this in marinade this morning, so I’m sure with 8+ hours it’ll be great. I threw some sumac in with the marinade. The boyfriend spent a long time in Turkey and likes sumac in these yogurty-esque dishes. If you can get your hands on some, try it. You won’t be sorry.
Making with these stuffed peppers (not the cheapest but since my chicken pieces were a gift, I still feel frugal).
http://realgreekrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/10/stuffed-green-peppers-with-feta.html
Some dill roasted potatoes will accompany it, too.
There’s only 2 of us, so I’m hoping this will last us several days for lunch leftovers.
I made this last night with boneless, skinless chicken thighs on an indoor electric grill and they came out fantastic! I used Greek yogurt (no problems there) and used a bit more oregano. It paired wonderfully with a Greek salad and some roasted asparagus.
OMG – this is soooo good! I followed the recipe almost exactly except for that I used the zest and juice of an entire lemon, rather than just half. My bf loves it and raved over how good it was. It’s quickly become a family favorite dish :)
I didn’t have fresh garlic on hand either so I used Iberia brand minced garlic from a jar (half a cup of it) and used dried Badia brand parsley instead of fresh. The flavor was amazing! I marinate the chicken in a gallon-size ziploc bag for 50 minutes, then bake on a cookie tray lined with Reynold’s non-stick foil for about 55 minutes @375 degrees. I use chicken thighs and the skin always comes out nice and crisp, the chicken very flavorful.
I forgot – using a fresh lemon for the juice is important. I noticed that bottled lemon juice doesn’t work as well for marinade and when I’ve used it in the past the chicken would hardly have any lemon flavor but when I use fresh lemon juice the chicken is very strongly flavored of lemon. Also, many have mentioned they covered the chicken. The skin won’t get crisp if you do that. I left mine uncovered the entire cooking time and it got very crisp.
I’m making this for company tomorrow, without having tried it first. I never do this, but all your recipes I’ve tried worked out so here’s to hoping this one does too.
I agree with some of the other reviewers – ended up with bland chicken. I was really excited to try this since baked chicken is one of my favorites, and the pictures as well as the ingredients of this recipe bodes well for a successful recipe. I tried the marinade after I made it and it delicious (will likely make it again as a dip), and followed the recipe as is. Only difference is I covered the baking dish for 20 minutes and left it uncovered for the remaining 40 minutes. There was quite a lot of juice in the dish after baking, and I could tell right off the bat that the chicken didn’t seem like it soaked in all the flavor seven though I marinated it for 40 minutes. I could have baked it for longer but I was afraid it would dry out the chicken.
End result – chicken was moist and tender (I used drumsticks and thighs), but completely lacked flavor. Maybe using a thicker yogurt like full fat Greek yogurt may make it better/easier for the chicken to hold on to while baking.
This was really tasty! I actually did skinless boneless thighs since they ended up being cheaper, would definitely do these guys again when bone-in skin-on is cheaper (which it normally is, but sales, ya know?). I ended up dumping the marinade in with the chicken and baked it and it did end up a bit soggy in parts but that was my own fault for not following advice and being lazy!
I made the couscous on the side as well and they were perfect together! Thanks Beth!
Do you think I could freeze the marinade and then thaw it and marinate the chicken? I’m in a meal exchange group and we make freezer meals. This looks delicious!
Hmm, I’m not sure because I don’t know how yogurt holds up to freezing. Maybe try with a really small batch and see if it separates upon thawing.
Alicia – did you try freezing it? How did it turn out? I am also in a freezer meal swap group and want to do this meal because it looks heavenly!
I tried this recipe but it turned out very greasy. I had to pat the chickens with paper towels. I followed your recipe to the letter.
I think next time I will use less olive oil than the recipe calls for. Maybe 1 Tablespoon or 1 teaspoon. I also think next time I will cover my pan with foil and use Greek yogurt as others have suggested.
Can I marinade this overnight?
I haven’t tried it, but I probably would. Some say marinating too long can make the meat mushy, but I’d still try it. :P
Made this a few weeks back for a cookout and it was a HUGE HIT! Chicken was moist and delicious on the grill!
I used to get chicken like this at a Greek restaurant and have been looking for a good recipe to duplicate the flavors…… this is it. Made it tonight one word Awesome! Thanks for sharing.
This looks awesome! I’ve got mine in the fridge marinating right now… I had plain Greek yogurt, and lime- so there are a few subs, but I’m so ready for dinner!! Thanks for the idea :)
Tried this for the first time tonight. I loved it but my husband and one child of mind didn’t. Because they didn’t like lemon. But we are a family of nine so great recipe
Hey just wondering how long this would take on the grill? I want to try it tomorrow night
I think it would be great on the grill.
Found this recipe on Pinterest and made it for dinner tonight. It is amazing, I have one pleased family. I did add some red pepper flakes to top the chicken for a little kick and some extra color. Will definitely go into my recipe rotation. Thanks for the recipe!
I made it to my kids – who were always complaining about my cooking :) – and they loved it so much, that they keep asking for the chicken everyday. Thank you so much, keep the good work going :)
Made this tonight and used turkey instead of chicken and greek yogurt instead of plain. Sprinkled Feta cheese over the top and added Greek Olives. Very good. Served with your Focaccia bread from this site. This will be added to our dinner rotation. Thank you Beth!!
We had this for dinner tonight and hit was really really delicious. I did a few things different after reading some of the comments – trying to avoid anything less than flavorful. I used more garlic, full fat yogurt, little more lemon juice, seasoned the meat with salt and pepper before putting into marinade, and I let the chicken marinate all day – about 8 hours. I used split chicken breasts and thighs – and baked in oven on a large sheet pan covered with foil. Chicken was juicy and packed with flavor. This is going into our meal rotation for sure.
Thanks for sharing this recipe! I substituted parsley with dill because that’s what I had on hand and thought it was pretty tasty.
I love how good this looks! My family is stationed in Germany, so I have the luck go being able to use some amazing Greek Yogurt ;) And considering I’m 15 and attempting this says how easy it looks
I think that if you’re baking this, it’s better to use something like a broiling pan which lifts the chicken out of the drippings. It gave me better browning when I did that (I made this recipe twice). This marinade is godlike.
I’m making this recipe tonight. It’s the second time I’ve made it. It tastes great!
great recipe! I will now be trying a whole bunch of your recipes. :D thanks so much for the website (the pictures are so helpful)!!
In an effort to get my 8yr old son to actually eat the things I make I decided to get him involved in meal planning and prep. I let him loose on your blog and he chose this recipe. BIG success. He says you are a “good cooker” and the chicken came out even better than he thought. He had fun zesting lemon and chopping parsley and mixing up the marinade. He’s already chosen the next recipe we’re going to make together :D
That’s so awesome!! I love hearing things like that. :)
This was delicious… I took other reviewers advice and doubled up on the condiments (oregano and parsley), and it was really good and juicy. I also marinated about one hour and a half and served with some quinoa.
I wonder–do you think this would work with fish? We have great local whitefish where I live.
I don’t know if the fish can stand up to the acidic yogurt marinade. It might make it mushy, but I’m not sure. I haven’t experimented with it :)
Just wondering if you would recommend boneless skinless chicken breasts for this receipe?
Nevermind, I scrolled up a few comments and noticed someone already asked :). Thanks and love your site.
I made this last night for dinner and our family loved it. I had to substitute a lime for the lemon because that was what I had. I did marinate it longer and I did add all the marinade to the chicken prior to roasting. The chicken turned out perfectly juicy and well flavoured. We’ll be making this one again, thanks!
This was amazing. Made it twice in one week. Followed the directions as stated, however I cooked it covered for 45 minutes,then removed the foil to allow chicken to brown and cooked for additional 15 minutes. Had it for leftovers the next day and it taste even better. I used wings and drumsticks and I preferred the wings.
Also, I seasoned the chicken with Greek seasoning, garlic salt and pepper
I want to try this with chicken breasts (I don’t like thighs). What modification do I need to make? Just back it for longer? Cut up my chicken breasts?
Usually bone-in chicken takes longer to bake, but if your chicken breasts are larger in size, it might balance out. I’m not sure of the exact cooking time without testing it out, though. I would cut them into slightly smaller pieces, though, because then you’ll get more of the marinade into the chicken. :)
can you do it on the slow cooker
No, I wouldn’t suggest it. The slow cooker is too moist of a cooking method and this marinade really needs dry heat.
Super yummy. Anyone by chance know the calories per serving?
Great stuff here Beth! I am loving your recipes…. Tis chicken recipe looks amazing I am making it for a wedding sampling. Only difference is I will be adding marinated artichoke hearts and cherry tomatoes and roasting it :)
Any thoughts on using fat free greek yogurt? Or is the fat absolutely necessary. Eager to try this
Yeah, I think you definitely want some fat in there. You could probably get away with using a 2% Greek yogurt, but I wouldn’t go lower than that.
Made this tonight – my family and I REALLY enjoyed it. I made a few little changes based on what I had in the kitchen. Instead of regular yogurt, I used part greek tzatziki yogurt and part plain greek yogurt. I used dried parsley, skinless/boneless chicken breasts, and added some extra greek seasoning. They came out super moist and flavourful. It nicely complimented the Greek Spinach Rice side dish I also made. I will definitely make this again!
The marinade calls for lemon..will I be able to marinade this overnight?
Some say that marinating that long will make the chicken mushy, but it doesn’t bother me that much. Just make sure to marinate in the refrigerator.
This looks fantastic! I’ve been looking for some Mediterranean style chicken to make with Moroccan zaalouk (a salad of cooked eggplant, tomato, and cumin). The comments got me thinking: do you think this marinade would also work well with steak?
Interesting! I don’t know that I’ve ever had a yogurt based marinade on steak. I honestly can’t imagine if it would be good or bad.
Just tried this recipe and it turned out completely bland – even baked chicken with salt, pepper and olive oil had more flavor. It was strange, since I tried the marinade before I mixed it with the raw chicken, and it tasted great! Any ideas as to why this happened?
That’s still a mystery to me… seems like some people end up with bland chicken and some with super flavorful. I haven’t been able to determine what the differing factor is.
Could it have to do with overcrowding in the pan? I used a glass pan, and made chicken thighs, so they were tightly pressed together. This caused so much juice to flow out that the chicken tasted almost boiled. How did you space out your chicken?
That is a possibility. Mine were close, but probably not crammed together.
I accidentally bought vanilla yogurt can I use that or should I just make another trip to the store?
I wouldn’t use the vanilla yogurt. In addition to the vanilla it is most likely sweetened, which will definitely throw off the flavor. :(
I made this with boneless skinless thighs and served with a vegetable Dahl. It was amazing and my husband and two teenage boys scoffed the lot!!
Delicious and easy!
This was fantastic!!! Made this for me and my husband and it was fantastic. I paired it with Greek style baked potatoes and a Greek salad was fantastic!
How did you cook the greek potatoes and chicken at the same time if you used the oven for the chicken. I am trying to figure out how to make it work
This chicken is so awesome. I make it for me and my boyfriend all the time, he always requests it! thanks so much.
I tried the marinaide before I put it on chicken and it was great. But after I cooked chicken the flavor was weak, and I marinaided for an hour. Also the chicken was slightly tough, I think this was the quality of the chicken but not sure. I am going to try again though. Any ideas on how to amp up flavor?
Maybe a touch more salt. Sometimes just a pinch of salt goes a long way towards making the flavor pop.
This is even a great meal for dieters!! I’m making it right now, don’t know how it tastes just yet, but the marinade tasted pretty yummy ;) Can’t wait to see how it turns out :D
Saw this on Pinterest a few weeeks ago and wanted to do it for christmas but my mom took care of the dinner that day, so finally a bought everything yesterday for new years eve dinner and OMG! Everybody was fascinated, but now we are sad cause theres no left overs for today hahaha… thanks for sharing such good recepies with us!
Greetings and Happy New Year from a new fan and family from Tijuana México!
I just stumbled across your blog and tried the sweet chili shrimp and the spicy green beans last night. My boyfriend and I were blown away by how good it was! I’ll be making this tonight. Thank you so much for all of these wonderful, easy recipes! <3
Awesome recipe! I used the recipe on boneless chicken thighs and breast. It worked really well with fresh spinach leaves as a salad!
How could I make this with chicken breast?
I would just do everything exactly the same. If you’re using boneless breasts, you probably won’t need to bake it as long.
How Long ShoulD It cook If You put It In A Slow Cooker?
Hmm, I haven’t tried it in a slow cooker. I think it might be too moist and the skin will get soggy that way.
I don’t have any lemons. Do you think using an orange would be okay? I also don’t have fresh parsley. How much dried parsley should I use?
An orange definitely won’t work for this. If you can, get some bottled juice, although it still won’t be quite as good as the real lemon. Unfortunately the lemon is one of the major flavors in this dish and you don’t want to mess with it :) You could use a tablespoon of dried parsley, but unfortunately dried parsley tastes quite different from fresh. Luckily, the parsley isn’t a huge player in this, so you’ll still be okay with the substitution.
Tried this recipe for the first time this week. It was amazing!! We used plain Greek yogurt and baked the chicken in the oven for the amount of time you recommended and it came out perfect!! Thank you!
This was SO delish. Huge huge hit in my house. I used drumsticks and my husband ate 5!!!! This has made it into my rotation for sure
I just found your site last week. I made this last night hmmmm yummy. I had to pre-order your cookbook. Looking forward to trying more dishes from you. I decided to send my friends the link to your page. Keep up the great work:-). Thank you doll
This was amazing!! I rarely make chicken with bones & skin, I always thinks it likely too much work, this was NOT!! I marinated about 4 hours, because our day didn’t go as planned. It had great flavor, my husband loved the lemon in it, which is strange for him. I roasted baby potatoes with it and it was perfect!
I made this last night because my store was having a sale on drumsticks. I used greek yogurt because it’s the only thing I had and then baked it on a broiling pan. I think a lot of the marinade fell off though. Still delicious accompanied with the thai cucumber salad
I’ve made this several times and it is, by far, the best chicken recipe I’ve ever made. I used chicken thighs, left out the parsley and added cut-up potatoes to the marinade. Thank you so much, Beth, for coming up with this one!
Making this and it looks awesome so far!! Question.. I am cooking much more than I can eat today.. Can I just refrigerate the balance and microwave as I need more or should bake it again? I know this is a simple thing most people do daily, but I am stopping all my eating out and takeouts and home deliveries and starting to cook myself after many many years!
You can definitely reheat the leftovers in the microwave, just be aware that the texture and appearance will change. It will still taste great, though!
I was just wondering, can the marinade be made and frozen?
The yogurt might separate out a bit when frozen, so I wouldn’t suggest it.
Do you bake it covered or uncovered? Thanks :)
Uncovered, or else you won’t get any of that nice browning. :)
Thanks, Beth :)
Can I marinate it overnight?
The acid from the yogurt might make the meat a little mushy, but the skin might help prevent that. It will be ultra flavorful, though!
I made this last night for friends and they loved it. I personally don’t eat chicken, but the marinade smelled so good baking in the oven, I’m wondering if I could do the same thing with salmon? Does anyone think this would be an issue to marinate salmon the same way as the chicken?
Also, on a side note, I added some sriracha to the marinade and it was a nice addition.
Mmm, yes, I think that would be nice with salmon.
Tried this tonight with both chicken legs (skin on) and boneless skinless breasts. Both were delicious but the legs were outstanding! Something about the crispy skin and the flavors from the marinade getting in all the nooks and crannies. Definitely adding this to the rotation!
Hola! I’ve been reading your site for a while now and finally got the bravery to go ahead and give
you a shout out from Huffman Tx! Just wanted to tell you keep up the fantastic
work!
made this tonight! so good. let the chicken marinate over night cuz i really wanted the lemon to come thru. also i used bonless skinless chicken thighs and baked them for about 1 1/2 hours. i also used greek yogurt and they came out perfect! not sure about all the pricing because i live in hawaii but it was deff a recipie i will keep! my 3 year son ate his whole plate!
Omg I was searching around for dinner ideas for tonight and found this! Chicken is marinating as I type lol. The marinade itself smells SO GOOD. I even dunked a carrot in it as a dip (pre chicken lol) and it was AMAZING as a dip!! I cannot wait to eat it later! Easy yummy and healthy!!
Weeeell, I have some boneless skinless chicken breast in the fridge right now marinating in some balsamic vinegar, spices, an d I can’t remember what else. As someone else said that is probably key to season the chicken before you start, especially for chicken breast. And since there is no skin to brown, I’ll probably end up throwing it into the slow cooker for this recipe. It looks awesome! I think it will work, I’ll let you know.
I made this with thighs, (the chicken breast I had went for chicken yakisoba again:) with more lemon and garlic just as another reader had suggested. My family loved it, loved it, loved it. Since I don’t have a grill, I used the rack from the roaster ovens Walmart has on sale every Thanksgiving for$29.97 and laid it inside of jelly roll pan and the skin turned out nice and crisp. Because of the messy clean up, next time I might line the tray with foil before I lay the rack on it. With the room between the rack and pan I don’t think it will hurt the crispness of the skin.
Absolutely DELICIOUS. Instead of parsley I used Rosemary. Very awesome recepie
In the oven as I type, and dang it smells delicious!!
How long did you marinade it?
About 30 minutes.
Oh YUM! I have a whole chicken for dinner tonight, I might just try this on it! Thanks for sharing your idea. I love that it’s healthy and easy!
I made this last night and it was crazy-good!!
I’ve got a recipe for chicken kabobs that I’ve been making for years that calls for plain yogurt and I always use greek yogurt. It always turns out awesome. Yogurt is a fantastic marinade. Makes the meat super tender! I’ve got this recipe in the oven right now- using the chicken legs! I think it’ll be great! To all those who are not happy with the breast- you are most likely cooking it too long and your breast is too big of a chunk. I’d try cutting it into small pieces and cooking it for a lot less time.
I’ve made this recipe once before in the oven (I only have a small George Foreman) and it came out amazing. The only substitution I made was because we needed this to be non-dairy. For those who can’t do yoghurt because of a dairy allergy or religious reasons, there are dairy free yoghurts out there, but this is a tried and true substitution my mother uses and passed on to me. We use tofu sour cream. I know, sounds odd, but it tastes just like the real thing, and with the Mediterranean flavors, made the marinade very tzatziki like.
I made this for dinner tonight, with variation. I didn’t have any lemon to zest, but I had dehydrated orange, so I used 2 slices of that cut up and I used lemon juice. I put the frozen chicken (just under 2 lbs, I could’ve put in more chicken for the sauce, but was trying to cut cost) in the crockpot and poured the sauce over it. I cooked it on high for 6 hours, shredding the chicken at 4 hrs. It was sooo good. It doesn’t brown this way, but it honestly doesn’t need to. =)
Looks amazing! It’s marinating now and I’m debating if we should grill the thighs or throw them in the oven…any preference out there?
Definitely go for the grill!
Absolutely delicious. I tried it tonight and my teenager could not get enough. Definitely making this again. Thank you for posting.
This is such an easy recipe, with hardly any cleanup. And, the sauce is Amazing. I added a couple of more herbs to it, and used dried parsley instead, and it was so good. I even put it on a flat-bread with some veggie meatballs for a gyro.
For the people that complained of the lack of flavoring, I’d suggest you season your chicken before marinating it. That’s what I did.
Delicious sounding recipe!
Sadly I found the recipe on Facebook when a friend shared it from someone else’s page.
There were no links back to you. You can find your content here: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=637340836299091&set=a.512777942088715.120805.512745725425270&type=1&theater
Thanks for the heads up!
Just made this tonight, family gave this an 8.5 out of ten. Only thing were my chicken legs didn’t brown as nicely as the thighs, but the dish was really good!! Thanks for the recipe!!
This is “Greek” chunk but calls pain yogurt…am I to assume that’s Greek yogurt?
Nope, I just used regular plain yogurt. The recipe itself is Greek flavors, but the yogurt doesn’t need to be the thick Greek style yogurt. Actually, Greek style yogurt would probably be too thick to make a good marinade anyway :)
Such a great recipe! So moist and flavorful!
Yummy! I used boneless skinless thighs and it was delish. BBQ them and they turned out great. Used greek plain yogurt, not sure if it makes a diff but that’s what I had and this is going into the rotation. found the link on pinterest
Don’t try to be cute and “use what you have” when it comes to chicken. In my case, I decided to try it with chicken breasts. I think if I would have followed the recipe and used chicken pieces with skin, it would have been phenomenal. The flavor was still very good, but the texture wasn’t there (my mistake).
To make up for it, though, I used a little Zesty Italian dressing and hoped the Zesty Guy would manifest before my eyes. Spoiler alert: It didn’t happen.
False advertising! ;)
When done in the oven should I cover it w Tin Foil?.. & Also I have a problem w my chicken when I leave my skin on it seems to get slimy?.. Thanks!
No, I would not suggest covering it with foil because that will hold in the steam and make the skin soggy (and then it will never brown). The sliminess that you’re talking about is the fat layer under the skin and there really isn’t a way to get rid of that. You could definitely do this recipe with skinless breasts, though!
Just came across this delicious recipe. I have a whole chicken thawing. Do u think the recipe would work well with a whole chicken?
Hmm, not sure. But, I suppose a whole chicken isn’t much different than the chicken pieces I used, except they’re all attached :) There might be less surface area for the marinade to do it’s thing, but otherwise I think it should be fine.
I am marinated it overnight for dinner tomorrow. We will see what happens. This will go great with some rice and a greek salad. I love this site! I could not stop tasting the marinade, so I know the chicken will be great.
Hello, can the marinade time be more than the 30 mins?
Yep, although some say to not marinate meat for too long (how long is too long is also subjective) because it can break down the meat too much and make it almost mushy. I’ve never actually had that happen, though.
Can this marinate over night?
Was preparing this when my husband brought home dinner. :)
Would love to serve it tomorrow.
I’ve never tried it that long, but I definitely wouldn’t toss it without trying!
If it tastes good, I bet you could use dried dill as a substitute! This is on the menu this week so I will come back with a report!
Have you ever tried adding fresh dill to make it taste more like tzatziki sauce? I think when I make this (can’t wait) I might try to add a little!
Haven’t tried it yet, but definitely want to! Fresh dill isn’t very available around here, unfortunately.
Made this tonight and loved it! Made it with boneless skinless because that’s all I had and added a bit more garlic and a bit more lemon. It is soo good and flavorful! Will make again and I will be bookmarking this site!
Hey there! Do you think this would work well on skewers on the grill like the previous commenter mentioned? I’m pretty picky with my chicken and don’t like bone-in chicken or anything but chicken breasts basically.
Thanks for all your recipes- I’ve made a ton from here over the past few years and pretty much love them all!
Yep, I think that would work great! It would be very similar to the Tandoori Chicken Kebabs I made a couple years ago.
Think I can try this in my crockpot? Maybe brown in the pan and throw in crock pot to retain all the flavor AND juicy chicken?
I’m not sure it will brown well because of how thick the marinade is, but you could try it out. You could definitely cook it in the slow cooker, though. Maybe try broiling it *after* slow cooking it to get it brown? I did that with my slow cooker jerk chicken and it worked pretty well, although this marinade is quite different.
Hi, I made this yesterday for dinner, turned amazing!
I used breasts and I wanted to grill them on skewers, but by the time the chicken had marinated, I … chickened out! :) I didn’t want to bother lightning up the charcoal grill and the whole stuff. The oven wasn’t an option since my kitchen was hot as hell, so I just cooked it in a big skillet. And served it with farfalle pasta mixed with sauteed zucchini and onions. Fan-tas-tic! This marinade bursts with flavour! Next time, I’m gonna try it with grilling or baking the chicken, it’s gonna be even better for sure!
Thanks Beth for sharing these amazing recipes with us!
i was a little hesitant about cooking this one, as my mild-to-moderate OCD didn’t think yogurt belongs on chicken. well, you proved it wrong! i used a little less than a cup and loaded up on the garlic and lemon juice. i outsourced the couscous salad to The Girl and dinner turned out nicely. thank you!
This was dinner tonight and it was a success. I used thighs and would not use breasts for this. When I make it again I will double the garlic and oregano. The marinade tasted strongly of garlic, but the chicken itself did not. My house smelled divine while it cooked!
hi this looks delicious. I’m wondering if it’s good to freeze? if it is should i freeze it with the marinade sauce (before baking)?
I don’t think I would suggest freezing this one. It’s hard to reheat bone-in chicken without over cooking and I’ve heard that freezing meats in the marinade can cause them to over tenderize (although I haven’t done it myself).
While mine turned out extremely moist, it was also completely flavorless and didn’t brown at all. I suppose that’s what I get for using pre-minced garlic. Never again.
I tried this recipe tonight. My husband liked it, and it did make the chicken nice and moist (I did the oven version). However, I thought that the combination of spices was just okay, nothing special (to be fair, I used dried parsley, not fresh). Also, although the garlic flavor was strong in the marinade, I didn’t think it was very distinct in the cooked dish. Still, it was an easy meal and a nice change of pace.
This recipe sounds amazing but I have a lactose-intolerant flatmate, is there anything you could suggest replacing the yoghurt with?
Hmm, I was thinking buttermilk, but that wouldn’t work either! You may be able to find a lactose free yogurt, though. Most yogurt is nearly lactose free anyway, because the bacteria have converted it all to lactic acid. You can make a really amazing oil based marinade with all of the same ingredients, as well. Just skip the yogurt and increase the olive oil so that you have enough to spread over all of the chicken.
Hi! For a lactose allergy I’m pretty sure you can use goat milk based yogurt, like plain kefir.
Try Coconut yogurt…I plan on trying it made with this as we don’t eat dairy products due to allergies also
I make it with plain kefir-it’s 99 percent lactose free
This was SO good! I used boneless skinless chicken thighs, and everybody raved about how good it was. Served it with roasted red potatoes and fresh green beans. I will definitely be making this over and over again!
Eating this now. Amazing! I made a 1/2 recipe using 2 bone-in, skin on thighs. I usually pass on both those but I decided I’d be smart to trust the recipe and very glad I did. The boyfriend’s getting this easy chicken dish for dinner next weekend.
Sounds great for the 4th! If I marinate a double batch, can I freeze 1/2 before cooking?
I’ve read a few things lately that suggest meat shouldn’t be frozen in marinade because the extended exposure to the acidic marinade can make it overly mushy. I’ve never done it, though.
I tried this with chicken breasts, and was not impressed. The marinade is DELICIOUS—I obviously tasted it first—but I don’t think it worked very well with the bigger pieces. It came out too dry and the flavor wasn’t quite that strong. I’ll have to try it with thighs!
I had much the same problem… this is the first Budget Bytes recipe that wasn’t PHENOMENAL, so I may try it again with thighs. the marinade was so good I refuse to accept that it isn’t good on chicken!
I made this dish on Sunday with some modifications. I didn’t have parsley or lemon zest and I used Greek yogurt because that was on sale and it still turned out fabulous. I let it marinate for an hour but the next time I fix it I might let it marinate overnight.
I tried this tonight and it came out awesome. I don’t have the best grill, but it still worked really well. The marinade is really flavorful and would even be good on chicken breasts if you didn’t have anything else. This is the greatest recipe blog ever and I’m totally hooked.
We’re so excited to make this this weekend — if we’re doing it on a grill, do you suggest sticking it straight on the grill, or with foil (so as not to lose the marinade?). My plan is to pair it with a small greek salad, some poblano pepper hummus, and pita. NOM!
I’d put it straight on the grill so that you get some browning/charring. Otherwise it might be kind of soggy :P
I made this and put it on the grill be careful it went up like a roman candle.
Just made this tonight! I think I needed to add more garlic (a couple of my cloves were on the small side and I REALLY like garlic), but I LOVED it! My fiance LOVED it! And even my 7 and 4 year old loved it (and my 7 year old is sooooo picky).
I just discovered this site yesterday and already it has planned my meals for a week :-) I will DEFINITELY buy your book when it’s published!
Did you use regular plain yogurt or Greek plain yogurt in the recipe? I just want to make sure I have all the ingredients before diving in. It looks divine!
I used regular plain yogurt :)
I just mixed this together and realuze I picked up greek plain yogurt. Will that be a problem?
I haven’t tried it with Greek style yogurt, but it may still work. It will be much thicker and I’m not sure if the flavors will infuse as well without the moisture. It’s worth a shot, though!
I see that I am late in posting this, but I used greek yogurt in your Chicken Schawarma recipe and it was woooooonderful! Thanks so much for your recipes. My husband and I have loved everything I have made from them! This one looks every bit as delicious and I am trying it this week. :-)
I watered down the greek yogurt. 3/4 cup yogurt, 1/4 cup water. The consistency was more like plain yogurt, and flavors were great.
Would it be possible to just cook this up on like an iron griddle pan indoors?
Probably, just make sure you cook it long enough that the inside gets fully cooked.
If I had to cook it on a griddle on stove top I would use boneless thighs or breast.
Either should work well.
all my dishes are packed up, but this will be one of the first dishes I cook after we move next week!!I am so excited!
I tried this last night. My husband and son ate every bit and asked for more. This recipe is a keeper.
Looks especially yummy – pinned for later. Thanks for sharing.
This looks fantastic!
I just put this on the menu for Sunday dinner. Yum. Can’t wait to try it.
I love the sound of this and will definitely try to make this once the heatwave lifts! (I don’t have a grill so I will need to make this in the oven)
I have to say the pricing on your parsley is drastically below what it really costs. There is no way you can get a bunch of parsley for 8 cents. Anywhere.
That was a typo – thanks for catching it. My parsley was $0.79 per bunch.
This looks amazing!! I don’t know what is do without your site! (Also? News on the book deal? I totally want your book!)
Yep, the book is still in the works! The manuscript is going through its final edits now :D
Oh my goodness, the chicken and the couscous just seems like a delicious meal together! I’m drooling over here.
Since my friend showed me your site, I have been checking back regularly for more recipes and ideas for dinner. Thank you, and I will be sure to make this sometime!
As soon as the chicken is thawed I’m making this. Preparing the marinade right now. I love the new web-site and easy way to print your recipes now. Thanks for all your hard work. You make my cooking so much more easier.
Me too