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
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.