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
Ingredients
- 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
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.