Quick and easy Greek chicken marinade recipe, requiring 10 minutes of prep time and simple ingredients. Makes the best baked or grilled Greek chicken.
This Greek chicken marinade recipe has been passed along my family for generations.
Grilling season is all about marinades in our family and this one ranks among the TOP 5...hehe.
My aunt says this is also her FAVORITE Greek chicken marinade for gyros and her gyros are truly incredible!
I have tried a few different marinades and in my opinion, this one makes the BEST greek chicken recipe.
I have seen some recipes for greek chicken marinade with red wine vinegar but my family doesn't make anything with alcohol, which is why we always omit that.
By the way, the marinade recipe that I liked the LEAST was Greek chicken marinade with yogurt since it was just too tangy. Eeks!
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Here are some TIPS for making HEALTHY Greek chicken marinade:
- If you marinate for a LONG time, the flavor will be stronger. If you marinate for a SHORT time, the flavor will be mild.
- You can use this Greek chicken marinade for souvlaki too. Just cut the chicken breast into small 1 inch cubes and thread them into wooden skewers that have been soaked in water for at least 30 minutes.
- This marinade works GREAT for grilling and baking.
- DON'T bake or grill for too long since that will make the chicken dry.
- To make greek chicken and potatoes, you can marinate baby potatoes or small potato cubes in the marinade for 20 minutes. Then, either bake them or cook them on the stovetop.
- You can also make Greek chicken skewers/ Greek chicken kabobs with parboiled potatoes, green peppers and onions.
- Use the BEST olive oil you can find, which really enhances the flavor.
- Fresh herbs can be used instead of dried ones.
- Quantities of salt and pepper can be ADJUSTED according to your preference.
- If you want a subtle spicy kick, add ½ teaspoon paprika or red chili flakes.
Use this Greek marinade for:
- Beef
- Pork
- Lamb chopps
- Chicken
- Wings
- Breast
- Thighs
- Kabobs
Leftover grilled Greek chicken can be used in VARIOUS ways:
- Make Greek chicken pita sandwiches, using your favorite bread, condiments, lettuce, thinly sliced fresh tomatoes, onions and cucumbers.
- Make a Greek chicken pasta salad by cutting chicken into thin strips or cubes and tossing them into your favorite green salad.
- Make Greek chicken burgers by toasting burger buns, buttering them and fill it withe either shredded chicken or small chicken cubes or just the whole breast, lots of lettuces, tomatoes, onions and cucumbers and even some tzatziki sauce.
- Make a simple rice pilaf or butter rice and serve it on the side and you can enjoy greek chicken and rice.
How to make Greek chicken marinade?
The process is very SIMPLE. Start off by making the marinade by mixing together olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, dried oregano, rosemary, thyme, parsley salt and pepper. Add the chicken breasts. Mix it together. Cover and marinate in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour to a maximum of 8 hours. Then, grill or bake and enjoy!
How to bake greek chicken in oven?
Place the marinated chicken breasts in a baking dish. Bake at 450 degrees for 20-25 minutes until the chicken is no longer pink inside and the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit in the thickest part of the breast.
What goes with Greek chicken?
- Pita bread
- Salad
- Tzatziki sauce
- Rice pilaf
Well, that's all for today.
If you liked this Greek chicken kabob marinade, you may like some of these other grilled recipes too...
Recipe
Greek Chicken Marinade
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Ingredients
- ¼ cup Olive oil
- ¼ cup Lemon juice Fresh
- 1 tablespoon Garlic Finely chopped or Paste
- 1 tsp Ginger Finely chopped or Paste
- 1 tablespoon Oregano Dried
- 1 teaspoon Rosemary Dried
- 1 teaspoon Thyme Dried
- 1 teaspoon Parsley Dried
- ½ teaspoon Paprika or Red chili flakes Optional
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Pepper
- 4 Chicken breasts
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, dried herbs, salt, pepper and paprika (optional)
- Add chicken breasts and mix them around, making sure they are fully coated in the marinade
- Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour to a maximum of 8 hours.
- When you are ready to grill, use tongs to remove chicken breasts from the marinade and place them on a hot grill. Grill each side for 6-7 minutes OR until the chicken is fully cooked through.
- While grilling, baste chicken with leftover marinade a few times. Make sure to cook the leftover marinade and reduce it first.
- Remove chicken breasts from grill and place them on a serving dish.
- Garnish with chopped fresh basil.
- Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Read all my tips above.
- Grilling time may vary, depending on your grill and also how thick your chicken breast pieces are.
Nutrition
An automated tool is used to calculate the nutritional information. As such, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information provided for any recipe on this site.
Until next time, tata my lovelies!
Angie
I would love this with the baby potatoes! My kinda meal !
Abeer Rizvi
Bring on the lovely potato carbs...heheh!
Dee
Your pictures are making me drool, and I love that you can use this so many ways!
Abeer Rizvi
Thank you! It really is quite versatile!
Jen
I am so hungry for this now! Looks fantastic!
Abeer Rizvi
hehehe... time to fire up that grill then!
Jessica
That looks like the juiciest chicken! Such a great marinade!
Abeer Rizvi
Omg! It's so juicy and packed with flavor!
Amanda
I'm always looking for great marinade recipes, and this is an amazing one!!
Abeer Rizvi
Nothing better than marinades, at least for grilling season... Right? hehe.
Hadia
This looks so flavorful! Pinning to try later!
Abeer Rizvi
Thank you! Hope you give it a shot...
Donna
can you do this on the stove top or in the oven if you don't have a grill?
Abeer Rizvi
Yes, of course.
Krista
Wow! That looks so good! I wish I could take a bite now!
Rebecca
This looks so juicy and delicious!
Abeer Rizvi
Seriously, the juiciest chicken ever!
Michelle Chagolla
Where do the carbs come from in this recipe? Is it the herbs? Seems like it would be lower in carbs.
Abeer Rizvi
It should be low in carbs. I use a plugin to calculate these values and they are not 100% accurate. Maybe there is a glitch :S
BETTY MANOULIAN
Step #5: "While grilling, baste chicken with leftover marinade a few times" is wrong .... you never baste cooked/cooking meat with the marinade RAW food was marinaded in unless the marinade was first heated/cooked.
Abeer Rizvi
You are absolutely right. I always cook leftover marinade on the stovetop and reduce it and then brush that on top of the chicken. For some reason, my second sentence in that step got cut off. Thanks for noticing! I added it in again.
Wanda Cryer
Dried basil is not listed in the recipe. However, it is listed in the notes under the topic "How to make Greek chicken marinade?". I know you can garnish the cooked chicken with fresh basil, but do you put dried basil in the marinade? If so, how much?
Abeer Rizvi
Dried basil is optional. If you are adding that, it would be 1 tsp in the marinade. I usually just prefer garnishing with fresh basil at the end.