Bring all the classic Greek flavors to your kitchen table with this easy and delicious Greek Chicken Marinade. Made with lemon, garlic, and fresh herbs, this chicken marinade takes just minutes to whip together and calls for only a handful of fresh and healthy ingredients.
Greek Chicken Marinade
This is my go-to, multi-purpose, and very favorite Greek chicken marinade. Of course, I have many “favorite” marinades, but this one is extra special.
What makes this particular chicken marinade so much better than the others? It is so dang easy to make. The ingredients are also basic and affordable which means no special orders from Amazon or an out-of-the-way trip to a specialty market.
A perfect balance of lemon, garlic, and fresh herbs, this Greek chicken marinade has all the right flavors in all the right places.
The whole fam will love it. Even the kids.
Yes, even my kid (who hates just about everything that isn’t smothered in cheese or shaped like a hamburger) loved this chicken.
Greek Chicken Marinade Ingredients
- Olive oil – I can’t think of a marinade that doesn’t have at least some oil. The oil in the marinade is especially important when cooking chicken breasts as they are naturally lean and low in fat.
- Lemon juice AND zest – Lemon is a popular ingredient in many popular marinades and salad vinaigrettes. The high acidity from the lemon juice helps break down the tough fibers of the chicken helping to infuse the delicious lemony flavor of the marinade. Adding zest simply multiplies the awesome lemon flavor. Fresh lemon juice is an absolute must.
- Garlic – Garlic is a common ingredient in all Greek cooking and is essential to the balance of flavors in this marinade.
- Fresh herbs – I added thyme, oregano, rosemary, and parsley. I also added fresh chopped herbs as it is a personal preference, but dried herbs may be substituted if needed (simply add half of what the recipe calls for). Don’t skip the herbs. Please.
- Salt – I recommended that you add 1 teaspoon of salt to the marinade but you are welcome to add more or less depending on your own personal preference. Take care not to over-salt as it will distract from the wonderful, fresh flavors from the other ingredients.
- Fresh cracked black pepper – Ok, friends. This is one thing that makes a big difference, freshly cracked black pepper. When it’s freshly cracked it’s as if the flavor radiates throughout the entire chicken breast. I don’t know, I can’t explain it.
How to make the best Greek Chicken Marinade
Preparing your own marinade is as simple as whisking together a handful of ingredients, tossing it with some chicken breasts, and cooking.
Or is it…
Actually, it kinda is. However, there are a few simple tips and tricks which will make preparing your own marinade (whether it be this Greek chicken marinade, Jerk chicken marinade, or Citrus chicken marinade) a little easier.
- Use an oil that makes sense. In other words, use an oil with a matching flavor profile. In this case, olive oil is the best choice. If we were preparing an Asian-style marinade, we would think about adding sesame oil for extra flavor.
- Fresh ingredients are the best ingredients. With the exception of certain herbs, you really want to use only fresh ingredients. This is especially important for any kind of citrus juice and garlic. It is worth the extra few minutes of prep time (trust me).
- Invest in a microplane. This is one of my top 10 must-have kitchen tools. It’s what I use to zest citrus and grate ginger. In other words, it gets really hard jobs done super duper fast.
- You only need to marinate your chicken for 30 minutes. Of course, you can marinate it for longer, but with this Greek chicken marinade, you don’t really need to marinate it for hours and hours.
- Never EVER consume used chicken marinade unless it is boiled first. Just think about it- would you lick a raw chicken breast? No. So please, once the marinade has come in contact with raw chicken boil it or DUMP IT OUT.
Now that you have all my tips for preparing a successful marinade, let’s make the thing.
First, add all ingredients for the marinade (olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, fresh thyme, fresh oregano, fresh rosemary, fresh parsley, salt, and black pepper) to a large shallow mixing bowl. Mix well to combine. Add the chicken breasts to the marinade and mix well to coat in the marinade. Allow chicken to marinate for at least 30 minutes to two hours.
How long can you marinate your chicken?
I have made this Greek chicken marinade many times over the years and each time with a different total marinade time.
Time allowing, I would try to aim for anywhere between 30 minutes to 2 hours. That said, you don’t have to marinate your chicken for that long. If you only have 10 minutes, that’s certainly better than no time at all.
On the flip side, if you are preparing this ahead of time and need to leave the chicken to marinate overnight, that is perfectly fine, too. Simply cover your marinating chicken with plastic wrap and keep stored in the refrigerator until ready to grill.
How to Grill this Greek Marinated Chicken
Everyone has their own method of grilling chicken. My method is to start with a slightly higher temperature, grill for 5 minutes or so, and then reduce the heat. If you have a grilling method that you know and love, feel free to stick to what you know best.
- Marinate the chicken. Add the chicken breasts to the marinade and mix well to coat in the marinade. Allow chicken to marinate for at least 30 minutes to two hours.
- Prepare the grill. As the chicken marinates, clean the grill grates and lightly oil with vegetable oil or cooking spray. Set grill to medium-high heat.
- Grill the chicken. Remove the chicken from the marinade and place directly on the grill. Discard remaining marinade. Cover the grill and allow the chicken to cook for approximately 5 minutes before reducing heat to medium. Allow chicken to cook for an additional 2 minutes, then use tongs to flip each breast over. Grill for an additional 5-7 minutes (or longer), or until the thickest part of your chicken registers 160 degrees F. with a digital meat thermometer.
- Thicker chicken breasts will take longer to cook. I highly recommend the use of a digital meat thermometer when cooking any and all meats.
- Allow chicken to rest. Remove chicken breasts from the grill and set aside to a clean plate. Tent with foil and allow to rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
Can you bake Greek Chicken?
Yes, absolutely. I love to bake this Greek marinated chicken recipe whenever I want a more hands-off dinner.
- Prepare the marinade as outlined above and marinate the chicken for (at least) 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
- Arrange the chicken on the prepared baking sheet. Discard any remaining marinade.
- Bake until internal temperature reaches 160-165 degrees F as read with a digital meat thermometer.
- Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
How to serve Grilled Greek Marinated Chicken
The uses for this rockstar marinated chicken is endless. Here are some of my favorite ideas.
- Serve with a platter of hummus, flatbread, and your favorite chopped veggies like cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onions, and olives.
- Add to your favorite cold pasta salad.
- Serve with this Easy Chopped Mediterranean Salad for a complete meal.
- Make in bulk and turn leftovers into yummy meal prep bowls like these Chicken Shawarma Quinoa Bowls.
- Keep things low carb and serve with this flavorful Cucumber Salad.
If you try making this Greek Chicken Marinade, please leave me a comment and let me know! I always love to hear your thoughts.
For more Greek recipes check out,
- Greek Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
- Greek Lemon Chicken Soup Recipe
- Tzatziki Sauce Recipe (How to Make Tzatziki)
- 20 Minute Chicken Gyro Recipe with Tzatziki
- Mediterranean Baked Fish with Artichokes and Olives
- Mediterranean Grilled Turkey Burgers
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The Best Greek Chicken Marinade
Ingredients
- ½ cup olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic - minced
- 2 lemons - juiced
- 1 lemon - zested
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme - chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano - chopped
- 2 teaspoon fresh rosemary - chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley - chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 6 large chicken breasts - (approximately 4 pounds)
Instructions
- Prepare the marinade. Add all ingredients for the marinade (olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, fresh thyme, fresh oregano, fresh rosemary, fresh parsley, salt, and black pepper) to a large shallow mixing bowl. Mix well to combine.
- Marinate the chicken. Add the chicken breasts to the marinade and mix well to coat in the marinade. Allow chicken to marinate for at least 30 minutes to two hours.
- Prepare the grill. Clean grill grates and lightly oil with vegetable oil or cooking spray. Set grill to medium-high heat.
- Grill the chicken. Remove the chicken from the marinade and place directly on the grill. Discard remaining marinade. Cover the grill and allow chicken to cook for approximately 5 minutes before reducing heat to medium. Allow chicken to cook for an additional 2 minutes, then use tongs to flip each breast over. Grill for an additional 5-7 minutes (or longer), or until the thickest part of your chicken registers 160 degrees F. with a digital meat thermometer.
- Allow chicken to rest. Remove chicken breasts from the grill and set aside to a clean plate. Tent with foil and allow to rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving. Enjoy!
Nutritional Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)
Not very good! Too much Lemon, not enough savoury flavour. Better off just using a Greek Seasoning. Luckily I cooked it over charcoal with some Mesquite chips added. I will take the leftover chicken and saute it with a Olive Oil and small amount of Greek seasoning in a fry pan.
Right from the Get Go, this seemed a bit weak, but hey, 30 years of cooking means you always look for something new.
I am sorry that you did not like this authentic Greek Chicken Marinade made with fresh herbs more than your Greek seasoning.
This recipe is based on my experience of spending a month in Greece and trying lots of amazing food made with fresh ingredients 🙂
Can you air fry this recipe?
Yes, you can, just use a meat thermometer to make sure its 165 F 🙂
Hello This recipe looks delicious. I am planning to make it for christmas day dinner. However I will be baking it in the oven instead of barbecuing it. The recipe says to bake at 400F until internal temp reaches 160-165. Can you give me an approximate baking time? 30 Min possibly!!
Thanks
The time in the oven will depend on the starting temperature and size of the chicken, so it will vary a bit. I would check after 20 minutes with a instant-read digital thermometer, and go from there 🙂
Thank you. Have you ever baked this recipe in a Roaster oven?
I have not yet 🙂
Thanks so much for this recipe. I have made it a few times now. The first time I prepared it as written….and it was delicious! The second time, I did not have any good fresh lemons. But I had preserved lemons this summer and they were ready to be used…..I used 1 whole lemon (small diced) in place of the zest/juice…..wow! …That brought this fantastic marinade up to a whole other level. I had been looking for ways to incorporate these lemons in my dishes. This marinade is just perfect for it. Totally recommend it!
Thanks for the delicious feedback and rating, Becca 😀
I used boneless chicken thighs instead of the breast and WOW! Seriously a game changer. Excellent marinade recipe! Thank you!
The chicken is marinating now. I just have an issue with the 10 minute Prep Time. Chopping garlic, and herbs take a lot longer than ten minutes and I have a great garlic mincer and sharp knives.
The best Greek marinade I’ve ever tasted. I let it sit for 2 hours then grilled it, I’m making it again tonight, this time I’m baking it.
This is the best Greek Chicken Marinade EVER!! My son just loved the grilled chicken. I shared it with a friend and they all just loved it. Best ever. Just made the marinade again this morning. Thanks so much for sharing this great recipe. Dianna
We made this tonight. One of the best chicken marinades I have ever had. So delicious. This is going in the vault!
Delicious!
I baked it and had to use dried herbs and it was still fantastic!
Thank you for the fantastic feedback, Liz 🙂
This is awesome. I rarely comment on recipes and I more rarely repeat them. I am a marginal cook, at best. These are awesome and easy. It’s become my go-to chicken recipe. I cook it for dinner and I meal prep it and eat if for lunch (and sometimes breakfast) for 3-4 days.
Great with pita and tzatziki or on top of a salad.
Thanks for the awesome feedback, Rafael 😀
This is the BEST greek chicken marinade. I am obsessed with greek food and this is by far the most tastiest and closest to restaurant style I have ever had. So full of flavour ! My husband and I gobbled this up -pairs so nicely with greek salad and rice or lemon potatoes. This is will be on our regular rotation. Thank you for this amazing recipe ! 🙂
I appreciate your amazing feedback, Dani 🙂
My favourite marinate ever, I use it all summer long. Last year I made a large batch and froze it along with the chicken, it made for a easy dinner in the summer. 10/10 recommend
I baked the chicken instead of grilled and it was really tasty! Served along roasted carrots and steamed broccoli. Will definitely make again!
Hi Maddie- how long did you bake it for and at what temperature??
Awesome. I rarely comment on recipes and I rarely save them. This was easy (good for a tank amateur cook, like me) and fantastic.