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Greek Chicken Marinade
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Greek Chicken Marinade is a quick and easy marinade recipe that will give your chicken amazing flavor and make it so tender! The combination of classic Greek flavors like lemon, garlic, and oregano will have your taste buds bursting. This is perfect for an easy grilled dinner recipe on a busy weeknight.
Tender, Juicy Greek Chicken!
You’re going to love the subtle taste and flavor of this delicious recipe. It’s so simple to make but packs on a huge amount of taste and flavor. And the best part? The chicken stays so juicy and tender, just like our Teriyaki Marinade!
Since my Greek Chicken Kabobs were such a hit I decided that we need some more grilling recipes using your favorite Greek flavors!
This chicken recipe is the perfect dish for a busy weeknight meal. It’s simple, delicious and goes well with just about any type of side dish. We especially love grilled sweet potatoes on the side!
Ingredients for Greek Chicken Marinade
If you’d rather skip my (very helpful, I think) tips and tricks, essential cooking info, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to this delicious this easy recipe – simply scroll to the bottom of the page where you can find the printable recipe card.
- Boneless skinless chicken breast
- Olive oil
- Lemon
- Minced garlic
- Oregano
- Kosher salt
- Pepper
- Basil
- Dill
- Thyme
- Salt and pepper to taste
How do I make Greek Chicken Marinade?
Step by Step Pictures are above!
- Mix Marinade – In a medium bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and seasonings. Reserve ½ c. of marinade; set aside. (Picture 1)
- Marinade Chicken – Toss together with chicken, cover with plastic wrap and set in fridge to start marinating. (Picture 2)
- Grill Chicken – Place chicken on preheated grill on a grill pan on the stove top. Baste with reserved marinade and turning so each side has grill marks. Grill for about 15 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F in the thickest part of the breast. You can also pound the chicken breasts to make them more even and thin and this will reduce the grilling time. (Picture 3 & 4)
What tools do I need to make Greek Chicken Marinade?
You really don’t need a lot of tools to make this greek marinade, but you will need a nice big bowl that you can have the chicken marinating in for a few hours. (Do not put the chicken in a metal bowl to marinate as that can have a reaction with the acidic aspect of the greek marinade.)
Does lemon marinade make chicken tough?
If you’re using a lemon marinade, don’t marinate your chicken for longer than 2 hours. This is because the lemon has an acidity to it that will break down the chicken and actually make it a tougher meat than it was before.
How long can you marinate chicken?
That really depends on how long you have and how much flavor you want the chicken to take on. At a minimum, you’re going to want to marinate your chicken for a few hours. A safe bet would be to have your chicken marinate from anywhere from 2-6 hours.
Can you marinate frozen chicken?
Yes, you can. As long as you’re thawing out the chicken in a safe manner, you can easily add frozen chicken to a marinade.
Keep in mind though that until it really starts to thaw, the marinade won’t start penetrating through to the chicken.
If you want to marinade your chicken all day because you will be gone I highly recommend using frozen chicken in the marinade, then placing in the fridge or the lemon will start to break down the chicken after 2 hours if you used thawed chicken!
Can you marinate chicken too long?
Absolutely. In fact, if you marinate your chicken too long it will actually have an effect on it that will have it become tougher in texture. As a rule of thumb, don’t marinate your chicken longer than 24 hours time.
This marinade has lemon in it which will break down the chicken quicker. We highly recommend marinating for about 2 hours with this recipe.
What should I serve with Greek Chicken?
You can serve anything that you want! Any type of vegetable would go great with this or go on the lighter side and serve it up with a nice side salad like this Grilled Caesar Salad.
More delicious Marinade recipes!
A quick marinade can make your protein have so much flavor! Here are a few of our most popular marinade recipes!
WATCH THE STEP BY STEP VIDEO FOR THIS GREEK CHICKEN MARINADE RECIPE BELOW:
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Tag me on Instagram when you make this @gimmesomegrilling or #gimmesomegrilling – love to see your delicious eats!!
Greek Chicken Marinade Recipe
Quick and easy marinade recipe for chicken with all your favorite Greek flavors!
Print Pin RatePrep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Marinating Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 267kcal
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 lemon juiced
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 1 Tbsp oregano
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp basil
- 1/2 tsp dill
- 1/4 tsp thyme
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and seasonings. Reserve ½ c. of marinade; set aside.
- Toss chicken with mixture until thoroughly and evenly coated.
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let chicken marinate at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 or preheat grill to medium high.
- Prepare grill by lightly oiling the grates or oiling the grill pan over stop top. Set heat to medium high.
- Grill the chicken, basting with reserved marinade and turning so each side browns and has grill marks. Grill for approximately 15-20 minutes or the internal temperature of the thickest part of the breast reaches 165 degrees F.
Notes
Nutrition Facts are based on all the marinade being used. Some of this will be discarded. How long should I marinate my chicken? - If you're using a lemon marinade, don't marinate your chicken for longer than 2 hours. This is because the lemon has an acidity to it that will break down the chicken and actually make it a tougher meat than it was before. This recipe does have lemon in it so we recommend marinating it for about 2 hours. Can I use frozen chicken - Yes, you can. As long as you're thawing out the chicken in a safe manner, you can easily add frozen chicken to a marinade. Keep in mind though that until it really starts to thaw, the marinade won't start penetrating through to the chicken. If you want to marinade your chicken all day because you will be gone I highly recommend using frozen chicken in the marinade, then placing in the fridge or the lemon will start to break down the chicken after 2 hours if you used thawed chicken!
Nutrition
Calories: 267kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 109mg | Sodium: 780mg | Potassium: 674mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 72IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 1mg
I made these last night and they were so flavorful! I plan on making them on my grill pan this winter as well! Thanks!
Awesome! Thanks for trying – glad you enjoyed it!
What a perfect flavor combination in this marinade! Yum!
Thank you!
What is in the dipping sauce it’s white color ?
Hi Terry – it is our Tzatziki Sauce. Here is the recipe! https://gimmesomegrilling.com/tzatziki-sauce/
This marinade stole my heart! I love how a simple step like marinading, can bring a plain dish to a fabulous dish! Can’t wait to try this one!
Hope you love it!
What an incredible combo of flavors!
So glad you loved it! It is definitely a favorite!
I’m a little confused, there’s less than 1/2 cup of marinade, how are you supposed to save some?
If you wanted to save some, you could double it. Otherwise just discard the remaining marinade if there is any.
Even doubled I have 7 Tbsp of liquid btw the lemon juice and olive oil, The video looks like there’s a lot more juice than a half of a lemon.