The Best Greek Chicken Marinade

This simple Greek-inspired marinade is the easiest way to add delicious flavor to your chicken in no time! The marinade can be prepped days in advance and the chicken needs just 30 minutes to marinate before you can grill it, bake it, or sauté it. Leftovers mean you’ve got an easy protein for lunch all week!

 

You Will Love This

• It’s quick and easy! Some marinades require tedious prep and hours in the fridge. This super quick marinade can be thrown together in just a couple minutes. Then pour it over the chicken and pop it all in the fridge for 30 minutes, and you’ve got flavorful, Mediterranean-inspired chicken ready for the grill!
• If you loved this delicious Greek chicken recipe, be sure to check out my one-pan chicken and rice casserole, creamy garlic Parmesan pasta, or one-pot chicken pot pie casserole.

Marinade Ingredients and Substitutions

• Olive Oil – The base for this Greek chicken marinade is extra-virgin olive oil so I like to use one that’s cold-pressed and organic. You could also use grapeseed oil or avocado oil if you prefer.
• Balsamic Vinegar – Balsamic vinegar is my favorite but you could substitute red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, or white balsamic vinegar.
• Dried Oregano – Feel free to substitute the dried oregano with dried thyme, dried rosemary, dried sage, or Italian seasoning.
• Garlic Powder – I prefer to use garlic powder instead of fresh minced garlic cloves for this recipe since the chicken will be cooking over high heat and fresh garlic tends to burn quickly.
• Paprika – I love to add paprika or smoked paprika for the color and slightly smoky flavor. Feel free to omit if you don’t have any on hand.
• Lemon Zest & Juice – Lemon zest adds a freshness that cannot be matched! The juice adds acidity that makes the flavors pop and helps the chicken to break down and become super tender.
• Fresh Herbs – I love to use fresh chopped parsley and dill for these chicken skewers. They add a burst of fresh flavor at the end. You can use any of your favorite fresh herbs.
• Chicken – You can use whatever cut of chicken you prefer – boneless skinless chicken breasts, chicken tenders, or chicken thighs will all work well. I like to use the chicken tenders and put them on skewers for a fun presentation.

Instructions

Add olive oil, balsamic vinegar, dried oregano, garlic powder, lemon zest and juice, and a couple pinches of salt and pepper to a measuring cup. Whisk together until well combined. Or add to a mason jar and shake until emulsified.

Add chicken tenders to a shallow bowl or baking dish. I used the middle-sized dish from this set of 3 baking dishes. Pour marinade over the chicken, toss to coat, and use tongs to nestle the chicken into the marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to marinate for 30 minutes. You can also add chicken and marinade to a large Ziploc freezer bag if you prefer.

Heat a grill pan or grill over medium-high heat. Brush with olive oil. Thread marinated chicken onto the wooden skewers.

Sauté chicken for 2-4 minutes on one side, flip and cook for another 2-4 minutes until a dark golden-brown crust has formed and the chicken is cooked through (meaning internal temperature reaches 165 degrees).

Sprinkle fresh parsley and dill over the grilled chicken.

Serve with yogurt sauce, lemon wedges, and crumbled feta cheese. Enjoy!

Removing Tendon from Chicken Tenders

I recently came across this super easy tip for removing the tendon from chicken tenders! While it does mean that the tender doesn’t hold together quite as securely, it also means that you don’t have to eat around a tendon. Plus when you skewer this Greek marinated chicken on the wooden skewers, it holds everything together anyway.

• Place the end of the tendon through the tines of a fork.
• Use a paper towel to grab the end of the tendon and pull.
• While you’re pulling, gently push the chicken in the opposite direction, and the tendon will come right out!
• Here’s the link to the video so you can see it for yourself!

Tips

• Don’t marinate the chicken for longer than 30 minutes. The lemon juice in the marinade will actually begin to cook the chicken if you marinate it for too long which will lead to an undesirable texture. 30 minutes is the sweet spot for the marinade to penetrate the chicken, but not break it down too much.
• Don’t stress if you don’t have 6-inch wooden skewers! You can use shorter ones, longer ones, or no skewers at all. The chicken will still taste great even without the skewer – I just love the skewers for the presentation and ease of eating.
• Use your oven to hold the warm chicken while you cook the second or third batch. Heat your oven to 300 degrees and line a baking sheet with tin foil or parchment paper. Once you’ve finished cooking your first batch of chicken, transfer it to the baking sheet and pop it in the oven while you finish cooking the rest of the chicken. The low oven temp will keep the chicken warm without drying it out.

Make-Ahead, Storage, and Reheating

• Make-Ahead: This Greek chicken marinade can be prepped up a week in advance. Just store it in an airtight container like a wide-mouth mason jar in the fridge until you’re ready to use it! You can also cook the Greek chicken in advance and keep it handy in the fridge to add to your favorite salads or pasta dishes all week. This recipe is perfect for meal prep!
• Storage: Store leftover cooked Greek chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. The leftover marinade itself will need to be discarded as it came in contact with raw chicken.
• Reheating: Reheat leftover chicken in a grill pan over medium heat until heated through or pop it in the microwave for 30-60 seconds.

FAQ

Serve With

• Greek yogurt dill dip
• Greek pasta salad
• Greek tomatoes and cucumber salad
• pita bread (make a chicken gyro)
• crumbled feta cheese
• pitted Greek olives
• sliced red onions
• tzatziki sauce
• hummus

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