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    Home » Chicken Recipes

    The Best Greek Chicken Marinade

    Published: Jun 12, 2022 » Modified: Feb 17, 2023 » By: Kylie » This post may contain affiliate links. » 9 Comments

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    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!

    White plate filled with Greek chicken kebabs garnished with parsley and lemon wedges.
    Table of Contents show
    You Will Love This
    Marinade Ingredients and Substitutions
    Instructions
    Removing Tendon from Chicken Tenders
    Tips
    Make-Ahead, Storage, and Reheating
    FAQ
    Serve With
    Favorite Family Dinner Favorites
    Recipe
    Greek Chicken Kebabs

    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.
    White counter top with ingredients to make a simple Greek chicken marinade.

    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.

    Measuring cup filled with Greek marinade for chicken.

    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.

    Greek chicken marinating in a large baking dish.

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

    Uncooked chicken kebabs on a white plate.

    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).

    Grill pan with cooked chicken skewers in it.

    Sprinkle fresh parsley and dill over the grilled chicken.

    White plate filled with Greek chicken kebabs garnished with parsley and dill.

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

    White plate filled with Greek chicken kebabs garnished with parsley, dill, and crumbled feta.

    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.
    White plate filled with Greek chicken kebabs garnished with parsley and lemon wedges.

    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

    How long should you marinate chicken?

    The best part about this Greek chicken marinade recipe is that it has so much flavor, your chicken only needs to marinate for 30 minutes! In general, 30 minutes to 2 hours is needed to marinate chicken.

    What happens if you marinate chicken too long?

    If your marinade has any type of acid - like balsamic vinegar or fresh lemon juice - it will act as a tenderizer and begin to break down the chicken giving you a more tender, juicy end result. That's why 30 minutes is all it takes for this Greek chicken marinade. If you marinate your chicken for longer than 2 hours, the acid will break down the chicken a bit too much and give it a rubbery texture.

    What are the 3 basic components of marinating?

    Oil, acid, and a flavor enhancer are the 3 basics of any marinade. In this recipe, olive oil is the base. Then we add balsamic vinegar and lemon juice for the acid. And the flavor enhancers are lemon zest, dried oregano, and garlic powder. Keep this rule of 3 in mind, you can easily come up with all kinds of delicious marinades!

    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

    Favorite Family Dinner Favorites

    • Crock Pot Chicken Pot Pie (NO CONDENSED SOUP!)
    • Copycat Taco Bell Chalupa Supreme
    • The Best Taco Meat Recipe
    • The Easiest Green Enchiladas Recipe

    Questions?
    Leave a comment below!
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    Print

    Recipe

    Greek Chicken Kebabs

    Print Recipe
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    ★★★★★

    5 from 4 reviews

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

    • Author: Kylie
    • Prep Time: 5 minutes
    • Marinate Time: 30 minutes
    • Cook Time: 10 minutes
    • Total Time: 45 minutes
    • Yield: 4 servings 1x
    • Category: Main Dish
    • Method: Stove Top
    • Cuisine: Greek

    Ingredients

    Units Scale
    • 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken tenders
    • ½ cup olive oil + more for cooking
    • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
    • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • ¼ teaspoon paprika
    • zest + juice from 1 lemon
    • Kosher salt
    • fresh cracked pepper
    • 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
    • 1 tablespoon fresh chopped dill

    For serving:

    • creamy yogurt sauce
    • lemon wedges
    • crumbled feta cheese

    Instructions

    1. Add olive oil, balsamic vinegar, oregano, garlic powder, lemon zest and juice, and a couple pinches of salt and pepper to a measuring cup. Whisk together until well combined.
    2. Add chicken tenders to a shallow bowl or baking dish. I used the middle size dish from this set of 3 baking dishes. Pour marinade over them, toss to coat, and nestle the chicken into the marinade.
    3. Cover with saran wrap and place in the fridge to marinate for 30 minutes.
    4. Heat a grill pan or grill over medium high heat. Brush with olive oil. 
    5. Thread marinated chicken onto the wooden skewers.
    6. Sauté chicken for 2-4 minutes per side or until a dark golden brown crust has formed and the chicken is cooked through and the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
    7. Cook in 2-3 batches depending on the size of your pan.
    8. Serve with yogurt sauce, lemon wedges, and crumbled feta cheese. Enjoy!

    Equipment

    skewers

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    grill pan

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    set of 3 baking dishes

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    measuring cup

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    Notes

    • 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. 

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size:
    • Calories: 182
    • Sugar: 0.7 g
    • Sodium: 653.9 mg
    • Fat: 8.1 g
    • Saturated Fat: 1 g
    • Carbohydrates: 2.8 g
    • Fiber: 0.8 g
    • Protein: 22.5 g
    • Cholesterol: 54.9 mg

    Keywords: greek chicken, greek marinade, best chicken marinade

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Heidi

      January 12, 2023 at 1:57 pm

      You note that leaving the chicken in beyond 30 minutes messes with the chicken's texture. I'd like to make up bags of the chicken in the marinade to freeze. Any tips on prepping this chicken dish for freezer storage?

      Reply
      • Kylie

        January 12, 2023 at 3:15 pm

        Hey Heidi! I'm not sure if I'd use this marinade for a freezer meal unfortunately. You could of course give it a try and see how it turns out, but I think that during the process of thawing the frozen chicken while it's in the marinade, that the acid from the marinade is going to start breaking down the chicken and you may end up with rubbery chicken. I'd love to hear how it goes if you give it a try but I can't comment on the outcome as I haven't tried it before.

        Reply
    2. Kylie

      June 12, 2022 at 2:23 pm

      Perfect for meal prep - I love adding this chicken to my bagged salads throughout the week for some extra protein!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    3. Denise

      May 22, 2020 at 6:18 pm

      Restaurant quality! Would serve this for company! And I made the yogurt sauce (with sour cream) and THAT was delish! I had never zested lemons because I was always too lazy but it’s so worth the effort! Will def be keeping in rotation even after my Mediterranean diet.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Kylie Lato

        May 23, 2020 at 9:48 am

        Could not agree more - lemon zest is totally worth the extra effort! I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Denise. Thanks so much for leaving a review - I really appreciate it 🙂

        Reply
    4. Nick @ GreekBoston.com

      February 13, 2019 at 12:39 pm

      Chicken kebabs (souvlaki) is a traditional dish in Greece. In fact, you could take the ingredients and use any kind of meat you have on hand instead of chicken, such as pork or lamb.

      Reply
      • Midwest Foodie

        February 13, 2019 at 12:45 pm

        I bet this recipe would be delish with pork or lamb. Great idea Nick!

        Reply
    5. Luke

      February 06, 2019 at 12:01 am

      An amazing dish with amazing flavors!!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    6. Midwest Foodie

      February 05, 2019 at 10:46 am

      A quick, easy and healthy meal prep recipe to get your week started off on the right foot!

      ★★★★★

      Reply

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    Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

    Primary Sidebar

    HELLO FROM THE MIDWEST - I'm Kylie and as a mom and blogger, I understand how hard it can be to get a wholesome dinner on the table at the end of a long day. Here at Midwest Foodie, I focus on sharing simple recipes that make it easy to feed your family real food.

    More about me →

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