Greek Chicken Marinade

Partially sliced grilled Greek marinated chicken breasts.

5 from 1 rating

from kristineskitchenblog.com

Level up your chicken with this Greek chicken marinade! It's a simple combination of pantry-friendly ingredients that delivers big flavor to chicken breasts or chicken thighs. My family can't get enough of it!

I've included cooking directions below for the grill, stove, oven and air fryer. You'll love the versatility of this recipe!

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Marinate2

Total Time2 25

Servings: servings

Calories: 195kcal

Author: Kristine Rosenblatt

Ingredients

¼ cup olive oil
zest of one small lemon
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
4 cloves garlic minced
1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs

Instructions

Combine olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, Dijon, garlic, dried oregano, dried basil, salt and pepper in a bowl or large zip-top plastic bag. Whisk or squeeze bag to mix.
If using boneless, skinless chicken breasts: Pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness before adding them to the marinade. This helps them to cook evenly and also tenderizes the meat. Place chicken breasts in a zip-top bag or between two layers of parchment paper or plastic wrap and use a rolling pin or meat mallet to pound the chicken until it is an even thickness.
Add the chicken to the bag or bowl and coat chicken with marinade. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 12 hours. I usually aim to marinate chicken for 1-4 hours.
Cook the chicken: Discard marinade and cook chicken in the oven, on the stove, on the grill or in the air fryer, according to the directions below. Chicken is done when the internal temperature registers 165° F on an instant read thermometer.
To Cook on the Grill: Clean the grates of a gas or charcoal grill. Oil the grill grates and heat the grill to medium-high (375-450 degrees F). Grill chicken breasts for 5-8 minutes per side, until cooked through. (Boneless chicken thighs will take 7-10 minutes per side; reduce heat to medium when cooking.) The internal temperature of the chicken should reach 165° F. For the best grill marks and juicy chicken, begin cooking the chicken on a hotter part of the grill for a few minutes and then move it to lower heat to finish cooking through. Let chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving.
To Cook on the Stove: Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large heavy skillet (such as a cast iron skillet) over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the pan (work in batches if needed) and cook chicken breasts for about 5-8 minutes per side (cook boneless chicken thighs for 8-10 minutes per side), or until chicken is cooked through to an internal temperature of 165° F. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
To Cook in the Oven: Preheat oven to 425° F. Place chicken in a baking dish.
Bake chicken breasts according to their size: bake 5-6 ounce breasts for 13-16 minutes, bake 8 ounce breasts for 16-19 minutes, bake 11-12 ounce breasts for 22-26 minutes. Chicken is done when it reaches 165° F in the thickest part of the meat.
Bake boneless chicken thighs for 20-30 minutes, until chicken reaches 165° F.
Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
To Cook in the Air Fryer: Place chicken in a single layer in the air fryer. Cook at 400° for 8 minutes, then flip chicken over and continue cooking for 5-12 more minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165° F at the thickest part of the breast. (Boneless chicken thighs will take 11-15 minutes total. No need to flip them.) Let chicken rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

Video

Notes

Bone-In Thighs: If using bone-in chicken thighs you will need to add a few minutes to the cook times given for boneless thighs.
Freezer Instructions: Seal the chicken and marinade in zip-top plastic bag. Then squeeze the bag to make sure all of the chicken is coated in the marinade. Freeze for up to 3 months. When you are ready to cook the chicken, place the bag in the refrigerator to thaw overnight. Then cook as desired.
Nutrition estimate based on using chicken breasts. It assumes that all marinade will be consumed, which it likely will not be.

Nutrition

Nutrition information is only an estimate.