Greek Style Chicken Marinade – perfect for grilling!
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This Greek style chicken marinade is made with pantry staples and is so flavorful. Don’t grill plain chicken ever again!.
Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: This is one of my favorite marinades. The chicken always turns out so tender, juicy, and flavorful.
How long it takes: 5 minutes to make the marinade; 30 minutes to 8 hours to marinate the chicken
Equipment you’ll need: bowl, grill
Servings: makes enough marinade for up to 3 pounds of chicken
Tomorrow my parents arrive to spend a couple days with us. I’m always so excited to see them. My mom and I usually do a lot of cooking together. Grilled chicken is definitely on the menu because that means Ben will man the grill and we can concoct something to go with it.
Ben and I might take advantage of their offer to babysit and snag a date night, or we might just hang out and enjoy the beautiful weather. There was even a mention of my parents helping us do some landscaping work but I’m not sure I want to spend the day doing manual labor. Perhaps a manicure would be more appropriate?
We’ll probably do the landscaping. Being an adult is so boring. We have some old, ugly bushes in our front yard that look dated and sad. I want to do smaller, more manicured shrubs. Look, I’m getting that manicure after all! Ha.
Reasons To Love Greek chicken marinade
- It uses pantry staples. This grilled chicken marinade is one of my favorites because I always have the ingredient I need in my pantry and refrigerator: red wine vinegar, olive oil, oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper, and plain Greek yogurt (any type of unflavored yogurt will work).
- Yogurt tenderizes the chicken. I often use yogurt in my marinades because it makes the chicken extra tender and juicy. Calcium and lactic acid work together to gently tenderize the chicken. It’s a must-have in my marinade for my chicken tawook and it works great in this recipe as well.
- The marinade adds great flavor. This marinade never disappoints. The oregano, garlic, oregano, and red wine vinegar combination is so flavorful. Look for the same combination in my favorite Greek chopped salad and Greek pasta salad, both of which are great sides to go along with the chicken.
- The chicken can be grilled or baked, or use your air fryer to cook it. The recipe card has instructions for all three cooking methods.
Make Ahead Ideas
Because this yogurt-based marinade is gentle, the chicken can marinate in it overnight. Many marinades are too acidic to leave on the chicken for extended amounts of time because they end up toughening the chicken instead of tenderizing it.
Storage & Reheating Tips
If you happen to have leftover chicken, lucky you! It’s wonderful the next day, too. Slice it up and make a sandwich or add it to a salad or bowl.
Refrigerate: Cover or wrap the chicken and keep refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Freeze: The cooked chicken can be frozen, securely wrapped, for up to 2 months. Defrost in the refrigerator.
Reheat: Gently reheat the chicken in the microwave. I like to slice it first so it heats up evenly. Don’t overheat it because that makes it dry and tough. And by the way, it’s really good cold, too.
More Ideas for Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
Chicken doesn’t have to be boring! Take a look at my list of 27 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Recipes for inspiration.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Ingredients
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt (regular plain yogurt is fine, too)
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder, more to taste (see note)
- 1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (or up to 3 pounds)
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together in a bowl or a zip-top bag. Add chicken and marinate in the refrigerator for at least an hour or up to overnight. If you're using a bag, put the bag in a bowl in case of leakage.
- Remove chicken from marinade, wiping off excess with your hands. Discard marinade.
- To Grill: Grill chicken over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, flipping once, until cooked through. Cooking time will vary depending on thickness of meat and exact grill temperature. Let rest 5 minutes before serving..
- To Bake: Preheat oven to 400°F. Place chicken in greased baking dish. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Baking time depends on thickness of chicken pieces.
- To Air Fry: Preheat the air fryer at 375°F for five minutes. Arrange the chicken in a single layer and cook for 10 minutes. Flip, and continue to cook for 6 to 8 minutes or until chicken is done. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Feel free to use fresh garlic. I usually use garlic powder because it yields just enough flavor without the punch that fresh garlic gives.
- If chicken breasts are very large, cut them in half before marinating. This makes enough marinade for up to 3 pounds of chicken.
- Nutrition information is misleading because it includes the marinade ingredients, most of which is discarded.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
Deb says
This was delicious. The chicken was so most and tender. This recipe is a keeper!
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you liked it! This is one of my favorites. Thank you for leaving a review!
Reed says
Great recipe! The second time I made it I added the juice of half a lemon and it was also phenomenal. Thanks for the recipe!
Rachel Gurk says
Oh yum, I bet that was delicious! Thanks for sharing and for leaving a comment!
Jennifer K says
Quick, easy and delicious marinade. Highly recommend!
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you liked it! It’s my go-to marinade. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment! :)