This post was originally published in June 2019. It has been updated and republished on April 7, 2024.
Greek Chicken is juicy and tender with the best flavor. With garlic, lemon, oregano and some black pepper this marinade makes the best chicken for a perfect dinner.
This Greek chicken has more flavor the longer it marinates. To get the full flavor the chicken will need to marinate at least 6 hours. You can also have it marinate overnight.
Fresh squeezed lemon juice, vegetable/canola oil, minced garlic (I use the bottles/jar kind), ground oregano, black pepper and salt.
YES!!! Bottled lemon juice is just as good!
On average a medium sized lemon will produce about 3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice. This is not an exact amount. Every lemon depend on size and ripeness will produce a different amount. So 3 tablespoons is an average/estimate. For this recipe it calls for 7 to 8 medium sized lemons which is about 1 1/2 cups.
I prefer using a zip top bag to marinate the chicken. I then put it in a large dish or on a plate in case it leaks. Large bowl or container with a lid works great too!
You do not have to grill this chicken. You can cook it on your stove top in a skillet, or bake in in the oven. See the blog post below for instructions.
We love to make an entire Greek inspired meal with this Greek Chicken. On the blog there are recipes for a Yellow Lemon Rice, Tzatziki (cucumber) sauce, Naan Bread or Pita Pocket Bread (we prefer the Pita Pocket Bread to stuff everything to make a pocket sandwich , and a Greek Vinaigrette for a Greek side salad. 
Greek Chicken Marinade and Marinating the Chicken
The marinade makes this Greek Chicken amazing!
It is made with fresh squeezed lemon juice, some oil, minced garlic, salt, ground oregano and black pepper. The ingredients are simple but the flavor is perfection.
Juice your lemons and add the other ingredients in a small bowl or glass measuring cup and give it a good whisk/mix.
The chicken needs to marinate at least 6 hours, I let mine marinate all day or even overnight.
You can let the chicken marinate in a zip top bag (double them up in case it leaks), or in a deep dish or bowl with a lid. You will put the marinating chicken in the fridge to marinate.
Add your pieces of chicken to the marinade and make sure the pieces area all covered. Let it sit in its perfect lemony Greek marinade and soak up the goodness! Put the chicken in the fridge to marinate.
If you can remember, go and stir or shake the chicken in the marinade every hour or so to make sure all piece of chicken are soaking up the Greek Chicken marinade.
Cooking the Chicken
You can grill this chicken, bake it in the oven or cook it on the stove.
GRILLING: Heat your grill on medium heat. Place the chicken on the grill. There is oil in the marinade so expect a few quick flare ups when putting it on the grill. Let it cook for about 6-8 minutes on each side or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees!
OVEN BAKED: Heat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with prachment paper of grease the baking sheet. Place the chicken on the pan and let it cook for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
STOVETOP: Heat a large skillet with a bit of oil on medium-low heat. Cook the chicken for about 10-15 minutes, turning it half way through cooking time. Make sure the chicken reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
What to Eat with Greek Chicken
We serve our Greek Chicken with Yellow Lemon Rice, Tzatziki sauce and Homemade Naan bread or Pita Pocket bread.
The pocket bread is our favorite so we can stuff the chicken and rice inside, but the Naan bread is soft and the perfect bread to wrap the meat and rice in- either way you can’t go wrong!
The perfect salad to go with this Greek Inspired meal is my Easy Greek Salad with Greek Vinaigrette Dressing.
Hope you enjoy!
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Check out the latest posts from the Butcher’s Wife!
- Greek Chicken
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- White Chicken Enchiladas
- Yummy Carrot Cake
- Creamy Baked Chicken
- Easy Peppermint Dip
Greek Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 lbs. chicken breasts cut into pieces I usually get somewhere between 10-12 pieces (maybe more) depending on the size I cut them
- 7-8 medium lemons, squeezed *approx. 1 1/2 cups of lemon juice – see notes
- 1 cup oil
- 8 tsp minced garlic
- 4 tsp salt
- 4 1/2 tsp ground oregano
- 1 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- In a bowl squeeze all of your lemons. Add the oil and other seasonings to the lemon juice. Mix well.
- Add your cut up chicken pieces to a zip top bag, or large bowl with a tight lid (it needs a lid to be covered for marinating or your entire fridge will smell). Add your marinade to the chicken and mix well making sure the chicken is completely covered. Let your chicken marinate in the fridge for at least 6 hours, or overnight.
- When you are ready to grill your chicken, heat your grill on medium heat. Take your chicken out of the marinade and place it on the grill. (Discard any leftover marinade.) Grill your chicken for 6-8 minutes per side or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.*See blog post above for instructions on coking the chicken on the stove or in the oven.
- Remove chicken from the grill when done and enjoy! See blog post above for sides that go perfectly with this chicken.
Notes
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an approximation.