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During the peak of summer when it’s too hot to think—and definitely too hot to turn on the oven—I’ve been playing around with fun and easy marinades that can pair with grilled meats. This Greek-Inspired Marinated Chicken is light and lemony and goes with pretty much everything!
Made with classic Greek ingredients like red wine vinegar, cumin, and oregano, this simple marinade has delicious results! The trick is not rushing the marinating time — the chicken comes out best when you let it marinate for at least four hours or up to 24 hours, which I know y’all will love because it’s make-ahead-friendly. That means that you can save prep time before dinner so when it’s time to eat, all you need to do is pull the chicken out from the fridge and throw it on the grill. I love serving it with this simple Greek Salad (aka Horiatiki) for a fresh side dish. If you are wanting something a little more filling, try my Greek-Style Lemon Potatoes.
ingredients:
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
- Red Wine Vinegar
- Dijon Mustard
- Garlic Cloves
- Dried Oregano
- Kosher Salt
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- Ground Cumin
- Avocado Oil
step-by-step:
step one: pound the chicken
Place the chicken breasts on a cutting board and cover with plastic wrap. Using a meat mallet or the bottom of skillet, pound until the breasts are about 1/2-inch thick.
step two: make the marinade and coat the chicken
In the bottom of a large bowl or casserole dish, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, mustard, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, and cumin. Add the chicken, toss to coat, and let marinate for at least 30 minutes, but preferably for 4 to 24 hours.
step three: prep the grill
Preheat the grill over medium-high heat (about 400°F). Dip a wadded paper towel in the avocado oil and, using tongs, wipe the oil evenly over the grates. Be careful not to use too much oil to avoid starting a flare-up—a little goes a long way here.
step four: grill the chicken
Place the chicken on the grill and cook for about 4 minutes per side or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Let rest for about 5 minutes before serving.
recipe faqs:
You can cook the chicken in a large grill pan or stainless steel skillet set over medium-high heat on your stovetop. Just be sure that the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F.
Yes! Chicken thighs tend to take longer to cook than chicken breasts so just be sure to adjust the cook time accordingly.
If you’re looking for an easy summer grilling recipe, I hope you’ll try my Greek-Style Marinated Chicken. Try it and let me know what you think in the comments below!
looking for more grilling ideas? try these!
Persian-Inspired Grilled Chicken Kebabs
Grilled Fish Tacos with Citrus Slaw and Green Sauce
Greek-Inspired Marinated Chicken
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil (for grilling)
Instructions
- Place the chicken breasts on a cutting board and cover with plastic wrap. Using a meat mallet or the bottom of skillet, pound until the breasts are about 1/2-inch thick.
- In the bottom of a large bowl or casserole dish, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, mustard, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, and cumin. Add the chicken, toss to coat, and let marinate for at least 30 minutes, but preferably for 4 to 24 hours.
- Preheat the grill over medium-high heat (about 400°F). Dip a wadded paper towel in the avocado oil and, using tongs, wipe the oil evenly over the grates. Be careful not to use too much oil to avoid starting a flare-up—a little goes a long way here.
- Place the chicken on the grill and cook for about 4 minutes per side or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Let rest for about 5 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I don’t have a grill can I bake them in the oven and what temperature and for how long?
Thanks Karen
Hi Karen! Rather than baking, I’d recommend cooking them in a large skillet over medium-high heat on your stovetop. The cook time should be about the same! Just be sure that the internal temp reaches 165F.
This chicken turned out amazing. Going to be on repeat in our household!
I make this all the time. This is our favorite greek chicken recipe I make for my husband & myself. It tastes great the day after on salads too!
Love the idea of adding leftovers over a salad! Thanks for commenting.
Can you freeze this?
Yes! I don’t for-see any issues with freezing this reecipe.
We made this last night & it was AMAZING! We let it marinated for 2.5 hours & it still came out great. My husband was raving over it too.
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! It’s raining today so I ended up grilling inside on my Staub grill pan and it turned out perfect! I increased the marinade a little and used 2 lbs of chicken so we can eat it all week. Delicious!
Sooo good!! Marinated it for 4 hours, and already can’t wait to try again for longer.
Absolutely LOVE this marinade! I often use it to meal prep lunches for the week and I am never disappointed after having it 4 days in a row! I love it on chicken thighs but have also tried it on lamb kabobs and that was delish!
So happy you enjoy it.