Description
This Greek Chicken Marinade recipe infuses chicken breasts or thighs with a vibrant mixture of olive oil, lemon, garlic, and herbs, creating a tender and flavorful main dish perfect for grilling, baking, stovetop cooking, or air frying.
Ingredients
Scale
Marinade
- 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
Chicken
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs
Instructions
- Prepare Marinade: Combine olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, dried oregano, dried basil, salt, and black pepper in a bowl or large zip-top plastic bag. Whisk or squeeze the bag to thoroughly mix all ingredients.
- Pound Chicken (if using breasts): Place chicken breasts between parchment paper or plastic wrap and pound to an even thickness for uniform cooking and tenderizing.
- Marinate Chicken: Add the chicken to the marinade, ensuring all pieces are well coated. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 12 hours, ideally for 1 to 4 hours.
- Cook Chicken: Discard marinade. Cook chicken by your preferred method until the internal temperature reaches 165° F. Choose one of the following cooking methods:
- Grill: Preheat grill to medium-high (375-450°F), oil grates, and cook chicken breasts for 5-8 minutes per side. Cook boneless thighs for 7-10 minutes per side over medium heat after initial high heat searing. Allow to rest 5 minutes before serving.
- Stovetop: Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken breasts for 5-8 minutes per side or thighs for 8-10 minutes per side until cooked through. Rest for 5 minutes before serving.
- Bake: Preheat oven to 425°F. Place chicken in a baking dish. Bake 5-6 oz breasts for 13-16 minutes, 8 oz breasts for 16-19 minutes, 11-12 oz breasts for 22-26 minutes, or thighs for 20-30 minutes until internal temperature reaches 165°F. Rest 5 minutes before serving.
- Air Fry: Arrange chicken in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Cook breasts at 400°F for 8 minutes, flip, then cook 5-12 more minutes. Cook boneless thighs for 11-15 minutes without flipping. Rest chicken for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
- If using bone-in thighs, increase cook time by several minutes compared to boneless thighs.
- To freeze, combine chicken and marinade in a zip-top bag ensuring even coating, freeze up to 3 months, and thaw overnight in the refrigerator before cooking.
- Nutrition estimates are based on consuming the entire marinade, which may not be realistic.
- Pounding chicken breasts to even thickness helps them cook evenly.
- Resting chicken after cooking ensures juiciness and better flavor.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 280 kcal
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 400 mg
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 3 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 35 g
- Cholesterol: 85 mg
