A yogurt marinated chicken thatโs beautifully tenderized and infused with terrific garlic and oregano flavours!ย If youโre new to the magical powers of yogurt marinades, this baked Greek Chicken is going to convert you for life! ย Brought to you inย partnership with Farmers Union Greek Style Yogurt.
Welcome to GREEK WEEK! Every now and then, I like to do themed menus where I share all the recipes for a feast, and this weekย itโs all about the bright fresh flavours of the Mediterranean. Think โ lemons, oregano, yogurt, lemons andย plenty of garlic!
Are you ready to see what Iโve got in store for you for Greek Week?? Here you goโฆ.
GREEK MENU
Greek Chickenย โ Garlicky lemony oregano flavours infused right through the chicken from a flavour loaded Greek chicken marinade;
Greek Saladย โ the juicy tomatoes, fresh cucumbers, that red wine vinegar dressing and the pops of feta!
Tzatziki โ for dipping and dolloping (recipe in Notes of Greek chicken)
ย Coming Thursday;Greek Lemon Roasted Potatoes โ crispy, lemony potatoes. Itโs your dream come true!ย
Coming Friday;orLemon Potato Saladย (pictured in first photo)โย terrific alternative to mayo based Potato Salads. Bonus: No need to peel the potatoes.
And for dessertโฆ.
Greekย BUTTLOVER!!!!ย
Oops, I mean Baklava. Butt-lover / Baklava. Same thing. ๐ย Coming your way on Fridayโฆ. (Psst It does take time to assemble but youโre going to be amazed how straightforward it is!!)
SECRET WEAPON: YOGURT GREEK CHICKEN MARINADE
I first introduced readers to the magical powers of yogurt marinades with Greek Chicken Gyros. I bleated* over and over again about how the yogurt marinade is so awesome, I use it even when Iโmย not making Gyros. (*Honestly, there is no other way to describe the way I harped on about it other than to say I was bleating.)
Yogurt is a brilliantย marinade.ย The Greeks know it, Middle Easterners have embraced it, the Persians love it, the Indians live by it (Butter Chicken, Tikka Masala, Biryani!).
Whatโs so good about it? Well, it tenderises quickly and more evenly than liquids with harsher acidity like lemon juice and vinegar, and is also a fabulous flavour carrier, injecting herbs and spices into the flesh.
This is the yogurt I use, and have always used for as long as I can remember โ Farmers Union Greek Style Yogurt. It would be rare to find my fridge without a tub of this. More likely youโd see two: current in use + a restock.
Thereโs enough flavour in the Greek Chicken Marinade such that you donโt need to marinate for a full 24 hours to get the benefit of the tenderising and flavour injection. Overnight is definitely recommended but if you really need to rush it, even 3 hours is enough. Just do extra basting!
Iโve baked this chicken because Iโve used bone in, skin on chicken thighs and drumsticks here. I love how the skin goes crispy, and any cut of meat with the bone is extra juicy.
But this is one of those recipes that is truly terrific with any cut of chicken.ย Especially breast โ because it adds juiciness and flavour. Iโve popped directions and cook times in the recipe notes.
Go forth and enjoy! Back Wednesday for the next instalment in this weeksโ Greek Feast โ Greek Lemon Roasted Potatoes!ย โ Nagi x
MORE GREAT YOGURT MARINADES
โ Greek Chicken Gyros
โ Lamb Shawarma โ flavour loaded fall apart lamb!
โ Doner Kebab (homemade version of post-pub midnight kebab runโฆ)
โ Butter Chicken
โ Tikka Masala
โ Chicken Biryani
ย
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
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Greek Chicken
Ingredients
- 1.25 kg / 2.5 lb drumsticks and chicken thighs , bone in skin on (Note 1)
Marinade:
- 6 garlic cloves , minced (~ 2 tbsp)
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar (or red wine or apple cider vinegar)
- 1/2 cup / 125 ml lemon juice
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 cup Greek yogurt (I use Farmers Union)
- 1 1/2 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Serving (optional):
- Plain Greek yogurt or Tzatziki
- Fresh oregano leaves (optional)
Instructions
- Mix Marinade ingredients in a large bowl.
- Add chicken and coat well. Marinade for 24 hours (3 hours minimum).
- Preheat oven to 180C.350F.
- Line a tray with foil (trust me), place rack on tray (optional).
- Place chicken on rack (reserve marinade), skin side up. Bake 30 minutes,
- Remove from oven. Brush with marinade โ do not flip.
- Return to oven for 20 minutes or until golden and a bit crispy. Give it a spray of olive oil just before itโs done if you want an extra crispy, shiny coat.
- Rest for a few minutes before serving. Juicy and tasty enough to serve plain but extra great with tzatziki or even some plain yogurt.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
Gettingย right in there to make sure itโs sparkling clean before I pop it into the recycling bin!
Todayโs recipe is brought to you courtesy of Farmers Union. Iโve used their Greek style natural yoghurt for as long as I can remember. So it was a no brainer when they asked if Iโd create a recipe for them!!
What a lovely and inspiring blog Nagi! Iโm wondering if you think I could use this marinade for chicken kebabs? Iโm hoping to cut up boneless/skinless chicken breasts into 1 1/4โณ chunks and then marinade for several hours before skewering them and BBQโing. Curious if you think that would work ok?
Are you sure about marinating chicken in lemon juice for up to 12 hours? I never marinate chicken in citrus over 4 hours to avoid the acids breaking down the meat.
Hi Kerry, as the mlemon juice is mixed with there ingredients here itโs perfectly fine. It tenderises and flavours the meat. N x
Would this freeze well to be cooked at a later date? I have a food saver and was hoping I could make the marinaded chicken without cooking it.
Hi Susan, yes you can marinade and freeze the chicken and then thaw to cook. N x
Hi Nagi! Love yours and your Momโs recipes:)
Can I substitute Greek yogurt with regular yogurt?
Natural or greek yogurt is fine here โ just nothing flavoured ๐ N x
can I cook the same way on a bbq grill outside?
Yes definitely Pamela! N x
This recipe turned out great actually, the yoghurt marinade and oregano made a really succulent chicken. Also putting it on the wire tray over the pan helped remove a lot of the fat. I wonder if I can use this technique on a drumstick recipes to get the skin crispy?
This was so flavorful! I made chicken thighs and followed the instructions to cook on the stove. It turned out great and so easy!
Made this last night-yummy. Will definitely make again. Had with Greek lemon potatoes, tzatzki and Greek salad (all your recipes). Thank you!
Fabulousโฆ. Yummy!!!
Actually made this with your herb potatoes and iceberg salad it was a delicious meal
Hi Nagi! I wanted to make this chicken and serve it with rice. Do you have a sauce recipe that you think would go well drizzled over the chicken and rice?
Hi Sarah, I usually serve mine with tzatziki!! N x
Can I use this as a salad dressing???
Hi Ashley, you could โ you may want to cut down on the amount of garlic used though and thin it out slightly with a little milk. Or I have a Greek Salad dressing here: https://salesdock.info/greek-salad/%3C/a%3E N x
Loved this recipe! I made it with 2.5 lb drumsticks (10), and marinated overnight.
Lots of leftover marinade, so next time, I will either decrease the marinade, or increase the chicken (by about 1 pound). I made this with your Greek Lemon Potatoes recipe, and it was a win-win from both hubby and son (and me)! Thanks for your detailed, step-by-step instructions Nagi!
Safe to use marinade?
Hi Teresa, do you mean is it safe to baste with the marinade? If so, it is as the chicken goes back into the oven and is cooked again ๐ N x
Fixed the Greek Chicken, flavor was good but it was not at all crispy. Used bone in skin on chicken thighs
Hi Nagi! Iโve bookmarked so many of your recipes and this is the first one Iโm trying tonight. Just wanted to confirm itโs 1/2 cup of lemon juice, cuz thatโs a lot of lemons! For me, that much lemon juice requires 4-5 large lemons. Each lemon yields ~1/4 cup for me.
Thanks!
I currently have the chicken marinating in the fridge. I wanted to know if anyone has tried making this in an air fryer? Just wanted to know if they had and how it turned out and how long they cooked it for?
How dit it go on the air fryer?
Air fryer worked great. Chicken cooked perfectly in about 20 and it didnโt heat up my kitchen.
What temp did you use for the air fryer?
Update โ I cooked the chicken in my air fryer for 12 mins at 355 then flipped and another 6 mins at 355 then 3 mins at 390 to crisp it
I cooked the chicken in my air fryer for 12 mins at 355 then flipped and another 9 mins at 355 then 3 mins at 390 to crisp it
Hi JoAnn, I havenโt tried sorry โ would love to know if you give it a go though! N x
Butterflied a small whole chicken (1.3kg) but left everything else the same. As usual, sensational! Did the lemon roasted potatoes, too.
Wahoo, thatโs great Diane! N x
The chicken gyro recipe is amazing sooo yummy!!! I have passed it on to friends & family. Everyone loves it!!!!
You did a wonderful job!!!
Yummy