Greek Chicken Marinade

A 5-minute Greek chicken marinade with yogurt, lemon, garlic, oregano, and a secret weapon — Dijon mustard — that makes it cling to chicken instead of sliding off. Plus 5 bonus variation marinades to keep things interesting.

Course Sauces and Dressings

Cuisine Greek

Keyword greek marinade

Prep Time 5

Total Time 5

Servings for 1 1/2 lbs of meat

Calories 482kcal

Author Maria Koutsogiannis

Ingredients

1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
2 garlic cloves minced
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 lemon juiced
2 tbsp mustard
½ cup plain greek yogurt
2 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

Make the marinade by whisking together salt, pepper, minced garlic, dried oregano, lemon juice, mustard, greek yogurt and olive oil. Use to marinate chicken, pork or beef. Our favourite way to use it is making our Greek Chicken Souvlaki!
Make the marinade ahead of time and store in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Video

[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id="js8hpS0n" upload-date="2024-01-04T00:00:00.000Z" name="The Best Greek Chicken Marinade" description="This is the best Greek chicken marinade that can be made in only 5 minutes and is going to be one of your go-to marinades for any protein."]

Notes

You can make this marinade ahead and store it in the fridge for up to 2-days, but you can also make it, use it on your protein, and let your protein marinade for up to 24-hours.
One of our favourite ways to cook chicken thighs with the Roasted Lemon, Sumac, Zataar Honey Mustard or Black Garlic Marinades is in a deep casserole dish with veggies, potatoes or beans. Cook at 400F for 15 minutes and then lower the temperatures to 375F to cook for 45 more minutes or until cooked through.

Variations:

Roasted Lemon Chicken Marinade

1 lemon, sliced
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
6 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
juice of one large lemon (about 1/4 cup lemon juice)
1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, pressed or grated

In a cast iron or heavy-bottomed frying pan heat a drizzle of olive oil over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the lemon slices along with a pinch of salt on pepper onto the slices. Turn to medium heat and cook for 3-5 minutes each side until browned nicely. Remove from the pan and let cool. Once slices are cooled down, remove any seeds from the lemon slices and chop finely.

To make the marinade add the finely chopped lemon to a bowl and whisk together with the garlic powder, onion powder, olive oil, dried oregano, salt, pepper, lemon juice, red wine vinegar and pressed garlic cloves. Use to marinate 1 lb of chicken breasts or thighs. Make the marinade ahead of time and store in the fridge for up to 1 day.

Sumac Chicken Marinade

2 tbsp sumac
1/4 cup olive oil
juice of one lemon
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 garlic cloves, pressed or grated
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

To make the marinade whisk together sumac, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, pressed garlic cloves, dried oregano and red pepper flakes. Use to marinate 1 lb of chicken breasts or thighs. Make the marinade ahead of time and store in the fridge for up to 1 day.

Za'taar Honey Mustard Chicken Marinade

2 tsp za'taar
2 garlic cloves, pressed or grated
4 tbsp liquid honey
5 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

To make the marinade whisk together the zataar, pressed garlic cloves, honey, dijon mustard, olive oil, salt and pepper. Use to marinate 1 lb of chicken breasts or thighs. Make the marinade ahead of time and store in the fridge for up to 1 day.

Black Garlic Tahini Chicken Marinade

3 black garlic cloves
1/4 cup tahini
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp water

To make the marinade use a fork to crush the 3 black garlic cloves in a bowl and then add the tahini, olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon juice and whisk. Then add 3 tbsp warm water, whisk until combined and the marinade is a bit looser. Use to marinate 1 lb of chicken breasts or thighs. Make the marinade ahead of time and store in the fridge for up to 1 day.

Greek Chicken Marinade (no yogurt)

1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 garlic cloves minced
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 lemon juiced
2 tbsp mustard
2 tbsp olive oil

Make the marinade by whisking together salt, pepper, minced garlic, dried oregano, lemon juice, mustard and olive oil. Use to marinate chicken, pork or beef. Make the marinade ahead of time and store in the fridge for up to 1 day.

Nutrition