Greek Marinade for Grilled Chicken

The Greek marinade for these grilled chicken breasts is easy to make and gives so much flavour to the chicken. These are great as part of a dinner meal, but also great in a wrap, pita and so much more!

Overhead picture of a plate of grilled chicken.

Grilling chicken is a classic summertime tradition for us and I am always on the lookout for a new marinade or spice rub for chicken. This grilled chicken with a Greek marinade is so good and the perfect summer meal.

A platter of Grilled Greek Chicken with lemon slices.

Today’s recipe was made alongside a Homemade Greek Salad and some Greek Tzatziki. All together, this makes one amazing meal!

If you are looking for a few other Greek recipes, check out some of these:

Oil and vinegar in a mason jar next to a sliced lemon and spoonfuls of oregano and thyme.

Ingredients for a Greek Marinade

Making this marinade for grilled chicken is very simple and uses ingredients I generally have in my kitchen.

  • Olive oil
  • Red wine vinegar
  • Minced garlic
  • Lemon juice
  • Dried oregano
  • Dried thyme
  • salt
  • pepper

Squeezing some lime juice through a strainer to catch the seeds.

I like to make the marinade in a mason jar. Once all the ingredients are in the jar, I put on the lid and give it a good shake to mix everything around. Make sure to use a strainer when squeezing the lemon to catch the seeds.

Jar of Greek marinade next to a tray of chicken breasts.

There is a wonderful combination of garlic and herbs in the marinade that comes through clearly with each bite. The red wine vinegar, lemon juice and salt work together in the marinade to tenderize and brine the chicken. I use this marinade for chicken mostly but it works great with pork and lamb. Souvlaki anyone???

If you want to make souvlaki with this, simply cut the chicken breast into cubes and let them marinate for an hour. Then, put the chicken cubes on wood BBQ skewers. Great served with rice or a warmed pita.

Marinade poured over boneless skinless chicken breasts.

How to Marinate Chicken Breasts?

Place the boneless skinless chicken breasts side by side in a flat dish. Pour the Greek marinade all over the chicken breasts. Use some tongs to turn the chicken over to ensure that they are totally coated in the marinade. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to marinate for 1 to 2 hours. 

Note: The recipe calls for 4 chicken breasts but there are 8 in the photos. Since we have a larger family with teenagers, I doubled the recipe.

Raw chicken on a hot grill.

What Temperature to Grill Chicken Breast?

While the chicken is marinating in the fridge, preheat the grill to medium high heat, which should be around 450F. Once the grill is nice and hot, it is time to cook the chicken. Since the chicken is in a lot of liquid, I lift one up with some tongs, and let any excess marinade drip back into the dish. Then, place the chicken on the grill, ensuring that there is some space in between all the chicken breasts to allow for even cooking. Make sure to close the lid of the grill to let the chicken cook.

Grilling chicken breasts, ready to be flipped.

After a 4-5 minutes, lift up the lid to take a look at the chicken. They should be ready to be flipped. Use the tongs and turn the chicken breasts over. Close the lid and let the chicken finish cooking.

Grilling Tip! Some grills have hotter zones than others, so when you flip them, you may want to rearrange then chicken so that the lesser cooked ones go in the hotter zones. For my grill, the back is a little bit hotter than the front, So, when it is time to flip the chicken breasts over, I also mover the back ones to the front and the front chicken breasts in the back. That way, they should all be finished at the same time.

Grilled chicken breasts on the BBQ.

Boneless skinless chicken breasts are finished grilling, once they reach an internal temperature of 165F when checked with a digital thermometer. This should take somewhere around 12-15 minutes, although this can vary depending on the size of the chicken breast.

A plate with chicken, rice and Greek salad.

This grilled chicken with a Greek marinade is so good. Every bite has a bold herb and garlic flavour and is juicy and tender. Serve this chicken with some tzatziki, greek salad, rice and pita.

More Marinade and Rub Recipes

There are so many different seasonings that are great when grilling chicken. Here are a few other marinades and rubs that are perfect for chicken.

Greek Marinade for Grilled Chicken

4.67 out of 5
39 reviews
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Chicken marinade with olive oil, garlic, oregano, thyme, lemon juice and red wine vinegar. Perfect for grilling or for souvlaki. Great with pork or lamb also.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Greek Marinade

  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 4 garlic cloves , minced
  • 1 tbsp oregano
  • 2 tsp thyme
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper

Instructions

  • Mix all the ingredients, minus the chicken breast in a mason jar or a bowl.
  • Place the chicken breasts in a dish and pour the marinade over them, turning them in the marinade to ensure that they are completely coated. Cover the dish with a lid or plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least an hour.
  • Preheat grill to medium high heat, around 450F.
  • Place the chicken on a hot grill and close the lid. After the chicken has cooked for about 5 minutes, lift the lid and turn the chicken breasts over. Close the lid and let the chicken cook some more. The chicken is finished cooking when the meat has an internal temperature of 165F, when checked with a digital thermometer. Grilling boneless skinless chicken breast takes about 12-15 minutes, but can vary depending on the size and thickness of the meat.
  • Remove from the grill and let the chicken breast rest for a few minutes before serving to allow the juices to draw back into the centre of the meat.
  • Serve with tzatziki, greek salad, and rice.

Nutrition

Per serving:

Calories: 302kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 24gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 72mgSodium: 715mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1g

Nutrition Disclaimer

Categories

Overhead picture of a plate of grilled chicken.

Did you try this recipe?

Leave a comment and let me know how it turned out. Or, take a picture to share on Instagram and tag me @theblackpeppercorn.

4.67 from 39 votes (15 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




59 comments

  • 5 stars
    The only thing that would make this better would be a little atm!

    • Reply
  • 4 stars
    I ended up doing a variation of this, but it wasn’t grilled, rather oven baked and also we used plain yogurt for the marinade. Have a look see and maybe do a comparison! http://ifigottagetup.com/recipe/greek-marinated-chicken-potato-couscous/

    • Reply
  • 5 stars
    An absolutely wonderful recipe which is true to the authentic Greek Souvlaki.
    All I added for a bit of color was 1/2 Tbsp of paprika. My husband, who is difficult with food (he has a “super taster” palate – they are a minority of the population…lucky me!) also really loved it!
    I will be making this recipe over and over again since I love Greek food! Thank you!!

    • Reply
  • Wow – this was fabulous! Great flavor .. thanks so much for posting this.

    • Reply
  • I was going to try this marinade with a boneless leg of lamb for Easter. Can I use this marinade with the lamb and put it in the crockpot as my oven will be occupied with other dishes? Also, any idea how long it will need to cook in the crockpot? The lamb is just over 4 pounds.

    • Reply
    • That sounds delicious! I would say that cooking it in the slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours would be good.

      • Reply
  • 5 stars
    Our family absolutely loves this marinade! We use it with chicken, pitas and tzaiziki for homemade gyros. The leftover chicken is wonderfully moist and flavorful and great in a salad the next day! Thanks for the greay recipe!

    • Reply
  • Love this recipe! I use it to marinate chicken cubes for kebobs.

    • Reply
  • what if you don’t have a bbq? can you just put in oven? if so, what temp and for how long?

    • Reply
    • Saw your comment and thought I could help… Put in oven around during 350-375 F, and depending on how big the breast is 15-20 minutes for a med to larger piece. When you prick the chicken the juice should run clear not pink, and when u touch the chicken it should not feel squishy, it should bounce back when pressed. Hope this helps some!

      • Reply
  • 5 stars
    This was fantastic!
    We enjoyed flavourful, juicy chicken breasts for two meals.
    With or without tzatziki… wouldn’t change a thing!
    Thanks Steve.

    • Reply
    • Hey Melissa! Thanks for the kind words. I am so glad you enjoyed it!

      • Reply
  • 4 stars
    OMG this was brilliant, the second time I made this I left the skin on the chicken breasts & put a tspn of garlic butter under the skin after marinating them. Great tasty, tender chicken…yummmm

    • Reply
    • I love the idea of spreading some garlic butter under the skin!

      • Reply
  • -3 stars
    I made this for a get together yesterday and paired with tzatziki, Greek salad and fresh pitas it was a hit! The only change I made was decrease the salt to 1/2 tsp and I marinated the chicken overnight. Thanks so much! I’m already planning on making it again. 🙂

    • Reply
    • So glad that it turned out well Laurie! It is a great marinade that goes great with all those other greek dishes you made! I sometimes cut the chicken into cubes and make souvlaki with the marinade

      • Reply
  • This is exactly what I’ve been looking for. Trying it out tomorrow. Thanks!

    • Reply
  • Made this tonight and it was a big hit! Just right on the balance of herbally to sour. And tenderized. Great for grilling and so simple–will add this to the regular rotation–thank you!

    • Reply
    • so glad you enjoyed it! We make it often with the Greek roasted lemon potatoes.

      • Reply
  • I think these are some of my favorite flavors for grilling..meats or veggies, Greek flavors are the best!

    • Reply
  • oh this sounds delicious – i love marinated grilled chicken!

    • Reply
  • YUM! My boyfriend loves greek flavors, I never know what to use. Thank you!

    • Reply
  • Regarding the club, it is amazing that your kids endured and did not give up. Most kids would have with much complaining as well. You should be proud.
    The key to cooking chicken breasts is making sure they do not dry out. Your chicken here does look like the marinade was very helpful in that respect. In addition, I am sure it made an excellent meal paired with those potatoes. Well done Steve!

    • Reply
  • Its a joy for a parent seeing your kids liked what they do. After the activity this is a great food to eat. I can smell the delicious chicken. Yum! =)

    • Reply
  • I love a good marinated chicken breast and this looks moist and delicious!! Great flavors and I bet it complimented your potatoes from yesterday wonderfully! 🙂

    • Reply
  • Thank you Steve! I’m a Grecophile at heart, so I’m very happy indeed to see this post, as well as your recent Greek Potatoes! 🙂

    • Reply

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