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!
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.
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:
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
- Jerk Marinade – this marinade has that authentic jerk flavour!
- Teriyaki Sauce – this sauce is nice and sweet and perfect for grilled chicken
- Grilled Tandoori Chicken – if you like tandoori, then you will love this recipe!
- Steve’s Basic BBQ Rub – This rub is perfect for chicken
Greek Marinade for Grilled Chicken
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:
