Lemon Garlic Greek Yogurt Marinated Chicken
This recipe is too easy and too delectable not to give a go and, subsequently, keep on your weekly food playlist, trust me, you will save this goodie. The ingredient list is small and the method is one a toddler could manage to throw together. The beauty of this dish is that it is totally versatile – you can use chicken that’s bone in and skin on or chicken breasts. You can also prepare it on the grill or on your stove top in a non stick pan – just add a little olive oil to the pan/grates to prevent sticking. If you love this recipe, you will love my Greek Lemon Chicken and Potatoes.
Why marinate with yogurt?
Greek yogurt contains lactic acid and calcium, both of which tenderize the chicken meat. Lactic acid is more gentle than traditional citrus juice based marinades and does not break down the meat quite as fast making Greek yogurt marinade almost fool proof. You can marinate for 30 minutes and still have amazing results. I left mine in the fridge for 2 hours and was extremely happy with the outcome. Greek yogurt is similar to when we use buttermilk to soak our chicken drumsticks. Makes them SO juicy.
I highly recommend serving this delicious entree with some Tsatziki sauce, on top of some rice or with a Greek Horiatiki Salad or a Maroulosalata (Greek Lettuce Salad).
Also, if you enjoy this meal, you will definitely LOVE my One Pan Roasted Greek Chicken ‘Salad’ – it is one of the most popular recipes on our website!
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Lemon Garlic Greek Yogurt Marinated Chicken
Ingredients
- 8 bone in skin on chicken thighs
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 large lemon, juiced
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp paprika
- black pepper to taste
Optional Dip/Topping:
- tzatziki
- fresh parsley
- chili pepper flakes
Instructions
- Rinse and pat dry your chicken pieces with a paper towel.
- In a large bowl, mix the yogurt, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and spices. Add the chicken to the bowl and coat everything well. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for a minimum of half an hour (I recommend 1-2 hours).
- Take your meat out 30 minutes prior to putting it in the oven.
- Preheat your oven to 375°F. Transfer the chicken to a 9×13" baking dish. Take the leftover marinade and add it to the bottom of the pan. Top with the last two pieces of chicken. Bake for about 50 minutes or until golden brown. Make sure internal temperature of chicken reaches 165°F. Let it rest out of the oven for 5 minutes and then serve.
Notes
Nutrition
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hello stella can i use chicken leg for this recipe?
YES!
Delicious! I made it with 2 bone-in breasts. Cut ingredients in half and used Italian seasoning.
This would have been an easy 5 but I rushed the process. When I make this again, I will marinate for the full hour and use my mixer. The smell was outstanding and the chicken was falling apart! 🤌🏼 I even made the tzatziki sauce! WOW. That alone could be a great veggie dip. Loved it!
I made this last night and it was delicious, but, I found the yogurt sauce had a “curdled” appearance when done. How can this be prevented?
Hi Terri, just remove as much as you can from the chicken post marinade and before adding it to the pan for cooking.
I too had the “curdled” issue. After baking, I moved the chicken to a platter. I poured the sauce into a mixing bowl and whisked it vigorously. That helped with the curdled appearance.
I made this tonight for my husband and I. It was super easy and tasted amazing. So tender and flavorful. I made the marinade for the chicken last night before reading all the directions and didn’t realize it cooked for almost an hour. I ended up putting the marinaded chicken in the fridge overnight and cooking something quicker last night. Still turned out wonderful.
This dish was delicious but mine curdled.
What did I do wrong?
What part of this recipe makes it not a good candidate for over night marinade?
the yogurt is too acidic
super easy and delicious
Terrific! A recipe just as I like it- a few key ingredients, simple, easy-to-follow instructions, quick video, and a delicious turnout. My husband is surprised I followed the recipe instead of changing it too much and wondering what went wrong! I’m going to add it to my Christmas menu for the less traditional Italians , topping with some dried tomatoes, parsley, and turmeric for the red, green, and gold theme.
Hi JulieAnn, That’s terrific that you and your hubs enjoyed! HOpe it is also enjoyed on Christmas and in the coming new year! Cheers!!!
Do I use plain Greek yogurt or can I use vanilla flavored? Thanks Terry
only plain yogurt for savory meals!
I just made this tonight with vanilla Greek yogurt, and it was delicious. I made it with 2 boneless skinless breasts. I did make a few tweaks to the recipe. powdered garlic since I didn’t have fresh, fill, and Italian seasoning. placed some marinade at bottom of cast iron skillet, placed breasts on top, then spread the remaining marinade around and on top and baked at 375 for 1 hr.
Did you cover the pan with foil OR did you bake chicken uncovered?
Hi Stephanie, bake uncovered.
Stella I love your recipes!
I made this tonight after marinating all day yesterday.
The flavor was very good and chicken breasts were tender. I served with rice pilaf.
However there is no marinade to serve over chicken. The yogurt actually curdled.
This was not an issue for me as the chicken itself was flavorful. Just wondering if this happened because I waited so long before I actually cooked the chicken.
Hi Connie, Glad you enjoyed this chicken dish with the rice — perfect!
Yes, typically I only marinate chicken in yogurt for a few hours for that reason. Hope you give this another try!
mine curdled too. l was wondering if it is because of the salt, splitting the yoghurt 🤔🤔
I’ve made this with chicken breast and it was amazing. Would it work with pork tenderloin?
Hi Lynette, Yes…Definitely try it with the pork! And please come back and give us your feedback!
We love this recipe! It’s so good! I always add a little extra lemon and garlic, and I use organic bone-in chicken leg/thighs. I always serve with sweet potatoes and steamed or buttered broccoli and everyone loves it!
Hi Brooke! OHHH i love those sides with this dish! Thank you for sharing with everyone and I appreciate you trying the recipe out! Cheers!
I was sceptical when I tried the sauce raw. But after it was cooked. WOW! Amazing combo.
Yay! Yes, this is one of my most favorite ways to prepare chicken, pork, etc. I’m glad you tried it and loved it!
Don’t heat to 165f, that makes it tough. Heat to 155f and let rest for 5 min. The residual heat won’t blast the germs instantaous like 165f does, but 5 minutes is more than enough to kill them. You can even go 145f and keep at that temp for an hour, but you’d need some sort of sous vide contraption.