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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My marinade curdled in the oven! Is that normal? How could I prevent this next time? My house smells so good though from cooking 🙂
Oven temp at #4 this is my 3rd time making and everyone loves them. Thanks
So, we made the chicken per the recipe and I found that 2 hours did not impact flavor that dramatically. Would recommend minimum 6 to 8 hours. Also would recommended roasting the chicken thighs on a wire rack rather than a baking dish. The chicken at 375 produced large amounts of water along with what the yogurt added. The chicken ended up stewing in all this water and it kept the skin from blowing and more than likely drew a lot of flavor out of the meat, not much different than making broth. Perhaps raising the cooking temp up to 400 and raising the meat off the bottom might enhance the end product.
hello, i just recently cooked it but didnt come out like the picture but it definitely taste great and soft! i was wondering if i can place it in freezer since i am prepping the menu for the week.
I read this several times and feel like I am missing something. Can you clarify the following?
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 2 PIECES OF CHICKEN.
So only put 2 chicken thighs on top of the left over marinade? Thanks for the assist on this!!
Yes! Just add the last two pieces on top of the marinade
I made this but used 2% greek yogurt and it curdled. Should I use full fat? My husband made the marinade and he’s not great at following recipes so that could be a factor too 😕
I may be late to the party but I just made this chicken and it was the ‘moistest’ ever. I have used greek yogurt on chicken breasts.. meh. I made this with bone-in, skin-on thighs. Just great. I served with brown rice (with lemon juice, olives, spinach, and cut grape tomatoes). What a delicious meal. Thank you.
I don’t like thighs and had 2 it’s as authentic as it could be.
Hi Robin, I’m glad you liked it!
Found this recipe today July 9-23 and I had all the ingredients in the house so easily prepared it. It’s marinated now in the refrigerator for tonight’s dinner. I luckily recently just found Stella’s website a victory for me! This yogurt lemon garlic chicken one was so Simple and fast . Know it will turn out fantastic. Thank you Stella for all your positing of healthy “Greek” recipes. We are certainly enjoying many of posted yours.
Karen
Welcome Karen and I’m glad you are enjoying my posts! Thanks for giving them a try!!
that marinade is bomb im tempted to put some aside to use to dip my chips in yummy
That makes sense to me!
Hi, I used chicken breasts, but after 30 minute of cook time, my chicken did not look anywhere near as browned as yours. I double checked the temperature and marinade proportions, and they all seemed correct- could you suggest a way to fix this? Thanks! I tried cooking it for an additional 30 minutes, but after that time, the skin still wasn’t as brown as yours, and the yoghurt started to burn. Thanks for your help!
Certainly comes together easy and the flavor was good. Like others, the oil separated from the yogurt and the yogurt had a curdled consistency. Not inclined to make it this way again unless there’s something I’m missing.
Can I use chicken drumsticks with this recipe?
HI Meredith, absolutely yes. And maybe bake for slightly less time!
Everyone Loved this, delicious and so simple.
I thought it tasted good, but the yogurt separated, giving it an unappealing appearance, so not sure I would make it again. After reading other comments, I used only two tablespoons of oil, used 2 percent Greek yogurt, and only one teaspoon of salt. The flavour was good so maybe it would be better removed from the marinade and grilled instead of baked.
Hi Susan, its gonna happen with this type of marinade. That’s normal. Just drain and enjoy!
Hello! I just found your recipes from Instagram! Very excited. Trying this one for the family on Friday. Do you use sweet paprika or plain ground paprika?
Hi Karen and welcome! Yes, I use regular paprika. I would use any seasoning that your tastebuds prefer!