Description
A flavorful Greek Chicken Marinade perfect for tenderizing chicken breasts or thighs with fresh lemon, olive oil, garlic, and herbs. This marinade enhances the chicken with bright, zesty, and aromatic notes, suitable for grilling, baking, stovetop cooking, or air frying.
Ingredients
Scale
Marinade
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- Zest of one small lemon
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Chicken
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs
Instructions
- Prepare Marinade: Combine olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, dried oregano, dried basil, salt, and pepper in a bowl or large zip-top plastic bag. Whisk or squeeze the bag to mix thoroughly.
- Pound Chicken (if using breasts): Place chicken breasts in a zip-top bag or between parchment paper/plastic wrap and gently pound to even thickness using a rolling pin or meat mallet to ensure even cooking and tenderizing.
- Marinate Chicken: Add the chicken to the marinade, ensuring all pieces are well coated. Seal the bag or cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 12 hours. Optimal marinating time is 1 to 4 hours.
- Cook Chicken: Discard the marinade. Choose your cooking method (grill, stove, oven, or air fryer) and cook the chicken until the internal temperature reaches 165° F.
- Grill: Preheat grill to medium-high (375-450° F). Oil the grates. Grill chicken breasts for 5-8 minutes per side and boneless thighs for 7-10 minutes per side (reduce to medium heat for thighs). For best results, start on hotter section for grill marks, then move to lower heat. Rest chicken 5 minutes before serving.
- Stove: Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken breasts 5-8 minutes per side and boneless thighs 8-10 minutes per side until cooked through. Rest 5 minutes before serving.
- Oven: Preheat oven to 425° F. Place chicken in a baking dish. Bake 5-6 oz breasts for 13-16 minutes, 8 oz breasts for 16-19 minutes, 11-12 oz breasts for 22-26 minutes. Bake boneless thighs for 20-30 minutes. Check for 165° F internal temperature. Rest 5 minutes before serving.
- Air Fryer: Arrange chicken in a single layer. Cook at 400° F for 8 minutes, flip chicken breasts, cook additional 5-12 minutes until 165° F internal temperature. Boneless thighs cook 11-15 minutes without flipping. Rest 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- If using bone-in chicken thighs, add a few minutes to the listed cook times to ensure thorough cooking.
- To freeze, seal chicken and marinade in a zip-top bag, ensuring all pieces are coated. Freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in refrigerator before cooking.
- The nutrition estimate assumes consumption of all marinade, which might not be the case.
- For even cooking and tender chicken breasts, pounding them to an even thickness is recommended.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 250 kcal
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 350 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 3 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 27 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg
