5-Ingredient Chicken Marinade w/ Greek Yogurt + Lemon
So ridiculously good, and producing the most juicy, hyper-flavorful chicken breasts or thighs, this Greek yogurt chicken marinade uses just 5 ingredients (can you ever go wrong with garlic and lemon?) and can be grilled or oven baked. Delightful flavorful, and so easy!
5 star review
“Delicious summer time recipe. Love the versatility of the recipe. ”
– Kelly
This Greek Yogurt Chicken is the Solution to Bland & Boring Chicken!
Ok, let’s be real, I just can’t with bland and boring chicken. The good news is that thanks to easy, fresh marinades, you can have tender, finger-lickin’ good chicken breasts or thighs without tons of time, ingredients, or special skills. And this Greek yogurt chicken marinade is the perfect example. Just 5 basic ingredients – Greek yogurt, garlic, salt, lemon juice, and zest – are all you need to infuse so much flavor. I also use this magic combination in my slow cooker greek chicken and slow cooker greek pork recipes. They’re both bursting with flavor and perfect if you want the Greek vibes with very little effort.
Creamy Greek yogurt contains lactic acid which gently helps break down the proteins in chicken, resulting in a more tender texture without a lot of work on your part. Adding garlic, lemon juice, and lemon zest also helps to infuse tons of delicious flavor into each bite while keeping the flavor profile versatile enough to add to almost any dish.
And the best part, this recipe is easy enough for anyone to make! Just 30 minutes (or up to 8 hours) of marinating is all you need to make this magic happen – yes, it’s that fast. And when you’re ready to cook, be sure to lightly scrape off and discard any excess marinade before adding the chicken to a hot grill or baking in the oven. I promise, this yogurt marinated chicken is so good everyone will be licking their plates.
Welcome to My Kitchen! Let’s Make a Chicken Marinade with Greek Yogurt
Marinade Tip
I put directions for you below on exactly how I use this to marinate and grill chicken. It works great for either chicken breasts or chicken thighs so you can use whichever you happen to have on hand.
Key Ingredients & Modifications
- Chicken: As you’ll see in the pictures, I used boneless skinless chicken breasts but chicken thighs also work great, and the higher fat content will add flavor when grilled.
- Greek yogurt: I used whole, unsweetened Greek yogurt to make this marinade. Low fat yogurt doesn’t add as much flavor and causes the marinade to be watery, so I prefer not to use it in this recipe. For a dairy-free option you can also use an unsweetened, plant-based Greek yogurt.
- Garlic: Since we’re using so few ingredients here, I like to use fresh minced or grated garlic to really infuse that garlic flavor into the marinade. But you could also use garlic powder if that’s all you have on hand.
- Lemon juice: The fresh lemon juice, together with the Greek yogurt, really helps to tenderize and infuse the chicken with lots of flavor.
- Lemon zest: The lemon zest really helps punch up the lemony flavor from the lemon juice and just adds a little something extra to this recipe.
Troubleshooting + Tips
How long can you marinate chicken in yogurt?
While 30 minutes is all you really need to tenderize and flavor chicken, you can marinate chicken breasts for up to 8 hours before the protein in the chicken begins to break down. Chicken thighs can marinate a bit longer, so they make a good option if you’d like to marinate the chicken overnight.
Can you make the marinade ahead of time?
Yes! My favorite time-saving hack is to freeze chicken in a marinade for a later time. Simply add your chicken and marinade to a 1-gallon zip-top freezer bag and stash away in the freezer. When you’re ready to use, let it defrost in the fridge. The yogurt may separate a little, but don’t worry, it won’t affect the flavor.
How else can you use the yogurt marinade?
The obvious answer is, of course, to use it to marinate chicken and grill or bake it. But you could also use the marinade itself as a simple garlicky lemon yogurt sauce to serve on top of your chicken. In this case, instead of adding it to raw chicken, you’d just mix it up as a stand alone sauce and drizzle over the top of your cooked chicken.
This Recipe Is…
5-Ingredient Chicken Marinade w/ Greek Yogurt + Lemon
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, or thighs
Equipment
Instructions
Grilling Instructions
- To a zip-top bag or shallow baking dish, add the yogurt, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt, stirring to combine. Add 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts and toss to coat.
- Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, or up to 8 hours.
- Uncover and discard the marinade. Lightly scrape off any excess marinade off the chicken.
- Brush the grill grates with oil, and then grill the chicken over medium heat, flipping halfway through. Cook until the chicken thighs register 185F to 190F degrees or chicken breasts register 165F.
- Remove from the grill and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes, tented with foil. When ready to serve, slice against the grain and plate as desired.
Baking Instructions
- Follow steps 1-3 above to make the marinade.
- Preheat the oven to 375F and line a sheet tray with foil. Grease lightly with more olive oil and lay out chicken breasts, spacing them out so they aren’t touching.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the internal temperature reads at least 165F.
Notes
- A note about the nutrition information on this recipe, since we discard the marinade before grilling or baking it can be a little difficult to calculate.
- For more ingredients & modifications, see the blog post above.
Delicious summer time recipe. Love the versatility of the recipe.
Yay, so glad you enjoyed, Kelly! Thanks so much for leaving a review!
Seriously good marinade! This was so good. The whole family loved it. I made it easy and just added an entire 5oz container of yogurt and squeezed a whole lemon in too. Didn’t feel like measuring and it came out perfectly. The flavor was wonderful with the hint of lemon and the chicken stayed really juicy. I served it with some seasoned brown rice and veggies and dinner was a hit! Love your recipes. Thank you so much for another great one!
Jodi, your reviews are always my favorite! Serving with brown rice and veggies sounds like the perfect way to round out the meal. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts!
I made this last night for a family of 5 ages 11-adult and it was a HUGE hit. The yogurt tahini dressing sauce was so good, and a must addition! Our grill is not yet up and running so I baked the chicken and it was still delicious. Thank you!
Amy, wonderful, so happy to hear this one was a hit! I agree, that yogurt tahini sauce is so worth it and so easy, too! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts.
Great marinade without oil!!!
So glad you enjoyed this chicken marinade, Robyn. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts!
Tried this recipe tonight and it was a hit. Next time I will marinate a little longer. (Only marinated for 45min)
Served with brown rice and a Greek salad. Happy to have this recipe now to add into my dinner rotation.
Nicole, brown rice and Greek salad sound like the perfect side for this Greek chicken! Thanks so much for the tip and for sharing your thoughts.
Why remove the marinade?
If you’re grilling the chicken, the excess marinade will drip off the chicken into the flames and cause flare ups as well as make the chicken more likely to stick.