Greek Yogurt Chicken Marinade (with Lemon)

This Greek yogurt chicken marinade uses just 5-ingredients to produce tender, juicy chicken every time. The Greek yogurt and lemon work together to gently tenderize the meat while the garlic infuses flavor throughout. Marinate for as little as 30 minutes, then grill or bake; it works equally well with chicken breasts or thighs.

Greek Yogurt Chicken Marinade with Lemon and Garlic

Ok, let’s be real, I just can’t with bland and boring chicken. The good news is that thanks to easy chicken 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 including Greek yogurt, garlic, salt, lemon juice, and zest are all you need to infuse so much flavor. 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. And for a hands-off way to use these same Greek flavors, my slow cooker Greek chicken is a great weeknight option that requires almost no active cooking time.
And my easy yogurt tahini sauce makes a natural pairing for this chicken and comes together in just a few minutes with similar ingredients.

Welcome to My Kitchen, Let’s Make a Chicken Marinade with Greek Yogurt

Testing Tips for Juicy Yogurt Marinated Chicken

• Use whole, unsweetened Greek yogurt for best results. Low-fat yogurt is too thin and watery, which will make the marinade runny.
• Fresh garlic makes a real difference here. With only five ingredients, there’s nowhere to hide, so use fresh minced or grated garlic rather than powder if you can.
• Don’t skip the lemon zest! The juice tenderizes but the zest adds concentrated citrus flavor that juice alone won’t give you.
• Chicken breasts can marinate up to 8 hours before the protein starts to break down. Thighs are more forgiving and can go overnight, making them the better choice for advance prep.
• The marinade also works as a sauce. Just mix up a separate batch before adding raw chicken, then drizzle it over the cooked chicken as a quick garlic lemon yogurt topping.

5 stars (5 ratings)

Greek Yogurt Chicken Marinade (with Lemon)

Developed and tested by Robyn Conley Downs

Servings: 6

Prep: 30 minutes mins

Cook: 25 minutes mins

Total: 55 minutes mins

A simple greek yogurt chicken marinade with lemon and garlic. Tenderizes chicken in 30 minutes and works for grilling or baking with breasts or thighs.

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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

• Baking Dish optional
• Grill pan optional

Instructions 

Marinade 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.
Excess marinade is more likely to burn on the grill, and scraping excess can help prevent this.

Grilling Instructions

• 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

• 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.
• Use it In: This marinade is also the perfect starting point for my Greek chicken bowls, which come together with rice, fresh vegetables, and tzatziki.

Course: dinner, Dressings & Sauces, Main Course

Cuisine: American, Greek, Mediterranean

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 1 (of 6), Calories: 180kcal, Carbohydrates: 1g, Protein: 33g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 97mg, Sodium: 373mg, Potassium: 578mg, Fiber: 0.04g, Sugar: 0.4g, Vitamin A: 46IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 21mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition disclaimer

Did you make this recipe?If you do, be sure to share it on Instagram and tag me at @realfoodwholelife so I can see!

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