This recipe gives you golden, tender chicken with a refreshing lemon-herb Greek marinade — all made in one baking dish!
3 Essential Ingredients for Making This Recipe
I love how convenient this recipe is; aside from the chicken, all the other ingredients are pantry staples.
- Chicken: I typically use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs for this recipe since they’re extra juicy, but if you prefer a leaner cut, you can use chicken breasts instead.
- Marinade: You’ll need to round up your extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice, and Dijon mustard to make the marinade.
- Herbs and spices: For the seasonings, you’ll need dried oregano, thyme, fresh garlic, kosher salt, and black pepper. These ingredients add a delicious Mediterranean touch to the dish.
Step-by-Step Cooking Guide
Once you have your ingredients ready, it’s time to start cooking! Just follow these three simple steps:
- Prepare the Marinade. Firstly, combine the liquids with your herbs and spices.
- Marinate Your Chicken. Next, add your chicken to a large bowl and pour in your homemade marinade. Give it a good toss, then let it chill in the fridge for about 1 to 2 hours.
- Cook. Lastly, transfer your marinated chicken to a baking dish (with the skin-side up). Pour any remaining marinade on top and pop it in the oven to cook for 45 minutes.
Can you believe it? With these 3 easy steps, you’ll have a juicy, zesty chicken dish ready to enjoy!
You can serve it as a weeknight dinner for the family or use it to meal prep for the next couple of days.
Pairing Suggestions for Greek Lemon Chicken
I like to serve my Greek lemon chicken with a side of lemon rice.
To make this, I simply combine my rice with lemon zest, lemon juice, butter, and salt in a saucepan. Then, I place the lid on top and cook it for 20 minutes. That’s it!
In addition to lemon rice, you can pair your chicken with other sides like fresh Greek salad, garlic herb roasted potatoes, or garlic sautéed spinach. The choice is yours!
Zesty Greek Lemon Chicken
If you want a convenient meal prep idea or an easy dinner, this recipe is for you! You only need one baking dish and some pantry-friendly ingredients to make this juicy Greek Lemon Chicken.
Ingredients
- 8 chicken thighs (bone-in and skin-on)
- ⅓ cup of extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup of lemon juice (roughly 1 to 2 lemons)
- 4 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 tablespoon of dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons EACH of dried thyme, Dijon mustard, and salt
- A sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
- Optional: lemon zest or lemon slices (for garnish)
Instructions
- First things first, make the marinade by stirring together your oil, lemon juice, and spices in a small bowl.
- Then, get your chicken thighs and pat them dry with a paper towel. Toss them in a large bowl before pouring your marinade on top.
- Make sure every piece of the chicken is coated in the sauce before popping it in the fridge to marinate for at least an hour (maximum 3 hours). NOTE: Don’t leave your chicken submerged in the lemon-herb marinade because the acid from the lemon juice can tenderize the meat too much, giving it a gamey texture.
- After an hour, take your marinated chicken out of the fridge and transfer it to a baking dish. Try to arrange the meat (skin-side up) in a single layer to ensure even cooking.
- Pour any leftover marinade on top before preheating your oven.
- Let your oven warm up to 350°F before placing your baking dish inside. Let the chicken cook for about 40 to 45 minutes. NOTE: While your chicken is cooking, you can baste it with your marinade to infuse it with more zesty flavors. Basting every 10 minutes or so should do the trick.
- To know if your chicken is fully cooked through, grab an instant-read thermometer and check the meat’s internal temperature. It should read 165°F.
- Once your chicken is ready, take the baking dish out of the oven, garnish with lemon slices or lemon zest, and serve with your side dish of choice. Enjoy!
Notes
Image credit to @cookingwithekam.
Featured image credit to @cooks_realm.
