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Home Lamb Recipes

Greek Butterflied Lamb Leg

By:Nagi
Published:22 Jan '21Updated:31 Mar '23
112 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

When you marinate a butterflied lamb leg in a bold garlic/lemon/oregano Greek marinade, very good things will happen … Specifically, amazingly tender, seriously flavour-infused lamb! Excellent to grill on the BBQ, or roast in the oven.

A sensational share platter meal option for gatherings – the Greek way! After more ideas? Browse all my roast lamb recipes!

Close up of Greek Butterflied Lamb Leg

Greek Butterflied Lamb Leg

Butterflied lamb leg is simply a leg of lamb with the bone removed so the meat lies flat and is relatively uniform in thickness. This means the lamb cooks faster than a traditional whole roast leg, as well as opening the leg up to all sorts of flavour possibilities.

Today, we’re going Greek! Lots of garlic, lots of lemon, lots of oregano – flavours that are a natural pairing with lamb given it’s one of Greece’s favourite meats!

Greek Butterflied Lamb Leg on a platter, ready to be shared

What you need

Just garlic, oregano, lemons, the butterflied lamb leg (more on this below), and pretty please can we also pretend I didn’t forget to put olive oil in the photo? 🙂 Oil is necessary not only to add some richness and flavour, but also to dilute the lemon so the acid in the lemon doesn’t “cook” the lamb meat, like you see it done for Ceviche.

Ingredients in Greek Butterflied Lamb Leg
Olive oil is missing from the photo! Oops. 🙂

Butterflied Lamb Leg

Butterflied lamb leg is a lamb leg with the bone removed so it can be “butterflied” to lie flat. This gives you a broader range of cooking method options compared to a bone in lamb leg which is easiest roasted whole due to its shape. It also affords us the opportunity to really get some great flavours in all the way through the flesh.

When prepared well and cooked to rare or medium rare, it’s an incredibly succulent, tender lamb cut that’s ideal served for gatherings. A 1.7kg/3.4lb butterflied lamb leg (the meat cut from an average size 2.2kg / 4.4 lb bone-in lamb leg) will easily serve 8 people, if not more.

Butterflied Lamb Leg raw
Butterflied lamb leg with some of the fat trimmed off it. One of the best parts of the lamb to BBQ!

The outer surface, pictured above, will typically come with a layer of fat on it. Trim off as much or as little as you want – though I do caution against excessive fat removal because the fat keeps the meat nice and juicy, not to mention fat = flavour!

And here’s what the flesh side looks like. This is the side that the bone was cut out of:

Butterflied Lamb Leg raw
Some people might see scrappy flesh. All I see are cracks and crevices, waiting to absorb the flavour of the marinade!

How long to marinate butterflied lamb leg

If time permits, I recommend marinating for 24 hours. This yields more tender meat, and better flavour infusion.

However, the beauty of using butterflied lamb leg with this rather intense lemony-garlicky marinade is that even a short 3 hour marination makes a remarkable difference. All those nooks, crannies and crevices in the flesh that you can see in the photo above are just waiting for the marinade to seep into!😂

Note: The surface of the flesh will turn a bit white, from the lemon “cooking” the meat. Don’t be alarmed – it’s supposed to happen and has no effect on the final result. 🙂

Marinating Greek Butterflied Lamb Leg
Marinade for 24 hours for best results. But even 3 hours works astonishingly well!

How to cook a Butterflied Lamb Leg (BBQ or oven)

Because the lamb leg meat is “butterflied” out so it lays relatively flat, it makes it perfect for cooking on the BBQ, which you can’t really do with a bone in lamb leg. Lamb LOVES to be grilled, and it really brings out the best of those tasty Greek flavours!

Having said that, your good ol’ oven will do a sensational job too. In fact, while the Butterflied Lamb Leg you see in the video is grilled, the one in the photos was seared on the stove then finished in the oven (to finish cooking it through more evenly).

How to make Greek Butterflied Lamb Leg
  1. Make marinade – Mix the marinade ingredients in a large ziplock bag;

  2. Marinate lamb – Add the lamb, massage well, then marinate for 24 hours (minimum 3 hours). Ziplock bags really are the most effective and efficient way to marinate this lamb because it keeps the meat fully enveloped with the marinade. If you prefer to use a bowl or container, increase the marinade by at least 50%, and toss once or twice during the marinating time;

  3. BBQ, or stove + oven – Cook the lamb either on the BBQ (20 minutes) OR on the stove followed by finishing it in the oven (22 – 25 minutes).

    Stove ➔ oven: Starting on the stove and finishing in the oven is the best method for thick cuts of meat like butterflied lamb leg. If you try to cook it just using the stove, you’ll end up with a thick band of overcooked meat on the outer edges by the time the middle cooks through.

    On the other hand, if you try to cook it just using the oven, you won’t get much colour on the surface. Nobody wants a colourless piece of lamb!

    BBQ: The ideal. The heat of a BBQ is more ambient compared to the direct contact heat of a stove, so you can cook it perfectly – as you will see on the video. Plus of course, you get all those smoky extra flavours from the grilling. Got charcoal? Even better. Bonus points for you!
    .

  4. Pull temperature = 57°C/135°F – The right time to pull the lamb off the BBQ / out of the oven for medium rare is when the internal temperature reaches 57°C/135°F. It will rise a little while resting (next step);

  5. Temp rises during resting to 62°C/144°F – Resting the lamb is essential, to let the juices redistribute throughout the meat as it sits. If you try slicing before resting, all those juices just run everywhere!

    As the lamb rests, the lamb continues to cook a little more due to the residual heat. The internal temperature will rise to 62°C/144°F. This is precisely medium-rare, the optimal doneness for lamb leg so that it’s a blushing pink and beautifully juicy;

  6. Plate up and serve! Put it out whole and let people carve their own slices off at the table, or you can serve it already sliced (my preference) for ease of serving.

Greek Butterflied Lamb Leg fresh off the BBQ
Close up of pink juicy slices of Greek Butterflied Lamb Leg

Internal temperature of Butterflied Leg of Lamb

KEY TIP! Pull the lamb off the BBQ/oven before the target internal temperature is reached because it will rise by around 5°C/7°F as it rests. If you don’t pull the lamb off/out early, the lamb will be overdone by the time it’s rested – and how sad will that be?! 😞

DonenessPull Temperature*Target Temp after resting **
Rare (dark pink)49°C / 120°F54°C / 129°F
Medium-rare (recommended, blushing pink)57°C / 135°F62°C / 144°F
Medium
(hint of pink inside)
63°C / 145°F68°C / 154°F
Well done
(least juicy, no pink at all)
67°C / 153°F72°C / 162°F

* Pull temperature is the internal temperature at which the lamb should be taken off the BBQ or out of the oven. ** This is what the internal temperature will rise to after resting, and this is your final Target Temperature for your desired level of doneness.

The reality is, because of the uneven thickness of a butterflied leg of lamb, while most of it can be a perfect medium rare, the thinner edges will be unavoidably medium or even medium-well done. But that actually works perfectly to cater for guests who prefer their lamb more well-cooked!

Greek Butterflied Lamb Leg platter
Greek Butterflied Lamb Leg stuffed in pita bread

How to serve Greek Butterflied Lamb

This dish is fabulous for gatherings, shared platter-style, or a quick summer meal that will feed your family over a couple of nights. Here are some serving options and suggested sides:

  • To start: Spanakopita – This lovely spinach pie, cut into small pieces, makes a fine first course before the main event;

  • Greek Salad – A big, juicy, fresh Greek Salad is literally made to serve alongside this lamb;

  • Flatbreads – Stuff the meat inside for homemade lamb wraps!

  • Rice (and similar) sides – such as Greek Lemon Rice, Mediterranean Brown Rice Salad, Greek Lemon Orzo Salad (Risoni)

  • Fast no cook side option – Couscous. Douse it generously with lemon, toss through some chopped tomato and cucumber if you’re feeling it, maybe some sliced olives. YUM.

  • Marinated Greek-flavoured Chickpea Salad (this is really, really good)

  • Bright, zesty Lentil Salad or try this Roasted Eggplant Lentil Salad

  • Tzatziki as an accompaniment (use the one in my Gyros recipe) or even just plain yogurt jazzed up with a squeeze of lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.

The platter pictured in this post features the Greek Salad, store-bought flatbreads (you can do better!) and Tzatziki.

Enjoy! – Nagi x


Watch how to make it

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Close up photo of slices of Greek Butterflied Lamb Leg

Greek Butterflied Lamb Leg

Author: Nagi
Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 25 mins
Marinating: 1 d
BBQ/Grilling, Mains
Greek
4.95 from 18 votes
Servings8 + people
Tap or hover to scale
Print
Recipe video above. This is a terrific, bold Greek marinade for lamb that both tenderises and infuses it with garlicky, herby, lemon flavours.
Butterflied lamb leg is a fantastic way to enjoy lamb because the flattened shape means it can be cooked relatively quickly compared to roasting a whole leg. In fact, I think that butterflied lamb leg is one of the best cuts of lamb for the BBQ!

Ingredients

  • 1.5 – 1.8kg / 3 – 3.6 lb butterflied (ie. boneless) lamb leg (Note 1)

Marinade:

  • 1 tbsp dried oregano
  • 3 large garlic cloves , minced using garlic press
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp zest (= zest of 1 lemon)
  • 1/2 cup olive oil

For cooking:

  • 1 tbsp oil (for brushing BBQ or for stove sear)

Serving options:

  • Lemon , for garnish
  • Oregano leaves , optional garnish as pictured
  • Flatbreads or store bought pita breads
  • Greek Salad
  • Tzatziki (use recipe in Gryos) or just use plain yogurt
  • More ideas listed in post

Instructions

  • Mix marinade ingredients in a large ziplock bag.
  • Add lamb, massage bag well to get the marinade into all the meat cracks and crevices.
  • Seal bag and marinate for 24 hours (3 hours minimum).
  • Remove lamb from the fridge 1 hour prior to cooking (to take fridge chill out for more even cooking).

BBQ:

  • Brush grates with oil then preheat BBQ until very hot. (Takes a good 15 minutes, lid closed, with my basic gas BBQ).
  • Remove lamb from marinade and place on the grill, fat side down.
  • Cook for 12 minutes, then turn and cook the flesh side for 8 minutes, or until the internal temperature in the thickest part registers 57°C / 135°F for medium-rare or desired pull temperature (see Note 3).
  • Loosely cover with foil, and rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Stove/Oven (Note 2):

  • Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (all oven types). Place a rack on a tray.
  • Cut lamb into 2 or 3 large pieces so it fits in your skillet.
  • Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Sear until golden brown on both sides, around 2 – 3 minutes each side. (Note: It will not colour much more in the oven)
  • Roast for 22 – 25 minutes, or until the thickest part registers 57°C / 135°F for medium-rare or desired pull temperature (see Note 3).
  • Remove from oven, loosely cover with foil, and rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Serving:

  • Either slice it at the table, or slice prior to serving and pile onto a platter. Fabulous served with Greek Salad, Tzatziki and flatbreads, as pictured in post.
  • More side suggestions: Lemon Rice, Mediterranean Rice Salad, Greek Chickpea Salad, Lemon Orzo Salad.

Recipe Notes:

1. Butterflied lamb leg – This is a lamb leg with the bone removed. I buy mine already butterflied. Otherwise, ask your butcher to bone out a whole lamb leg or do it yourself (use a boning or long, skinny knife and take your time; it’s not too difficult.)
2. Stove/Oven – Don’t try to cook the lamb all the way through on the stove, you’ll end up with a thick band over overcooked lamb before the inside cooks. Needs to be seared on the stove then finished in the oven.
3. Internal temperature cooked lamb:
Butterflied Lamb Leg Internal Temperature Cooked
TIP for even cooking: Butterflied lamb leg is not perfectly even in thickness all the way through. The thinner parts will be more done than the thickest parts, but this usually works out well because there’s always someone around that likes their meat more well done! However, if you really want every part to be perfectly medium rare, just cut the thinner parts off the heat earlier. It tends to be the flappy ends so they will detach easily!
4. Nutrition per serving, assuming 8 servings and that 3 tbsp of the oil ends up in the finished dish. Excludes sides.

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 187gCalories: 430cal (22%)Protein: 37g (74%)Fat: 23g (35%)Saturated Fat: 9.5g (59%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.6gMonounsaturated Fat: 9.9gCholesterol: 168.3mg (56%)Sodium: 411mg (18%)Potassium: 606.6mg (17%)Calcium: 18.7mg (2%)Iron: 3.7mg (21%)
Keywords: BBQ lamb leg, butterflied lamb leg, Greek lamb
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @recipe_tin.

Life of Dozer

Another kind of leg. No doubt the other half of him is up to no good…..

Dozer's rear end

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Hi, I'm Nagi!

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112 Comments

  1. Janine says

    January 24, 2021 at 2:57 am

    I do the same marinade but then I put it marinade and all in a oven dish, quarter two onions and put them in the pan cover with baking paper then foil and put it in the oven at 110c for 10 to 12hrs to make what they call stolen lamb it just falls apart and the slow cooked lamb has so much flavour but for this you must keep the bone in and ask the butcher to crack the bone in a few parts for you,

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      January 24, 2021 at 5:56 pm

      Sounds perfect Janine!! N x

      Reply
  2. Grace Velchansky says

    January 24, 2021 at 2:24 am

    In the U.S., I’ve found that a big box store, such as Costco, sells wonderful boneless leg of lamb at a reasonable price if you’re not comfortable boning the leg yourself. This recipe gives me a good reason to head over there and buy some lamb. So glad I found this site…thank you, Nagi!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      January 24, 2021 at 5:57 pm

      Oh that’s great Grace!! N x

      Reply
  3. Fran Tay says

    January 24, 2021 at 12:05 am

    Tried this recipe for dinner this evening.
    Marinade the lamb overnight… seared it on the stove as suggested and plonked it into the oven for 25 mins. Smells really good when I brought it out of the oven and it was medium rare.. paired it with a full bodied red and it was yummmm…
    Thanks Nagi.. always love your recipes..
    Keep up the good work !

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      January 24, 2021 at 5:57 pm

      Wahoo! You’ve nailed it Fran!!! N x

      Reply
  4. Edward says

    January 23, 2021 at 4:17 pm

    Delicious Lamb recipe, I used rosemary instead of the oregano…yum! Glad Dozer enjoyed the bone lol.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      January 24, 2021 at 5:59 pm

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it Edward! N x

      Reply
  5. Sue R says

    January 23, 2021 at 12:57 pm

    5 stars
    That is the BEST perfectly cooked lamb I ever did see. Good job.

    Reply
  6. jen says

    January 23, 2021 at 5:14 am

    This lamb look so good ,we are definitely doing this recipe on the barbecue ,love the way it caramelize and brown , make me dreuled .
    Thank you for another great recipe to try .

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      January 23, 2021 at 8:38 am

      Ughhhh drool, it’s the best isn’t it Jen?! N x

      Reply
  7. Kelle says

    January 23, 2021 at 4:30 am

    This looks amazing and I can’t wait to call my butcher so I can make this at home.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      January 23, 2021 at 8:39 am

      I hope you love it Kelle! N x

      Reply
  8. Joseph says

    January 23, 2021 at 3:35 am

    5 stars
    Salivation salivate great recipe Chef I always debone stuff Witt Garlic Garlic Garlic rosemary oregano however this looks so good will do it for Chinese New year. ok so it aint Chinese who cares. “Good Eating “”

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      January 23, 2021 at 8:39 am

      As long as the food’s good who cares Joseph?! ❤️ N x

      Reply
  9. Jonathan says

    January 23, 2021 at 3:14 am

    5 stars
    Love this! Also love that you suggest several sides to serve along with the lamb.
    Suggestion, would love to see you in the kitchen preparing what ever dish you are making.
    Would also love to be able to access all your recipes from a search box.
    Please keep your recipes coming they are wonderful.
    Keep well and and enjoy life.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      January 23, 2021 at 8:40 am

      Hi Jonathan, Thanks for the suggestions – I so have a search box at the top of my website 🙂 N x

      Reply
  10. Danielle Godfrey says

    January 23, 2021 at 2:52 am

    Hi Nagi and Dozer!
    Your home looks gorgeous and so does the view from your patio! I would absolutely love to see what you see from your patio….please include a few pics and also of the beach with Dozer….I’m buried with 3 feet of snow here in Canada. It would certainly lift my spirits being in lockdown and all!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      January 23, 2021 at 8:41 am

      Oh with pleasure Danielle!!! N x

      Reply
  11. Cheryl says

    January 23, 2021 at 12:25 am

    I would love to try this, but with just 2 people, a whole leg of lamb is way too much. Could i use a different cut of lamb? Chops maybe?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      January 23, 2021 at 8:43 am

      Hi Cheryl, you can use a smaller cut of lamb leg or even chops would be great marinated then seared on the BBQ! Yum!! N x

      Reply
      • Cheryl says

        January 26, 2021 at 2:37 am

        Thanks Nagi!

        Reply
    • Linda Hefter says

      January 23, 2021 at 3:35 am

      Use the smaller boneless leg of lamb. 🙂

      Reply
  12. Gemma says

    January 22, 2021 at 7:04 pm

    I was hoping you were going to show us how to butterfly a leg of lamb!!!
    Can’t wait to try this though….

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      January 22, 2021 at 7:54 pm

      I’ll put it up as a separate post 🙂 I’ll be making this one all through summer! N x

      Reply
  13. Mike says

    January 22, 2021 at 7:00 pm

    This recipe was very similar to one I made for friends. I agree with your recommendation to marinate the meat for 24 hours.

    Thank you for also including the recipe for the Greek Salad (Horiatiki) the combination is excellent.

    Please give Dozer a treat, he really needs one, just ask him!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      January 23, 2021 at 8:45 am

      Yes marinating the meat is key! And Dozer would never deny a treat! 😂 N x

      Reply
  14. Andre Vigours says

    January 22, 2021 at 6:58 pm

    Hi from Matsudo,I was wondering if you could do the same with a lamb shoulder as legs of lamb are as rare as chickens with teeth.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      January 23, 2021 at 8:47 am

      Hi Andre, yes you definitely can – it will be delicious! N x

      Reply
  15. Eha Carr says

    January 22, 2021 at 6:39 pm

    5 stars
    A Long Weekend smile ! Normally I may find too many words to say . . . BUT – this is pure and utter perfection ! No extra praise needed . . . enjoy the lamb, put up with the heat !!!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      January 23, 2021 at 8:48 am

      Thanks so much Eha!! 🥰 N x

      Reply
  16. KARIEN De Mot says

    January 22, 2021 at 6:25 pm

    Not even 8:30 am here, but I’m salivating…. this looks sooooo delicious. Will definitely try this.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      January 23, 2021 at 8:49 am

      I hope you do, love to know what you think once you’ve tried it Karien! N x

      Reply
  17. alimak says

    January 22, 2021 at 4:26 pm

    Beautiful – I can smell it just by reading the recipe – that alone tells me it’s a winner.

    I love using butterflied lamb – because of the variances in the thickness, it’s always cooked to perfection for everyone. Rare for me, medium for most friends, well done for the wusses!

    Thanks Nagi x

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      January 23, 2021 at 8:50 am

      Ugh the smell is amazing Alimak – such a great meat! N x

      Reply
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