Greek Chicken

A yogurt marinated chicken that’s beautifully tenderized and infused with terrific garlic and oregano flavours! If you’re new to the magical powers of yogurt marinades, this baked Greek Chicken is going to convert you for life!  Brought to you in partnership with Farmers Union Greek Style Yogurt.

Welcome to GREEK WEEK! Every now and then, I like to do themed menus where I share all the recipes for a feast, and this week it’s all about the bright fresh flavours of the Mediterranean. Think – lemons, oregano, yogurt, lemons and plenty of garlic!

Are you ready to see what I’ve got in store for you for Greek Week?? Here you go….

GREEK MENU

• Greek Chicken – Garlicky lemony oregano flavours infused right through the chicken from a flavour loaded Greek chicken marinade;

• Greek Salad – the juicy tomatoes, fresh cucumbers, that red wine vinegar dressing and the pops of feta!

• Tzatziki – for dipping and dolloping (recipe in Notes of Greek chicken) Coming Thursday;

• Greek Lemon Roasted Potatoes – crispy, lemony potatoes. It’s your dream come true! Coming Friday; or

• Lemon Potato Salad (pictured in first photo)– terrific alternative to mayo based Potato Salads. Bonus: No need to peel the potatoes.

And for dessert….

Greek BUTTLOVER!!!! 

Oops, I mean Baklava. Butt-lover / Baklava. Same thing. 😂 Coming your way on Friday…. (Psst It does take time to assemble but you’re going to be amazed how straightforward it is!!)

SECRET WEAPON: YOGURT GREEK CHICKEN MARINADE

I first introduced readers to the magical powers of yogurt marinades with Greek Chicken Gyros. I bleated* over and over again about how the yogurt marinade is so awesome, I use it even when I’m not making Gyros. (*Honestly, there is no other way to describe the way I harped on about it other than to say I was bleating.)

Yogurt is a brilliant marinade. The Greeks know it, Middle Easterners have embraced it, the Persians love it, the Indians live by it (Butter Chicken, Tikka Masala, Biryani!).

What’s so good about it? Well, it tenderises quickly and more evenly than liquids with harsher acidity like lemon juice and vinegar, and is also a fabulous flavour carrier, injecting herbs and spices into the flesh.

This is the yogurt I use, and have always used for as long as I can remember – Farmers Union Greek Style Yogurt. It would be rare to find my fridge without a tub of this. More likely you’d see two: current in use + a restock.

There’s enough flavour in the Greek Chicken Marinade such that you don’t need to marinate for a full 24 hours to get the benefit of the tenderising and flavour injection. Overnight is definitely recommended but if you really need to rush it, even 3 hours is enough. Just do extra basting!

I’ve baked this chicken because I’ve used bone in, skin on chicken thighs and drumsticks here. I love how the skin goes crispy, and any cut of meat with the bone is extra juicy.

But this is one of those recipes that is truly terrific with any cut of chicken. Especially breast – because it adds juiciness and flavour. I’ve popped directions and cook times in the recipe notes.

Go forth and enjoy! Back Wednesday for the next instalment in this weeks’ Greek Feast – Greek Lemon Roasted Potatoes! – Nagi x

WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT

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Greek Chicken

Author: Nagi

Prep: 8 mins

Cook: 50 mins

Total: 58 mins

Mains

Greek

4.99 from 61 votes

Servings4 - 5 people

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Recipe video above. Yogurt is a magical marinade! This chicken is golden on the outside, beautifully tenderised on the inside and infused with terrific garlic-oregano flavours. Serve this with a Greek Salad and flatbread - or see in post for a full Greek Feast menu! Marinade time: Overnight, min 3 hrs.

Ingredients

• ▢ 1.25 kg / 2.5 lb drumsticks and chicken thighs , bone in skin on (Note 1)

Marinade:

• ▢ 6 garlic cloves , minced (~ 2 tbsp)
• ▢ 2 tbsp white wine vinegar (or red wine or apple cider vinegar)
• ▢ 1/2 cup / 125 ml lemon juice
• ▢ 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ 3/4 cup Greek yogurt (I use Farmers Union)
• ▢ 1 1/2 tbsp dried oregano
• ▢ 1 tsp salt
• ▢ 1/2 tsp black pepper

Serving (optional):

• ▢ Plain Greek yogurt or Tzatziki
• ▢ Fresh oregano leaves (optional)

Instructions

• Mix Marinade ingredients in a large bowl.
• Add chicken and coat well. Marinade for 24 hours (3 hours minimum).
• Preheat oven to 180C.350F.
• Line a tray with foil (trust me), place rack on tray (optional).
• Place chicken on rack (reserve marinade), skin side up. Bake 30 minutes,
• Remove from oven. Brush with marinade - do not flip.
• Return to oven for 20 minutes or until golden and a bit crispy. Give it a spray of olive oil just before it's done if you want an extra crispy, shiny coat.
• Rest for a few minutes before serving. Juicy and tasty enough to serve plain but extra great with tzatziki or even some plain yogurt.

Recipe Notes:

1. This recipe will also work great with wings (same cook time and temp), breast (bash with fist to 2cm / 4/5" even thickness, cook 20 minutes at 200C/390F), skinless boneless thigh (20 minutes at 200C / 390F), basting at about 15 minutes.

If using boneless thighs or breast, I would actually recommend cooking on the stove instead! Medium high, breast for 3 minutes on each side, thigh 4 minutes on each side.

2. MAKE AHEAD: Place chicken in marinade, then pop straight into the freezer. Defrost 24 hours in the fridge - during this time it will marinade. Cooked chicken can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months, but fresh is always best!

3. Based on the marinade from Greek Chicken Gyros.

4. Use Tzatziki recipe in this Greek Chicken Gyros.

5. Nutrition is overstated because it takes into account all the marinade. I have no way of guessing how much of the marinade actually ends up in the chicken.

Nutrition Facts

Greek Chicken

Amount Per Serving

Calories 442 Calories from Fat 243

% Daily Value*

Fat 27g42%

Saturated Fat 6g38%

Cholesterol 195mg65%

Sodium 818mg36%

Potassium 516mg15%

Carbohydrates 5g2%

Sugar 2g2%

Protein 41g82%

Vitamin A 120IU2%

Vitamin C 13.2mg16%

Calcium 79mg8%

Iron 1.4mg8%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 442cal (22%)Carbohydrates: 5g (2%)Protein: 41g (82%)Fat: 27g (42%)Saturated Fat: 6g (38%)Cholesterol: 195mg (65%)Sodium: 818mg (36%)Potassium: 516mg (15%)Sugar: 2g (2%)Vitamin A: 120IU (2%)Vitamin C: 13.2mg (16%)Calcium: 79mg (8%)Iron: 1.4mg (8%)

Keywords: Greek Chicken, Greek Chicken Marinade

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LIFE OF DOZER

Getting right in there to make sure it’s sparkling clean before I pop it into the recycling bin!

Today’s recipe is brought to you courtesy of Farmers Union. I’ve used their Greek style natural yoghurt for as long as I can remember. So it was a no brainer when they asked if I’d create a recipe for them!!