Baked Greek Chicken is an easy-to-make dish that is full of bold flavors. The chicken is juicy, tender, and delicious.
Chicken thighs are given a quick marinade and then baked to perfection.
Greek Lemon Chicken
This tasty Greek Lemon Chicken is full of flavor. The chicken is marinated in olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and Mediterranean herbs.
It's easy to make and you can assemble the marinade in the morning, add your chicken, and let it sit in your fridge all day. In the evening you just place in a casserole dish and bake.
Since you can get by with just a 30-minute marinade, this is an easy last-minute dish to make too.
Key ingredients
Ingredients
This section reviews the best ingredients and substitutions for this recipe. For an exact list of ingredients and quantities, check the recipe card below.
- Chicken - Use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs for the most flavor. You could also use boneless chicken breasts, but you will need to adjust the baking time.
- Lemon - Adds extra flavor and juiciness to the chicken. Use freshly squeezed lemon juice.
- Olive Oil - Adds flavor and helps keep the chicken juicy.
- Garlic - This recipe calls for 4 cloves of garlic for maximum flavor. You can always use more or less garlic, depending on your taste.
- Seasoning - Dried oregano, thyme, parsley and rosemary gives the chicken Mediterranean flavor.
- Dijon Mustard - Adds additional flavor. You could also use a coarse whole-grain mustard.
Making baked Greek chicken
How to make it
In this section, I share step-by-step photos, cooking methods, techniques, and a general overview. For detailed instructions, temperatures, and timing, check the printable recipe card below.
- Trim excess skin and fat off of chicken thighs.
- Make marinade by combining olive oil, lemon juice, herbs, and dijon mustard together.
- Place chicken thighs in a zip-top bag or other container. Pour marinade over thighs. Close the bag and rotate or shake gently to fully cover the thighs with the marinade.
- Place in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. If possible, rotate bag at least once.
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Place chicken and the marinade in an 8x8 inch baking dish.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes until chicken is fully cooked and has reached 165°F. Baste once with marinade in pan halfway through cooking time.
- Place under a broiler for 2-4 minutes to crisp the chicken.
- Remove from oven and allow chicken to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
- Serve extra marinade from the baking dish on the side.
Recipe tips
- Be certain to trim off any excess skin. You don't want any skin wrapped around the underside of the chicken or it will become soggy.
- Use a meat thermometer to measure the internal temperature of the chicken. 165° F is the temperature you want.
- Allow chicken to rest for at least 5 minutes before serving. This allows all the juices to be redistributed back into the meat which helps keep the meat juicy.
- Placing under the broiler at the end is optional. It does help crisp up the skin. Keep a close eye on it, because it can burn quickly.
Frequently asked questions
You want at least 30 minutes to allow the chicken to become seasoned. A longer marinade will allow the chicken to absorb even more of the flavors. Do not marinate for longer than 24 hours.
Cooled chicken should be covered, refrigerated and used within 3-4 days.
Serving suggestions
- Garlic Green Beans
- Homemade Rice a Roni
- Green Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
More delicious recipes using chicken thighs
- Honey Baked Chicken Thighs
- Crispy Cast Iron Chicken
- Baked Chicken and Rice
- Apricot Chicken
- Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below and snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @beyondthechickencoop
Check out all my delicious chicken recipes!
Baked Greek Chicken
Ingredients
- 6 chicken thighs
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- lemon slices (optional, for garnish)
Instructions
- Trim excess skin and fat off of chicken thighs.6 chicken thighs
- Make marinade by combining olive oil, lemon juice, dijon mustard, herbs and salt together.⅓ cup olive oil, ¼ cup lemon juice, 4 cloves garlic, 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, 2 teaspoons dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 teaspoon dried parsley, ½ teaspoon dried rosemary, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper
- Place chicken thighs in a zip-top bag or other container. Pour marinade over thighs. Close bag and shake gently to fully cover thighs with the marinade.
- Place in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. If possible, rotate bag at least once.
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Place chicken and the marinade in an 8x8 inch baking dish.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes until chicken is fully cooked and has reached 165°F. Baste once with marinade in pan halfway through cooking time.
- Place under a broiler for 2-4 minutes to crisp the chicken.
- Remove from oven and allow chicken to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
- Serve extra marinade from the baking dish on the side.
- Serve chicken with lemon slices for garnish.
Notes
- Be certain to trim off any excess skin. You don't want any skin wrapped around the underside of the chicken or it will become soggy.
- Use a meat thermometer to measure the internal temperature of the chicken. 165° F is the temperature you want.
- Allow chicken to rest for at least 5 minutes before serving. This allows all the juices to be redistributed back into the meat which helps keep the meat juicy.
- Placing under the broiler at the end is optional. It does help crisp up the skin. Keep a close eye on it, because it can burn quickly.
Nutritional Disclaimer:
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. To obtain the most precise nutritional information in a provided recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the exact ingredients you are using when preparing the recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Julia Fore says
This is outstanding! A lot of marinades are too strong.
Kathy says
Thanks so much! I'm glad you enjoyed it! 🙂