Very Greek Grilled Chicken has Greek Chicken Souvlaki flavors in a grilled chicken breast, and it’s one of my most popular grilling recipes! And if you like these flavors you’ll probably make this over and over.
PIN the Greek Grilled Chicken recipe to try it later!
This popular Very Greek Grilled Chicken might be the all-time most popular grilling recipe on Kalyn’s Kitchen! And this blog has quite a few Grilling Recipes, so that’s saying something. And this is the last summer holiday weekend in the U.S. So in case you haven’t tried this favorite Greek grilled chicken recipe yet I’m recommending it as my Friday Favorites pick this week, in hopes that it might be something that makes it on to your menu over the weekend!
I came up with this grilled chicken with Greek flavors in in the very early days of the blog when I was experimenting to see what type of marinade would taste good on grilled chicken, and I’ve made it every summer for many years now. This is a recipe where longer marinating time won’t hurt a bit, but at a minimum I hope you’ll take time to marinate the chicken at least the 6 hours minimum that I’m recommending. And if you really, really like lemon (like me!) a little extra lemon juice wouldn’t hurt.
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
What gives this grilled chicken the Greek flavor?
This tasty grilled chicken recipe has the Greek flavor trinity of olive oil, lemon juice, and oregano, and there is added flavor from lemon zest, Greek Seasoning, and Poultry Seasoning.
Tips for Making Juicy Grilled Chicken Breasts:
If you’re not that experienced with grilling chicken breasts, you might want to read my how-to post that has How to Make Juicy Grilled Chicken Breasts.
How much Greek Grilled Chicken does this recipe make?
Leftover grilled chicken is something I love to have in the fridge to throw on top of a salad or eat in tacos. I only made four pieces of the Very Greek Grilled Chicken when I was taking the photos in this post. But this recipe makes 8 servings, and I recommend making it all and enjoying the leftover chicken.
Can you cook Greek Grilled Chicken without an Outdoor Grill?
If it’s not quite grilling weather where you live or you don’t have an outdoor grill, you can also cook this chicken on a stove-top grill pan with ridges or a George Foreman Grill with good results. (affiliate links)
How to make Very Greek Grilled Chicken:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- Start by trimming all visible fat and tendons from the chicken breasts. (I save all those scraps and use to make homemade chicken stock.)
- Make crosswise slits (not too deep) down the length of each chicken breast. This ensures that the thicker pieces of chicken cook more evenly and gives more surface for the marinade.
- If you have a fresh lemon, using lemon zest in this marinade really perks up the flavor, but it can definitely be made without it.
- Whisk together the marinade ingredients. (Using a measuring cup with a spout makes it easy to pour the marinade into the plastic bag.)
- I love to use Ziploc bags to marinate things, but you can also use a glass casserole dish if you’ll be home to turn the chicken a few times.
- Let chicken marinate for 6-8 hours if you can.
- Dump the chicken and marinade into a colander placed in the sink and let chicken come to room temperature.
- Spray the grill with non-stick spray or oil; then preheat to medium-high.
- Put chicken on grill top side down on the diagonal and cook about 4 minutes (or until you see grill marks when you lift up the edge.)
- Rotate chicken pieces so they’re going on the diagonal the other way and cook about 4 minutes more (until you see criss-cross grill marks.)
- Turn chicken over and cook about 4-8 minutes on the other side, until chicken feels firm but not hard to the touch when you press on it with your fingers.
- Actual cooking time will vary depending on chicken temperature and how hot your grill is.
- If you have one I would test the doneness with an Instant-Read Meat Thermometer (affiliate link).
- Leftover Greek Chicken is great on salads or Greek tacos, so don’t be afraid to make the full recipe!
Make it a Low-Carb Meal:
For a low-carb meal, serve this Greek Grilled Chicken with something like Easy Roasted Asparagus or Greek Salad with Peppers. Or serve with Grilled Zucchini, which could cook right along side the chicken on the grill. And for an ultra-easy side dish, the chicken in the photo is served with Cucumbers Caesar.
More Chicken for Dinner:
Weekend Food Prep:
This recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep where you’ll find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Marinade Ingredients
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tsp. (or more) fresh lemon zest (see notes)
- 1 tsp. Greek Seasoning
- 1 tsp. poultry seasoning
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- If you’re not that experienced grilling chicken, you might want to read How to Make Juicy Grilled Chicken Breasts before you make this.
- Trim all visible fat and membranes from chicken breasts.
- I like to make small crosswise slits about 1/2 inch apart down the length of each chicken breast to help the marinade penetrate the meat.
- Put chicken in single layer in Ziploc bag.
- Combine olive oil, fresh-squeezed lemon juice, lemon zest, Greek Seasoning (affiliate link), Poultry Seasoning (affiliate link), Dried Greek Oregano (affiliate link), and black pepper to make the marinade and pour over chicken.
- Marinate chicken in refrigerator 6-8 hours or all day if desired. (If you don’t have at least 6 hours to marinate I recommend increasing the lemon juice a little.)
- When you’re ready to cook, dump chicken and marinade into a colander placed in the sink and let it drain and come to room temperature if you have time.
- To cook, spray the grill with non-stick spray or oil; then preheat to medium-high (you can only hold your hand there a few seconds at that heat.)
- Put chicken on grill top side down on the diagonal to grill grates and cook about 4 minutes (or until you see grill marks when you lift up the edge.)
- Rotate chicken pieces so they’re going on the diagonal the other way and cook about 4 minutes more (until you see criss-cross grill marks.)
- Turn chicken over and cook about 4-8 minutes on the other side, until chicken feels firm but not hard to the touch when you press on it with your fingers. Actual cooking time will vary depending on chicken temperature and how hot your grill is.
- You can test the doneness with an Instant-Read Meat Thermometer (affiliate link) if you have one. Grilled Chicken should have an internal temperature of 165F/75C to be safe.
- Even if you’re only cooking for a few people I recommend making the whole recipe. The leftover chicken is great to cut up on top of a salad, in Greek tacos, or mixed into some stir-fried veggies for a quick lunch.
Notes
If you don’t have a fresh lemon to get lemon zest, you can use 1/4 tsp. dried lemon zest (or use a little more lemon juice if you don’t have lemon zest). This chicken could also be cooked in a stove-top grill pan with ridges or a George Foreman Grill with good results (affiliate links).
This recipe created by Kalyn.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8
Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 322Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 102mgSodium: 279mgCarbohydrates: 1gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 37g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Very Greek Grilled Chicken is great for any type of Low-Carb or carb-conscious eating plan, including Keto, Paleo, or any phase of the original South Beach Diet.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Grilling Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This grilled Greek chicken recipe was first posted (without any photos!) in 2005. I’ve been making it ever since that time, and the recipe was last updated with more information in 2023.
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