This Oven Baked Greek Chicken Thighs Recipe is a super fast and easy weeknight dinner idea. A quick and flavorful marinade with Greek yogurt, lemon, garlic and herbs helps make this chicken super tender and full of flavor!
If you are looking for a quick dinner recipe, boneless, skinless chicken thighs are going to help you out. They cook so quickly, and have so much more flavor than chicken breasts! Plus they don’t dry out as easily. These Greek Chicken thighs have so much flavor packed into them, you wouldn’t believe that they only have to marinate for 15 minutes!
How to cook chicken thighs in the oven
One reason I love using boneless, skinless chicken thighs is that they cook so quickly in the oven. Depending on the size, they are usually done in 20-25 minutes. I like to use a baking sheet lined with foil for easy clean up. Roast them at 425 degrees F so they can get a little bit browned and crispy. They should have an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit when done.
The Best Greek Chicken Marinade
I love using yogurt to marinate meat – here with lemon, garlic and herbs it takes on bright greek flavors. Using yogurt helps to make the meat tender – the lactic acid and calcium in the yogurt helps break down the proteins and collagen. It also helps with browning and carmelization.
What to serve with Greek chicken thighs
Try my Turmeric Rice as a side dish for this Greek chicken, or my easy Homemade Pita Bread! and a simple salad. I also like to serve it with a Cous Cous Salad – I’ll be sharing the recipe for that later this week!
If you like this recipe, you will also love my Easy Chicken Shawarma!

Oven Baked Greek Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
For The Marinade:
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt full fat preferred
- ¼ cup olive oil
- zest of one lemon
- ⅓ cup lemon juice
- 4-5 cloves garlic pressed or minced
- 2 tablespoons dried italian seasoning I used my homemade blend, make sure yours has no added salt
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Whisk together ingredients for marinade. Toss chicken in marinade to fully coat. Allow to sit for at least 15 minutes, or keep in the refrigerator for longer, up to overnight.
- When ready to cook, preheat oven to 425°F.
- Line a baking sheet with foil for easy cleanup. Arrange chicken on baking sheet in a single layer.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until cooked through.
Michelle Adams says
Hi, was going to make this, but I am out of lemons. I do have lime on hand though. Do you think that will work? Should I change the seasonings? Thanks for your input.
Meghan says
Hi – I haven’t tried it with lime but it would probably be fine. Lime will give it a little bit of a different flavor but will still give it some acidity.
Samantha says
Made this tonight with Greek salad, rice & pita and the chicken was amazing! So glad I came across this recipe will definitely be making it again 🙂 thank you!!
Meghan says
SO happy you loved it!
Jana S says
Delicious marinade. I used boneless skinless breasts and non-fat Greek yogurt because it’s what we had on hand. They marinated for about 4 hours and were full of flavor. I will definitely be using this again.
Meghan says
I’m so happy to hear that Jana!
Katie says
I’ve made another greek inspired marinated chickens, but this one was amazing. I think it maybe the yogurt that helped the chicken get more lemon flavor than some of the other marinades I’ve tried. I will be trying this with greek seasoning as well, but I did make this in my air fryer using the roast function and it cooked perfectly. I made cauliflower turmeric rice to go with this and it paired well with the chicken. I’ll be making this again for sure!!
Meghan says
Wonderful! I’m so glad you loved it!
Tiffany Skye says
I am very excited to try this recipe next week!! I want to make Zucchini with it…do you think I could bake the zucchini with the chicken? Or should I do it separately?
I was thinking of coating them in some of the seasoning and putting them in the bottom of the pan, and the chicken on top.
Thank you!♡
Meghan says
Hi Tiffany – I would roast the zucchini on a separate sheet. If I were going to do this, I would toss the zucchini in olive oil, salt and pepper and whatever other seasonings you want. Then spread it our on a baking sheet so they aren’t over crowded and bake on the other rack in the oven at the same time as the chicken. If you bake it with the chicken, I’m afraid the zucchini will steam and get watery and mushy, and release too much water into the pan which would make the chicken less appetizing.
Tiffany Skye says
Thank you for the advice! I’m definitely gonna do it separately. I’ve got my chicken marinating now, it already smells Delicious!♡
Debbie says
I made this last night. It was so easy and quick to make. And the best part is, it was delicious. Next time, I will put it under the broiler at the end to brown it. It’s a keeper. Thanks for sharing.
Meghan says
So happy to hear that Debbie!
Tracy S Wise says
Delicious!!!
Easy to double this recipe too.
Meghan says
So glad you loved it!
Lisa says
Really great recipe – one I’ll definitely continue to make! I added grape tomatoes and feta cheese cubes during the last 10 minutes of baking.
Meghan says
So happy to hear that! Love those additions!
Jodi says
Absolutely delicious! It is now a regular and especially for guests. Everyone has asked for the recipe. Super quick and so full of fantastic flavors.
Meghan says
Yay! I am so happy to hear that Jodi!
Marian says
Do you have a recipe for Greek style green beans, that you can share?
Meghan says
Hi Marian – no I don’t, but that sounds great, I will add that to my list!
Tera says
What herb was used for garnish in the photo? Parsley?
Meghan says
Hi Tera – Yes, it is flat leaf Italian parsley.
Ashley Gooseberry says
So I’m trying tonight… I’m using chicken breast instead, also ima make it a one pot dish with rice…. hopefully it works out….
Meghan says
Sounds great! Let me know how it turns out!
Vanessa says
Thanks for sharing! How far ahead of time can I make it?
Meghan says
Hi Vanessa – I wouldn’t leave it in the marinade longer than 24 hours. The yogurt and lemon could start to change the texture of the chicken.
Suzanne says
This looks so good! Could I grill it instead?
Meghan says
Hi Suzanne – Yes, I think that would taste great!
Jariyatou says
I hope I’m not blaspheming when I ask if the air fryer can be used.
Meghan says
Hi there – I haven’t tried it in the air fryer but I think that would be fine.
Jennifer says
I make this for my family all the time! It’s so good! I use low fat Greek yogurt and it tastes amazing. Also, always use fresh lemon juice, not that pre packaged store bought stuff. Great for meal prepping, or just having a delicious meal with your family. Everyone here loves it, I would never even search for a better Greek chicken recipe tbh? This one is perfect
Meghan says
Hi Jennifer – thank you so much for your comment! I am so happy to hear that you love the recipe!
Ang says
Using Greek seasoning makes more sense, than using Italian seasoning. Cavenders is a good one. They also have one with no salt added. It’s a nice recipe…yum!
Meghan says
Absolutely, Greek seasoning would be great here.
Ann says
I was looking for aomething a little different and this was a huge hit! I didn’t have Greek yogurt, but regular worked pretty well– next time I’ll plan ahead! Made the turmeric rice AND pitas–my family was impressed! I also put red onion and zucchini on the pan for veg, and we sprinkled feta and sun dried tomatoes on as a garnish. Wow!
Meghan says
Yum, that sounds amazing! Thank you so much for your comment, I am so glad you and your family loved the recipes!
Corie says
If using thin chicken breasts how long would you cook for, I didnt have thighs?
Meghan says
Hi Corie, I haven’t tested this so I can’t be sure. I would start checking at 15 minutes.
nicole says
Excellent recipe. We made it as is, and the chicken was tender and flavorful. We will keeping this in the rotation!
Meghan says
So happy to hear that Nicole!
Jennifer says
Hi! Do you know if I would have to change the recipe if I used bone-in with skin chicken thighs? It looks amazing!
Meghan says
Hi Jennifer – You will need to cook them longer; I would say more like 35-45 minutes. It will depend on the size, the best bet is to use an instant read thermometer to make sure they are done.
Jayne says
Made this tonight with bone-in, skin on thighs and it took 50 minutes to cook. It was worth the wait. I am not a fan of lemon and used only about 1/4 cup of lemon juice from a bottle, and we used Greek seasoning. Added feta at the end. Very tender and tasty.
Meghan says
So glad you loved it Jayne!
Monique says
This was so good. I didn’t change a thing.
Meghan says
So glad you loved it!
traci says
can i substitute ras el hanout for the italian seasoning mix? i know it will give it a different flavor profile, but your method seems really simple, which i love. TIA!
Meghan says
Hi Traci – I haven’t tried it but I think it would be fine! Let me know how it turns out!
Lisa Prosko says
SOOO good! and EASY!
THANK YOU!
Meghan says
Yay! So glad you loved them Lisa.
Margarita ApoNte says
Awesome my family loved it!!!!
Meghan says
Yay! SO glad to hear that Margarita!
Barrie thompson says
My oven has been acting up so I sauteed these. So yummy! Hubby gave THREE thumbs up.
Meghan says
Oh yay! So glad to heat that Barrie!
Patty says
I am trying it tonight for the first time….it looks good
Meghan says
Yay, I hope you love it Patty!
STEPHANIE says
I may or may not have had three or four (okay five) spoonsful of the marinade before I tossed in the chicken. It’s
delicious! I’ll be using that for other marinades and if I add more yogurt it will be thick enough to use as a dip. Yum! Chicken was great – I probably added a bit more lemon juice, as I was eyeballing it, but it had a wonderful citrusy balance. I also broiled it for a few minutes at the end to get more crispy brown spots.
Meghan says
Hi Stephanie – Yay, I’m so happy you loved it!
Jackie robeets says
How long can the chicken remain in the marinade?
Meghan says
Hi Jackie – I think up to 24 hours would be fine!
Andy Charkiss says
Delicious! I love these chicken thighs!
MICHELE says
I would love to know your special recipe for the Italian seasoning you use! This is definitely on the menu for this week!
Meghan says
Hi Michele – ahh, I meant to put the Italian Seasoning Recipe on the blog before I posted this, but I didn’t have a chance yet. I’ll try to get it up next week! I hope you love the chicken!
Gwen says
This recipe was brilliant! Perfect for weekday cooking – quick, easy, and most of all, delicious! Bonus: I already had all of the ingredients in my kitchen, so no need for a special trip to the grocery store. The whole family enjoyed it. We’ll add it to our regular rotation! Thank you!!
Meghan says
Hi Gwen – Yay, I am so happy you and your family loved it!