This is my simple Mediterranean chicken marinade made with crushed garlic, fresh lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and fresh herbs (optional).
Mediterranean food often has generous amounts of these simple ingredients: olive oil, herbs, lemon, and garlic. And rightfully so- these ingredients have so much flavor!
I reach for this marinade again and again: it works beautifully for whole spatchock roasted chicken, grilled chicken thighs, broiled lamb shish kabobs, grilled lamb chops, and slow roasted chicken thighs and potatoes.
How To Make Mediterranean Chicken Marinade
The base of this marinade is lemon juice, fresh crushed garlic, olive oil, and salt. Optional ingredients are fresh herbs or dried herbs.
Peel the garlic and cut the ends off. Add garlic and salt to a bowl.
Pound the garlic with a mortar and pestle until it forms a paste. You can also use a garlic press to create garlic paste.
Juice a whole large lemon.
Remove the fresh herb leaves. I'm using fresh rosemary and fresh oregano. Chop finely.
Add the crushed garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and chopped herbs to a bowl. Marinate chicken.
Grilled Chicken Thighs
Marinate chicken breasts or chicken thighs for a minimum of 30 minutes.
Grill the marinated chicken on a preheated grill for 6 to 8 minutes on either side, or until the chicken is cooked through. Serve these grilled chicken pieces with a Greek salad.
Oven-Roasted Chicken
Marinate the whole chicken for a minimum of 30 minutes. Place raw chicken on top of sliced potatoes in a prepared baking sheet.
Roast the chicken uncovered in the middle of the oven at 325℉ for 2 to 2.5 hours. Serve roasted chicken with vermicelli rice and a Persian salad.
Reserve Marinade
Guess what?! This marinade can double as a dipping sauce (especially if you like garlic). Dip roasted potatoes, cooked chicken, or fresh pita bread.
📋 Recipe
Mediterranean Chicken Marinade
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless chicken dark meat or white meat, see note 1
- 5 cloves garlic fresh
- 1 large lemon juiced
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary optional
- 1 sprig fresh oregano optional
Instructions
- Peel and mash the garlic using a mortar and pestle. You can also crush the garlic using a garlic press. Add the olive oil, chopped rosemary, chopped oregano, crushed garlic, lemon juice, and salt to a bowl. Mix well.
- Pour the chicken marinade onto the boneless chicken. Mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes.
- Grill the chicken on a preheated grill for about 6 to 8 minutes per side until cooked through.
Notes
- Six servings of this marinade makes enough to marinate 2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken or 3 to 4 pounds of bone-in skin-on chicken, like bone-in chicken thighs or a whole chicken.
- Choice of meat: use chicken tenders, chicken breast, butterflied chicken, whole chicken cut up into pieces, bone-in chicken thighs, or a whole chicken. This marinade also goes well with lamb.
- My favorite ways to cook chicken:
- Grill: Preheat grill. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes on each side until the chicken is cooked through. For the grill, I prefer boneless and skinless cuts of meat.
- Oven: My favorite way to cook bone-in chicken is a slow-roast in the oven. I normally do 2-2.5 hours at 325℉.
- Stovetop: Another quick and easy way to prepare boneless/skinless chicken is on the stovetop with a large frying pan. Heat olive oil in the pan, and pan sear the chicken on both sides for about 6 to 8 minutes until cooked through.
Cara K. says
Bright simple marinade with ingredients I have already
Lily Guidry says
Thanks for the comment Cara!