Mediterranean Chicken Marinade

Inspired by my Turkish roots and my mom’s emotion for bold, homemade flavors, this marinade is genuinely foolproof. No much bottled dressings aliases agelong waits needed. Just real, elemental ingredients that present mouthwatering results pinch minimal effort. 

Whether you’re firing up nan grill, roasting successful nan oven, aliases searing connected nan stovetop, my marinade for Mediterranean chickenhearted guarantees tender, delicious chickenhearted that’s cleanable for repast prep aliases a fast, flavorful dinner.

Key Ingredients – Building Blocks of Flavor

The beauty of this chickenhearted marinade is that it is made pinch mundane ingredients you apt already person successful your pantry. You tin find nan complete database of ingredients successful nan look paper below. Below are immoderate adjuvant constituent notes.

Olive Oil: I urge utilizing extra-virgin oliva oil, which is nan purest and slightest processed type of oliva oil. Look for a marque that offers fruity flavors pinch balanced bitterness and a flimsy peppery finish.

Lemon zest: The zest of a citrus is basal for delivering nan unique lemony flavors that Mediterranean chickenhearted marinade recipes are known for. Keep successful mind that zesting nan citrus is overmuch easier earlier juicing it, truthful zest first, past juice.

Fresh citrus juice: No bottled supermarket juice here. Take nan clip to juice caller lemons arsenic freshness is cardinal to a bright, zesty flavor.

Garlic: For nan astir potent flavor, I urge utilizing 3 minced caller ail cloves. For a milder ail flavor, consciousness free to usage ail powder.

Mustard: I for illustration Dijon mustard for its soft tanginess, which brings nan marinade together beautifully. However, grainy mustard tin besides beryllium a awesome choice, adding a spot of texture and richness.

Fresh herbs: For nan astir authentic Mediterranean chickenhearted marinade, I utilized caller oregano, chopped conscionable earlier adding it to nan mix. Fresh rosemary, thyme, aliases moreover parsley (for a milder flavor) besides activity good successful this recipe. If you’re utilizing dried herbs instead, they’re much concentrated, truthful usage astir half nan magnitude of caller to debar overpowering nan marinade.

Seasoning: While I utilized basal brackish and capsicum for seasoning my marinade, you tin usage your favourite seasoning blends aliases spices from your cabinet. I peculiarly for illustration my Mediterranean herb blend, besides known arsenic Baharat Spice Mix, for its continuation of Mediterranean flavors.

Chicken: I tested this look some pinch skinless and boneless chickenhearted breasts and thighs, and they some worked beautifully. However, I deliberation this is an all-purpose chickenhearted marinade that would activity pinch immoderate trim of chicken.

How to Make Mediterranean Chicken Marinade?

Making this chickenhearted marinade is speedy and easy (in fact, nan guidelines is very akin to my versatile Mediterranean Salad Dressing). While nan steps are beautiful straightforward, location are a fewer things to support successful mind. Below are nan steps to follow:

Step 1 – Mix nan Ingredients: Grab a ample instrumentality pinch a tight-fitting lid (big capable to clasp 2 pounds of chicken). 

Combine nan oliva oil, citrus zest, citrus juice, minced garlic, Dijon mustard, oregano, and a bully pinch of brackish and pepper. Whisk until everything is combined.

Alternatively, you tin usage a heavy-duty resealable ziplock bag, which makes cleanup easy and is particularly useful if you’re doubling aliases tripling nan marinade.

Step 2 – Add nan chicken: Place nan chickenhearted breasts successful nan marinade, making judge each portion is afloat coated. Cover tightly pinch nan lid.

Step 3 – Let it rest: Let nan chickenhearted marinate connected nan room antagonistic for 15 to 30 minutes.

How to Cook Mediterranean Marinated Chicken?

In summation to being a speedy marinade that only needs 15 minutes, you tin navigator your Mediterranean marinated chickenhearted immoderate measurement you like. While grilling is my favourite method for this chickenhearted recipe, I besides emotion roasting it successful nan oven for a hands-off approach. And erstwhile I request a speedy sear, I move to nan stovetop. 

Below, you’ll find my tips and really I usage each cooking method.

On The Grill:

This is 1 of my favourite grilled chickenhearted marinade recipes because arsenic soon arsenic nan chickenhearted hits nan basking grill, nan tangy juices fastener successful nan flavors, and you get those beautiful grill marks. Here’s really I do it:

Step 1 – Heat Up nan Grill: Start by preheating your grill to a medium-high power astir 425–450°F (218-232 °C). Give nan grates a bully scrub to region immoderate lingering bits from past cooks, past lightly lipid them pinch a insubstantial towel pad dipped successful oil. This keeps nan chickenhearted from sticking and makes for easy flipping.

Step 2 – Prep nan Chicken: Take nan marinated Mediterranean chickenhearted retired of nan marinade, letting immoderate other drip off. Too overmuch marinade tin origin flare-ups aliases uneven cooking, truthful this measurement is worthy taking nan other clip to do it right.

Step 3 – Grill Away: Place nan chickenhearted connected nan basking grill and adjacent nan lid. Grill for 6 to 8 minutes per side. You’ll cognize it’s fresh to flip erstwhile it people releases from nan grill. If it sticks, springiness it different minute. Patience present pays off! 

Use a integer thermometer to cheque for doneness; you’re aiming for 165°F (74°C) successful nan thickest part.

Step 4 – Rest and Enjoy: Once nan chickenhearted is grilled, transportation it to a platter, screen it loosely pinch foil, and fto it remainder for 5–7 minutes. This little region allows nan juices to settee backmost into nan meat, ensuring each wound is juicy and afloat of Mediterranean flavor.

In nan Oven:

When I’m successful nan temper for a much hands-off approach, I fto nan oven do each nan work.

Oven-roasting helps fastener successful moisture and ensures nan nutrient cooks done mildly and evenly, which is thing you don’t ever get pinch quicker, high-heat methods.

Step 1 – Preheat nan Oven: Heat your oven to 425°F (218°C). This somesthesia is perfect for roasting chickenhearted because it cooks quickly, helping nan chickenhearted enactment juicy and flavorful. Line a baking expanse pinch parchment insubstantial for easy cleanup, aliases skip nan parchment if you for illustration a somewhat crispier exterior.

Step 2 – Arrange nan Chicken: Place nan chickenhearted breasts connected nan expanse pan, making judge to fto immoderate excess marinade drip disconnected first. This prevents nan chickenhearted from steaming and helps it roast to a aureate perfection.

Step 3 – Roast: Bake nan chickenhearted for 20 to 22 minutes, rotating nan cookware halfway done for moreover cooking. Keep successful mind that the nonstop timing will dangle connected nan thickness of your chicken. Check for doneness pinch a nutrient thermometer. It should registry 165°F (74°C) erstwhile inserted successful nan thickest portion of a chickenhearted breast.

Step 4 – Rest and Serve: Remove nan chickenhearted from nan oven, screen loosely pinch foil (or parchment paper), and fto it remainder for 5-10 minutes earlier slicing and serving.

On nan Stovetop:

I often move to nan stovetop erstwhile I want to get a speedy sear for luncheon aliases an easy dinner. 

Step 1 – Heat Your Skillet: In a ample skillet (10–12 inch), power 1 tablespoonful of oliva lipid complete medium-high heat. You tin besides usage a formed robust skillet if you prefer.
Pro Tip: Wait until nan lipid is shimmering basking earlier adding nan chicken—this ensures a flavorful sear and prevents nan chickenhearted from sticking.

Step 2 – Add nan Chicken: Place nan marinated chickenhearted breasts into nan pan, shaking disconnected immoderate excess marinade first. Avoid overcrowding nan cookware to springiness nan chickenhearted abstraction to sear properly.

Step 3 – Cook: Let nan chickenhearted navigator for astir 5 to 7 minutes connected each side. If nan chickenhearted releases easy erstwhile you effort to flip it, it’s ready; otherwise, fto it navigator a spot longer to create that beautiful crust. Use a integer thermometer to cheque that nan thickest portion of nan chickenhearted reaches 165°F (74°C).

Step 4 – Rest and Serve: Transfer nan cooked chickenhearted to a plate, screen it pinch foil, and fto it remainder for 5-10 minutes to let nan juices to redistribute.

Storage and Freezing Tips

Storage and reheating: You tin shop leftover cooked chickenhearted successful an airtight instrumentality successful nan fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat successful a low-heat oven (300°F/149 °C) for 5-10 minutes, aliases until warmed to your liking.

Freezing: While freezing does slow down nan effects of nan acidic citrus successful nan marinade, it doesn’t wholly extremity it. As a result, erstwhile nan chickenhearted is thawed and cooked, it tin extremity up rubbery and mushy. For that reason, I don’t urge freezing nan earthy chickenhearted successful nan marinade.

What to Serve pinch Mediterranean Chicken?

What I emotion astir about this look is its versatility, transforming your marinated Mediterranean chickenhearted into an awesome feast pinch endless pairing options to suit immoderate crowd. Here are a fewer of my favourite ways to information retired nan meal:

• Salads: Keep things caller and ray pinch salads that item Mediterranean flavors. My creamy yogurt cucumber salad aliases Greek salad are some low-carb, crisp, and refreshing recipes that brace perfectly pinch this chicken. If you’re aft a vibrant scatter of color, my Red Cabbage and Carrot Slaw adds a satisfying crunch and a popular of color.
• Pilafs: For a much important repast aliases to incorporated into your play repast prep, brace your chickenhearted pinch Mediterranean classics for illustration my Bulgur Wheat Pilaf aliases Mediterranean Rice pinch Vermicelli. These cozy sides bring a warm, hearty equilibrium to nan lemony chicken.
• Pasta: Looking for a comforting plate? Slice your chickenhearted and service it complete aliases alongside my Garlic Butter Spaghetti aliases Lemon Ricotta Spinach Pasta for a delicious, easy-to-make dinner.
• Sauce: Add an other furniture of Mediterranean spirit pinch classical sauces for illustration my Tzatziki sauce aliases yoghurt tahini sauce. They’re creamy, cooling, and nan cleanable decorativeness for this juicy chicken.

FAQs

Other Chicken Marinade Recipes You Might Also Like

• If you for illustration a yogurt-based marinade that still captures those Mediterranean flavors, effort my Yogurt Chicken Marinade. It’s creamy and packed pinch herbs.
• For a much robust, vinegar-forward flavor, my Balsamic Vinegar Chicken Marinade is simply a awesome action pinch its saccharine and tangy notes.

Photos by Tanya Pilgrim

Categorized as: 4th of July Recipes, Chicken, Condiments, Dairy Free, Dinner, Egg Free, Gluten Free, Grain Free, Holidays, No Cook, Nut Free, Sauces, Special Diet