Perfect Greek Chicken Marinade

You guyyyyyyyssssss….our grill is broken. How sad is that? To be right on the cusp of grilling season with no grill? And let’s face it – you can’t really get them on clearance right now. So we’re in the market for a new grill, maybe, at this point and just hoping to find the best one possible that won’t kill the ol’ bank account. Any suggestion?

I remember growing up we would always enjoy grilled BBQ chicken on weekends in the summer. Served with my mom’s awesome potato salad and fresh steamed corn, it was a simple and earthy dinner that I couldn’t get enough of. I remember the patio at our old house: the grill was next to a dog house that my dad built himself, which was basically a doggy palace. The green grass would beckon us to run through it, and I would wander around while my parents threw dinner together. My favorite part of the grill chicken was the sticky charred sauce because that’s where the flavor lived. SO GOOD.

 

All that to say that grilled chicken is one of my favorite things about summer food, and while barbeque is always welcome in our house, I do like to change it up. A great marinade makes all the difference, and because I truly believe – in my heart of hearts – that I could live on Greek food alone for the rest of my life I wanted to make sure I had a perfect marinade with Greek flavor in our weekly lineup. This is very bold, packed with lemon and garlic and oregano. You can certainly play around with the ingredient amounts, but this is my favorite combination. A pinch of red chile flakes would also be good, but I’ll leave that up to you 😉

 

Enjoy!

PERFECT GREEK CHICKEN MARINADE

 

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• juice and zest of 2 lemons
• 4 cloves of garlic, grated on a microplane
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

1. Pat the chicken breasts dry and set aside.
2. In a small bowl whisk together all of the remaining ingredients.
3. Rub the chicken breasts with the marinade and then place them in a resealable plastic bag with the remaining marinade.
4. Marinate for 3-4 hours before cooking.
5. Grill or cook the chicken for about 7-9 minutes per side until cooked through.
6. Let the chicken sit for 5 minutes before serving.
7. Enjoy!