How To Make Greek Chicken – (Whole Roast Chicken)

How To Make Greek Chicken – (Whole Roasted Chicken) – make the perfect Greek marinade, that you can use on whole chicken, breast or  thighs. Fresh, tangy, flavorful.

Just a few ingredients and you are going to have the most simple and delicious chicken dinner to serve to your family.

How to make Greek chicken Marinade

I’ve been making this whole roasted Greek chicken with potatoes (or other veggies) for years, but never called it “Greek”.

Just recently realized it is how chicken marinade in Greece is made (of course you can add or omit ingredients, to adjust it to your taste).

This chicken marinade is heavy on olive oil (vegetable oil could be used instead), garlic, lemon juice and oregano.

The typical Greek flavors.

I added in some dry white wine (optional), salt, pepper and paprika. This is pretty much it.

To cook delicious food, you don’t need a ton of ingredients.

Used the Greek chicken marinade on a whole roasted chicken with potatoes, because this is the perfect weekend meal for my family.

The same marinade can be used on just chicken breast, boneless or bone in chicken thighs, chicken, pork or beef skewers.

 Ingredients for Greek Chicken Marinade :

• olive oil
• melted butter
• garlic
• lemon juice
• salt
• black pepper
• oregano
• paprika
• dry white wine (optional)

Other ingredients you can add to this basic Greek marinade:

Optional ingredients to add to your Greek chicken marinade are thyme, a splash of hot sauce or a pinch or Cayenne pepper, Greek yogurt (no more than 1/4 cup) or sumac – to enhance the lemony flavpr.

For how long should you marinate this chicken on a Greek chicken marinade, before roasting?

You can just coat the chicken in marinade and bake it right away.

For best results, marinate for 30-60 minutes at room temperature.

I don’t recommend marinating a whole chicken for longer.

If you are making chicken breast, thighs or skewers, you can marinate them for 6 -8 hours in the fridge.

How long to roast whole chicken in the oven for at 400 F?

It usually takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes to roast a whole 4 lb (2 kg) chicken in the oven at 400 F (with a fan or 425 F without a fan), or until a thermometer inserted into the breast and thigh meat reads 165 F.

The juices of the meat should run clear.

For larger birds allow extra time. Cooking time may vary, depending on the type of oven and pan used.

What to serve Greek chicken with?

If you’d like to, you can cook some veggies or potatoes (like in this recipe) with your whole roasted chicken.

Otherwise you will have to make a side dish of your own.

Salads like this Shopska Salad  or Light Vegan Potato Salad make the perfect side dishes to serve with roasted chicken.

Steamed rice , salsa or oven fries could be nice side dish options.

More chicken recipes:

• Baked Caprese Chicken Thighs – simple and delicious one pan weeknight dinner. Healthy, colorful, juicy and cheesy with Italian flavors. 
• This recipe tastes amazing! The Endless Meal made Julia Child’s Coq Au Vin (Chicken in Wine) and it is definitely worth trying. 
• Stove Top Chicken Thighs – make the easiest, juiciest boneless skinless chicken thighs with a simple seasoning in a pan on the stove top.
• Baked Split Chicken Breast  – you can learn how to make this perfectly seasoned, juicy with a crispy skin. The best way to cook bone in skin on chicken breast in the oven.

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5 from 3 votes

Greek Chicken Marinade

How To Make Greek Chicken - (Whole Roasted Chicken) - make the perfect Greek marinade, that you can use on whole chicken, chicken breast or chicken thighs. Fresh, tangy, flavorful. Just a few ingredients and you are going to have the most simple and delicious chicken dinner to serve to your family.

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

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Ingredients 

• ▢ 4 lb whole chicken
• ▢ 1/4 cup olive oil
• ▢ 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• ▢ 4 garlic cloves, minced
• ▢ 2 tbsp dry white wine
• ▢ Juice from 1 large lemon
• ▢ 1 tsp salt
• ▢ 1/4 tsp black pepper
• ▢ 1/2 tsp oregano
• ▢ 1/4 tsp paprika

US Customary - Metric

Instructions 

• Take the chicken out of the packaging wipe to dry with paper towels. (This extra step will ensure you gat a crispy skin - let the chicken dry in the fridge uncovered overnight).
• In a bowl combine the olive oil, melted butter, garlic, lemon juice , whine, salt, pepper, oregano and paprika.
• Generously season the chicken on the outside and inside, you can also add some marinade between the breast and the skin.
• Let the chicken marinate at room temperature for 30-60 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400 F (with a fan) or 425 F without a fan.
• Place chicken on a baking dish and bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes, basting every 15 minutes with the juices, that the chicken releases.
• Test the temperature - it needs to be 165 F when a thermometer inserted into the breast and thigh meat should read 165 F and juices need to run clear.
• Remove the baked chicken from the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes, before cutting.

Notes

Add cubed potatoes (pieces just about 1/2x1/2 inch and bake them together with he chicken.

Nutrition

Calories: 2803kcal, Carbohydrates: 6g, Protein: 163g, Fat: 231g, Saturated Fat: 74g, Cholesterol: 775mg, Sodium: 2947mg, Potassium: 1694mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 2884IU, Vitamin C: 18mg, Calcium: 131mg, Iron: 9mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: dinner

Cuisine: Greek

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