This is the BEST chicken thigh marinade and I don’t say that lightly! It’s easy to prepare, has so much flavor and is perfect for grilling all kinds of meat but especially chicken thighs for when I make my family’s favorite Greek Shish Kebabs!
When YOU make this Chicken Thigh Marinade Recipe, tag us @munchkintimeblog on Instagram, we would LOVE to see your creation!
Summer grilling season is upon us and as much as I love cooking, I also love getting to spend as much time relaxing and enjoying the outdoors as I can. This means, quick and easy recipes are my love language!
It combines onion, fresh rosemary, oregano, garlic, vinegar and honey and becomes one of the most delicious chicken marinade recipes you’ll ever try.
Today I’m sharing with you exactly what goes into this grilled chicken thigh marinade, how to skewer and grill kebabs and how to make a homemade tzatziki sauce to pair it with. A Greek style dish that is a true crowd-pleaser.
Complete your meal with a side of roast potatoes with garlic and rosemary and a tasty Italian salad.
Ingredients Needed
For the Marinade
- Chicken thighs: A budget-friendly cut of chicken that is juicy and flavorful because of the dark meat it provides.
- Sliced onions & chopped garlic: Fresh raw aromatics that add a ton of flavor.
- Herbs: Rosemary Sprigs & dried oregano are a great pairing together and with chicken.
- Avocado oil: A mild flavored oil that is a healthy fat and has a high smoke point.
- White wine vinegar: The acid helps to break down the meat making it tender and juicy. It also adds a bright, tangy, and zesty flavor that brightens everything up.
- Honey: Sweetness to cut the acidity of the vinegar and give it a great flavor balance.
- Salt & pepper: To taste
How to Make the Chicken Thigh Marinade for Grilling
Step 1: Cut chicken thighs into 1” pieces, and remove any excess fat. Grab a mixing bowl and add the chicken thighs, sliced onions, rosemary, oregano, garlic, avocado oil, honey, white wine vinegar, and salt and pepper.
Step 2: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge to marinate overnight. Sometimes I like to marinate it in the morning and then have it ready to grill in the evening.
Step 3: If you’re using bamboo skewers be sure to soak them in water ahead of time to avoid burning. Thread the chicken pieces onto the skewers and place them down while you wait for the grill to heat up.
Step 4: Preheat the grill on high heat. Grease the grill and cook skewers until the chicken is cooked through. You should hear the initial sizzle which will tell you the grill is hot enough to give you beautiful char marks.
Step 5: Once the chicken is cooked, let it rest and cool for a couple of minutes. You can serve it on the skewers if you like or remove them to a plate. Serve with a side of homemade Greek tzatziki sauce and enjoy!
Homemade Tzatziki Sauce
Making a homemade sauce is so much easier than you think! All you need is plain Greek yogurt, cucumber, fresh garlic, white wine vinegar, fresh dill, avocado oil and salt and pepper to taste.
A quick sauce that comes together using all the signature ingredients means never having to buy storebought again!
Step 1: In a bowl, season grated cucumber with salt and white wine vinegar. This will pickle the cucumbers a bit, giving them a nice briny flavor. Mix that and set it aside.
Step 2: In a separate bowl, combine yogurt, garlic, white wine vinegar, dill, avocado oil, salt, and pepper.
Step 3: Take the marinated cucumber and squeeze out the liquid. Add it to the tzatziki sauce mixture and stir well.
Top Tips
- Always soak wooden skewers. You want to make sure to soak them for about half an hour before placing them on the grill. They have a tendency to burn when they are too dry which can alter the taste of your food.
- A different cut. I love using chicken thighs because of their flavor, but if you want to use cubes of chicken breast instead, you can. The marinade will do a great job of adding lots of flavor to them.
- Discard the marinade. Do not use it again once you’ve transferred your chicken to the skewers. It’s come into contact with raw meat so throw it out immediately!
- Clean your grill. Make sure to check and see if you remembered to clean the grill the last time you used it. If not, give it a good scrub so that way whatever was on the grate doesn’t get onto your food.
- Make sure grill is hot. Before adding any meat, you want to make sure it’s hot! Not only for beautiful char marks and to hear that sizzle, but also so that the meat doesn’t stick and it cooks evenly.
What to Serve with Marinated Grilled Chicken Skewers
This easy chicken thigh marinade for grilling has a ton of Greek flavors! When served with the tzatziki sauce it’s amazing so why not complete your Greek style menu with some of the following:
You could serve them with Instant Pot mashed potatoes or remove them from the skewers and place them in a wrap and switch up these Greek chicken gyros recipe with this deliciously marinated chicken. Add some shredded lettuce, tomatoes, and drizzle the tzatziki on top!
FAQs
No more than 24 hours. The marinade can really start penetrating flavors within 30 minutes. The longer it sits, the more intense the taste and the more tender and juicy the chicken will be.
However, you don’t want to do it too long otherwise it’ll have the opposite effect and make the chicken mushy!
Never keep any leftover marinade. You can store leftover grilled chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
If you have leftover tzatziki sauce, you can keep that in the fridge as well for up to 3 days.
You can! Just don’t add the meat until 24 hours before. The best chicken thigh marinade can be made up to 3 days ahead, combined and kept in the fridge.
📖 Recipe
Best Chicken Thigh Marinade - Greek Style
Ingredients
Ingredients to make the Best Chicken Thigh Marinade:
- 8 skinless boneless chicken thighs cut into 1 inch cubes
- 2 medium onion sliced
- 3 springs rosemary
- ½ teaspoon oregano dried
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 5 tablespoons avocado oil
- 5 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
- Salt and pepper to taste
Ingredients YOU will need to make Tzatziki Sauce:
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 cucumber peeled
- 1 - 3 clove garlic finely minced
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar + 2 tablespoons
- ¼ cup fresh dill finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
How to make the Best Chicken Thigh Marinade - Greek Style:
- In a mixing bowl combine chicken thighs, 2 sliced onion, 3 rosemary springs, ½ teaspoons of dry oregano, 3 chopped garlic cloves, 5 tablespoons of avocado oil, 5 tablespoons of white wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon of honey, salt, and pepper to taste.
- Marinate overnight. Thread chicken onto, soaked in water, bamboo skewers.
- Grease your grill. Grill on high heat, until chicken thighs are cooked thru. Enjoy chicken thighs shish kabobs with homemade Greek Tzatziki Sauce.
How to make homemade Tzatziki Sauce:
- Grate cucumber into a bowl. Season with salt and add 1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar, mix and set aside.
- Using a different bowl, combine yogurt, garlic, 2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar, fresh dill, avocado oil and salt and pepper to taste.
- Squeeze the grated cucumber and add it to the Tzatziki Sauce. Mix well. Serve with Greek Style Shish Kabobs.
Notes
Nutrition
Q. Do you like this Best Chicken Thigh Marinade Recipe?
Let me know in the comments below, I would love to hear from you!
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Quote of the DAY
Have a great day!
Catherine Sokolowski
I can't wait to try this!