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Add Yogurt to Your Chicken!
If you’ve never had yogurt marinated chicken, get ready for the juiciest chicken ever! Adding yogurt to your chicken is a great cooking hack I learned from my mom which tenderizes the chicken, locks in the moisture and makes it so juicy! And then you can cook it on the grill, in the oven, stovetop or even in the air fryer!
This Greek yogurt marinated chicken is a great recipe to marinate in advance and have it ready to throw on the grill for a summer cookout!
Happy Cooking!
– Yumna
“Tried this today and it was sooo good. Thank you for sharing it. Since I couldn’t grill it I put it in a pan and we loved the flavors. Made some mashed potatoes on the side and a salad. Everyone in the family ate it and even my daughter who is a very picky eater. This will for sure be a meal that will be done many times.” – Nesrine
Yogurt Marinated Chicken Ingredients
- Chicken: I prefer to use boneless, skinless chicken breasts for this recipe, but you can also use chicken thighs or drumsticks.
- Yogurt: I’ve made this with regular full-fat yogurt and Greek yogurt. You can use either one, but I recommend going with full-fat yogurt so that the marinade doesn’t get watery.
- Lemon: To help tenderize the chicken and add a fresh flavor. You can skip it or swap with vinegar.
- Garlic: Use fresh garlic and mince them so they blend into the chicken marinade.
- Spices: I use a mixture of paprika, oregano, onion powder, salt, and pepper. You can also try adding or swapping smoked paprika, garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, or even 7 spice seasoning blend.
Popular Additions
- Add some veggies: Skewer some vegetables like cherry tomatoes, onion wedges, or mushrooms along with the chicken for a complete meal. You can also just make grilled veggie kabobs on the side.
- Add olive oil. The yogurt marinates the chicken really well without the need for oil. But you can still add 1-2 tablespoons of oil to add more flavor and help prevent the chicken from sticking to the grill.
- Add mustard. It can be regular mustard or dijon mustard, but it also helps to add moisture to the chicken like the yogurt, and enhances the flavor of the chicken.
How to Make Yogurt Marinated Chicken
To Bake The Chicken
- Preheat your oven to 425°F.
- Line a sheet pan or baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking. Place the chicken breast on the pan with an inch or two in between each piece of chicken.
- Bake until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
To Air Fryer The Chicken
- Preheat your air fryer at 375°F.
- Spray the basket with a light coating of non-stick spray. Place the chicken in an even layer leaving space between each breast. Cook, flipping halfway through until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
“Omg!!! This is a quite simple recipe, but probably one of the best chicken recipe I’ve ever made!!!! Thank you so much! I marinated for almost 24hours, and baked 20mins 200 degree. So tender and moist, and easy!! – Kaori
Recipe Tips
- Double-grease the grill grates. Because of the yogurt used in the marinade, the grilled chicken can sometimes stick to the grill otherwise. Adding extra oil to the grill will help, and be sure not to try to flip the chicken too soon, which will also help.
- Pound the chicken to an even ½-inch thickness. This will help the chicken cook evenly and prevent it from drying out.
- Use a grill pan or cast iron skillet If you don’t have a grill. Just heat the pan over medium-high heat and cook for about the same amount of time.
- Marinate the chicken for a full 24 hours. This will give the chicken plenty of time to absorb all of the flavors from the marinade.
- Let the chicken rest before cutting into it. This will help keep all the juices in and make for a juicier grilled chicken breast.
Serving Ideas
- Hasselback Sweet Potatoes
- Cheesy Gouda Scalloped Potatoes
- Pasta in Yogurt Sauce
- Greek Orzo Salad
- Restaurant Quality Creamy Risotto
Recipe Help & FAQs
This chicken is best served fresh, but leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. When ready to eat, reheat in a skillet over medium heat until warmed through.
You can freeze the chicken before or after cooking. If freezing before, just place the chicken in a freezer-safe bag with the marinade and freeze for up to four months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator when ready to cook.
If freezing after cooking, let the chicken cool completely, then place it in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to four months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat in a skillet over medium heat until warmed through.
No, you don’t need to poke holes in the chicken. The yogurt marinade will penetrate the chicken on its own. That being said, you can certainly poke holes in the chicken if you’d like.
Yes, you can marinate chicken in yogurt overnight. In fact, I recommend it because it gives the chicken plenty of time to absorb all of the flavors from the marinade.
More Chicken Recipes:
- Grilled Dijon Chicken
- Roasted Whole Chicken
- Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan
- Tortilla Crusted Chicken
- Pecan Crusted Chicken
- Oven Baked Balsamic Chicken
- Broccoli Chicken Alfredo
- Sweet Potato Noodles with Chicken
- Honey Mustard Chicken
- Skillet Cilantro Chicken
If you try this Yogurt Marinated Chicken recipe or any other recipe on Feel Good Foodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe. We would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots, share it on Instagram so we can repost on Stories!
Yogurt Marinated Chicken
Video
Ingredients
- 4 (6-ounce) chicken breast about 1 ½ pounds
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
To Grill The Chicken
- Pat the chicken breast with a paper towel to remove excess moisture. Pound the thicker end of the chicken to even out the sides for even cooking, if needed.
- Add Greek yogurt, lemon and garlic on top of the chicken and season with the paprika, onion powder, oregano, salt and pepper. Rub the chicken breasts with the yogurt and seasoning and coat well. Allow the chicken to marinade for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
- Preheat an outdoor grill to medium-high heat. Place the chicken on the grill and cook with the lid open for 6-8 minutes on one side without touching. Use tongs to flip the chicken and cook for 6-8 more minutes on the other side, until the chicken reaches internal temperature 160°F. Keep in mind that the temperature will continue to rise about 5 degrees after you remove from heat and the chicken rests.
- Transfer the chicken to a plate or cutting board and tent with aluminum foil, if desired. Allow them to rest for 5 minutes before slicing or serving.
To Bake The Chicken
- Preheat your oven at 425°F.
- Line a sheet pan or baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking. Place the chicken breast on the pan with an inch or two in between each piece of chicken.
- Bake for 16-18 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
To Air Fryer The Chicken
- Preheat your air fryer for a few minutes at 375°F.
- Spray the basket with a light coating of non-stick spray. Place the chicken in an even layer leaving space between each breast. Air fry at 375°F for 8 minutes, then flip and air fry for 4-7 more minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
I multiplied this recipe and have the chicken marinating overnight. I plan to follow your air fryer instructions. I’m now seeing you suggest to add mustard. How much would you add? Thanks in advance!
I recommend adding 1-2 teaspoons of mustard to the marinade. Hope you enjoy!
I’ll have to try that next time. The big batch I made following your listed recipe was delicious! I make your air fryer chicken breast recipe weekly, but this will definitely be my new go to recipe! Love having cooked chicken breast on hand for easy meals.
Aww, so glad you liked how it turned out!! Thanks, Amira!
I loved it, thank you! I made it on my skillet and it was perfect for my family.
Yay!! So happy you and your family loved it! Thanks!
The whole family loved it even 2 of my kids who are picky! I did add some olive oil baked it then used a grill pan.
Amazing! So glad you all loved it!!
First off, I do NOT cook, like ever. But recently got into meal prepping for health and came across your recipe. It is so good! I baked it in the over for 17 minutes and my chicken breast is still tender and full of flavor, thank you so much for this!
Aww, so happy you liked it and found the recipe easy to follow! Thank you, Jessica!!
Super easy and delicious. Will be a regular staple.
Yay, so happy you liked it!! Thanks, Katie!
What are the amounts of ingredients to use?
Hi Mary, the full recipe with ingredient amounts can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post (above the comments section). If you click ‘jump to recipe’ it will bring you straight there. Hope that helps!
not very delish
So sorry it didn’t turn out how you expected, Adam. Was there anything specific you didn’t like about it?
Very good
So glad you liked it, Nica! Thanks!
Very flavorful. As directed, marinated overnight and cooked in my cast iron. I served it over tabouli and topped it with some hot evoo hummus. This will be a staple in my household. Delicious. Thank you.
Yum, love how you prepared it! Sounds so good!! So glad you liked it, Rachel!
Would this recipe work with boneless chicken thighs? Thank you
Yes, absolutely! Enjoy!!
Mine turned out dry and bland, with no colour despite cooking in the oven on a high temperature as specified (I even cut off 20 degrees Celcius to account for fan forced oven). If I was to make it again I would either cut the cooking time or reduce the temperature, and finish off under the grill (broiler) to give it some colour.
So sorry to hear the recipe didn’t work out for you, Carys.
Super good!!!
Yay, so happy you liked it!! Thank you!
Delicious – no dried out chicken breasts here! Marinated for 24 hours then dredged in a small amount of panko and fried in cast iron skillet.
Yum, sounds so good! So happy you liked the recipe!! Thank you!
Despite the neg reviews, I thought it sounded tasty. I added some cumin, fresh parsley and mayo to the recipe to try and kick it up. I have to agree with other reviewers….bland, tough, dry. And yes I marinated it overnight. Sorry, just not worth the effort.
So sorry to hear you didn’t like it, Lorraine, but I appreciate the feedback. Did you make sure to use Greek yogurt instead of regular yogurt?
The whole family enjoyed this. Only marinated for 1.5 hours and was low on lemon but still turned out flavorful. I’ll be making again for sure.
So glad you and your family enjoyed it, Rose!! Thank you!
Didn’t enjoy this at all. Was somehow both bland and also overbearing from the paprika. Don’t understand why it’s so well reviewed
Aww, I’m sorry to hear that. How long did you marinate the chicken for? It needs 24 hours for maximum flavor.
Made this for the family and it turned out delicious. I did include 2TBS of olive oil, 1TBS of Dijon mustard to the dressing and marinated overnight and it was a hit. 😃
Aww, I’m so happy it turned out great and your family enjoyed it!!
Easy and simple to make. I only marinade for 1 hour.
Leftovers for lunch the next day. 🙂
Glad you enjoyed this one, Patti!
DELICIOUS!!
I cut the chicken into kabob size pieces before marinating them. I then grilled them and served them with roasted peppers as a part of a quinoa bowl.
So yummy!
Yum!! Sounds so good.
I think this recipe cracks the code to flavorful juicy boneless chicken breasts. Using this recipe for kabobs and change up the seasoning. DONT overcook them. 15 minutes tops. Yum.
Thanks so much!!
Oh my, this is SO good! This would be an amazing meal prep! And you could change out the seasonings for a different flavor profile, correct, like Mexican spices, Cajun, etc.? Thanks for sharing!
Yes, for sure!
What’s the salad on the plate with the breast?
Hi there! That is my Greek Orzo Salad; you can find my recipe here.
Excellent chicken!! Will be on the menu moving forward!! I added a yogurt, sour cream and garlic sauce! Amazing!
Thank you so much, Rachel!
Deliciously juicy! I air fried mine with cabbage for a one pot meal.
That sound so good!!
I just threw the marinade and chicken together for my son’s dinner tonight. The marinade is delicious. He is going to love this and want it on a regular basis. I guarantee it!!
So happy to hear!
My family went wild for this chicken. Absolutely loved it. Left it in the ‘fridge for over 24 hours before cooking.
I foresee Greek yoghurt being a staple on my shopping list!
Yay, so glad you loved it!
Delicious! Thank you
You’re so welcome!
I accidentally bought plain Greek yogurt while grocery shopping this week instead of vanilla, so I’ve been looking up a bunch of recipes and ways for me to use it so it doesn’t go to waste. Made this recipe for dinner tonight and it turned out so delicious! Maybe the next time I do groceries I’ll get plain Greek yogurt on purpose so that I can make this again. Extremely flavourful!
LOL love it! I happy accident! So glad you liked the yogurt!
I’m going to sound thick here but what does the 1x, 2x, 3x mean? I had 3 chicken fillets so just used the 1x measurement of the ingredients
Hi Matt, great question! 1X is for the recipe size as is, 2X is if you want to double the recipe and 3X is if you want to triple the recipe. Hope that helps!
Excellent!! My new favourite!
Thank you so much, Kelley!
This is pretty fantastic. Incredibly moist. Great flavor. Perfect balance of everything.
Easily adaptable to what you have on hand.
I used chicken tenders and cooked it in a pan. I didn’t have Greek yogurt so I used sour cream . Couldn’t detect it. I didn’t have paprika so I used half a teaspoon of cayenne. The spice was detectable but barely there. It gave it the perfect amount of red pepper flavor, that would have come from paprika.
Love the subs! So glad you enjoyed it, Crystal!
Just made this after marinading overnight absolutely gorgeous. I omitted lemon juice as only had 0% fat free yoghurt next time i will do proper recipe but the chicken was lovely and moist. Thank You
You’re so welcome, Jan! Happy to hear you enjoyed it!
Can I get the orzo salad recipe you have pictured with the chicken please. It looks amazing ❤️
Hi Dawn, sure thing, it’s my Greek Orzo Salad. You can find the recipe by searching the site or clicking by clicking on this link: https://feelgoodfoodie.net/recipe/greek-orzo-salad/. You’ll have to let me know what you think about both the chicken and the salad when you make them! Enjoy!
I have not tried this yet but I am definitely going to. I just have a couple of questions, 1. Can you use cream cheese instead of yogurt? It’s hard for me to get out to go shopping and I always have blocks of cream cheese in my fridge.
2. Can you use this recipe with pork chops also? I love pork chops but would love to try a different recipe for them.
Hi Brenda! Great questions. I would not use cream cheese as a substitute here. You can use sour cream or buttermilk if you have it. I am not sure how this recipe would turn out using pork chops. You can always give it a try! Let me know if you end up making it and how it turns out!
Soooo good and super easy!
Exactly what I was going for! Thank you!
Tried this today and it was sooo good. Thank you for sharing it. Since I couldn’t grill it I put it in a pan and we loved the flavors. Made some mashed potatoes on the side and a salad. Everyone in the family ate it and even my daughter who is a very picky eater. This will for sure be a meal that will be done many times.
Thank you so much! That sounds like a perfect meal. I’m so happy to hear it!
This was so good. Thank you for such an easy and yummy recipe!
Thank you! You’re so welcome!!
Can I marinate this for 48 hours before cooking? And will it keep in the freezer for a couplle months?
I would not marinate it for more than 24 hours. You can freeze the chicken before or after cooking. If freezing before, just place the chicken in a freezer-safe bag with the marinade and freeze for up to four months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator when ready to cook. If freezing after cooking, let the chicken cool completely, then place it in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to four months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat in a skillet over medium heat until warmed through.
Can you fry these?
It should work!
Love, love, love this recipe! It comes out amazing in the air fryer. We make it multiple days a week. Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you so much! I’m happy to hear you’re enjoying this recipe so much!
Omg!!! This is a quite simple recipe, but probably one of the best chicken recipe I’ve ever made!!!!
Thank you so much!
I marinated for almost 24hours, and baked 20mins 200 degree.
So tender and moist, and easy!!
Thank you! Simple is always what I strive for in my recipes. That is so great to hear!
made this and it was SOO good. Just wondering, have you tried baking them? I don’t feel like grilling this next time.
Thank you! You can air fry this at 375°F for 8 minutes, then flip and air fry for 4-7 more minutes. You can also bake it in the oven at 425°F for 16-18 minutes. In all cases, make sure the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
Wow, wow, wow. This is my favorite chicken recipe! It was so tender and bursting with flavor. The lemon was the sneaky little ingredient that made this so fresh and bright. Thank you, it’s an awesome recipe!
Thank you so much! That is perfect. You’re welcome!!
Hi Yumna this looks delicious. It okay to add lemon juice if we are marinating for 24 hours? I don’t see lemon juice listed in the directions wasn’t sure if it would start cooking the chicken.
Thank you! Yes, it is. I have edited the recipe to reflect when you should add the lemon.
Love it! It turned out delicious! Your recipes make me want to carve out time to cook despite my crazy days… because… this is food worth eating!
Thank you so much! I am so happy to hear that!
I made your yogurt marinated chicken last night!!! I feel like I’m a good cook…this was the B E S T chicken I’ve ever made!!! Soooooo Gooooood!!!! Thank you so much!
Thank you so much! That makes me so happy to hear!
I absolutely love this Marinade. It is my go to for moist chicken breast.
It’s become such a staple!
When my daughter thanked me for dinner my response was don’t thank me thank Yumna! Thank you for another delicious creation!
That’s so funny! You’re so welcome!
I tried these twice and they were fantastic!! Super moist and delicious. I couldn’t believe I had made it actually because it was just so good!!
Thank you! Exactly what I was going for. Yay!!
Tempting
It always is!