This pan-seared Greek Chicken Thighs recipe is a super fast and easy weeknight dinner idea that doubles as a meal prep for lunch. A quick and flavorful marinade with olive oil, lemon, garlic, and oregano makes this chicken so flavourful! Spruce up your ordinary chicken thighs with this recipe!

I’m all about quick and easy ways to get dinner on the table. These Greek chicken thighs with an easy Greek chicken marinade take less time to cook on the stovetop than it takes for the rice to cook! You will love how simple it is to turn plain chicken thighs into a flavourful dinner the whole family will love.

A plate with rice, Greek chicken thighs, and roasted Brussels sprouts.

Why You’ll Love This Chicken Thigh Recipe

This Greek chicken thighs recipe leans heavily to pantry staples to make it flavourful. I use dried oregano, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to season the chicken thighs which are almost always in my spice cabinet.
It’s quick! While the total time seems long, it’s because I allow the chicken thighs to marinate for 30 minutes, so it’ll be more flavourful. Other than take, it takes less than 10 minutes per side to sear the chicken thighs.
Makes for the perfect meal prep. Meal prep a batch of this Greek chicken for the week! It reheats wonderfully.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Ingredients needed to make Greek chicken thighs.

olive oil — if you prefer using a different neutral oil, you’re welcome to.
garlic powder — just a dash. I prefer using garlic powder than minced garlic for this recipe.
fresh lemon juice — fresh is key. Some bottled lemon juices have an aftertaste to them and do not taste as bright and your Greek chicken marinade will be that much better with fresh lemon juice.
dried oregano — be generous with the dried oregano. While you could use fresh oregano, it’s easier to use dried oregano as it’s always in my pantry.
salt and coarse black pepper
chicken thighs — I use boneless, skinless thighs. If you have bone-in, it’ll take a lot longer to cook.

How to Make Greek Chicken Thighs

A bowl with Greek marinated chicken thighs.

Coat the chicken thighs with olive oil, garlic powder, lemon juice, dried oregano, salt, and pepper. Marinate for 30 minutes if you have the time.

Chicken thighs added to a large cast iron pan.

Pan seared Greek chicken thighs in a cast iron.

On medium heat, heat up your skillet with 1-2 tbsp of olive oil before adding in the chicken thighs, smooth side down, and then cook for 5 minutes.
Flip and continue to cook for 6 to 7 minutes, or until cooked through. Do not overcrowd the pan, cook in two batches if necessary. Be sure to add more oil for the second batch.
Rest for a couple of minutes before serving.
Serve with some lemon slices as garnish if you wish.

A platter of Greek chicken thighs with sliced lemons.

Tips and Notes

You can add 1 cup of full-fat Greek yogurt to the marinade as well for extra flavour and tenderness. I left it out of this recipe as I don’t always have yogurt on hand so you can make this with just pantry staples.
Crumble some feta on top of the chicken thighs for extra flavour.
Chicken thighs are done when they’ve reached an internal temperature of 165F/74C. Use an instant read thermometer to check.

My Recommendation

This is my go-to meat thermometer for making sure that the internal temperature of my meat is good to go. It’s also magnetic so I have it on my fridge door to save drawer space!

Get it Now!

Avoid moving the chicken when you first place it in. Allow the chicken to sear. The chicken will come off the skillet once it’s ready. If you move it too early, the chicken will stick to the skillet and tear.
Chicken thighs can be swapped out for chicken breasts but you’ll have to change the cook time to avoid overcooking it.
Allow the cast iron skillet to heat up before adding the chicken to the pan so you can get a nice sear on the chicken thighs.
The smaller the bowl you use to marinade your chicken in, the less marinade you’ll need!
This is the cast iron skillet I use.

Make Ahead Tips

Meal prep: once cooled, store the cooked chicken thighs in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge.
Freezer: allow the Greek chicken thighs to cool before transferring them into an airtight container before storing them in the freezer. They can last for up to 3 months.
How to prep this for the freezer: place the Greek chicken marinade and chicken thighs in a large freezer friendly ziploc bag, to prep this meal ahead of time. Freeze for up to 3 months. When ready, thaw overnight in the fridge before cooking.

Serving Ideas

Need some ideas of what to serve with these chicken thighs? Try these side dishes:

Greek Chicken Thighs

5 from 10 votes

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Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 12

Total Time: 42

Servings: servings

Ingredients

¼ cup olive oil, plus 1-2 tbsp
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1½ tbsp dried oregano
2 tsp salt
½ tsp coarse black pepper
8-10 chicken thighs, boneless, skinless

Equipment

cast iron

Instructions

Coat the chicken thighs with olive oil, garlic powder, lemon juice, dried oregano, salt, and pepper. Marinate for 30 minutes if you have the time.
On medium heat, heat up your skillet with 1-2 tbsp of olive oil before adding in the chicken thighs, smooth side down, and then cook for 5 minutes.
Flip and continue to cook for 6 to 7 minutes, or until cooked through. Do not overcrowd the pan, cook in two batches if necessary. Be sure to add more oil for the second batch.
Serve with some lemon slices as garnish if you wish.

Tried this recipe?Did you make this recipe? I’m always so happy to hear about it! I’d love to see how it turned out. Tag me at @CarmysHungry on Instagram so I can see it! If you enjoyed the recipe, I’d really appreciate a comment with a 5 star rating! ♥

Nutrition Per Serving

Author: Carmy

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Greek

Nutrition Disclaimer

More Chicken Recipes To Try

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