This Greek Lemon Oven Roasted Chicken is very easy to make and incredibly flavorful. Roasted chicken thighs are quickly marinated in a few ingredients and baked with Kalamata olives, tomatoes and Feta cheese until crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside. The perfect and quick baked chicken thighs dish everyone will love!
Hi everyone, I am Kathy from Lemon Blossoms and this is my first time posting here. I am excited to be part of the contributor team at The Salty Marshmallow. I have been blogging for a little bit over a year although I have worked as a Chef my entire adult life (that feels like a long time!).
Greek Lemon Oven Roasted Chicken is one of those chicken recipes I make over and over again. Not only for its simplicity but for the amazing flavors you can achieve in a few simple steps and using one pan. The crispy skin is pure perfection, the chicken thigh meat is super flavorful and the pan juices are amazingly delicious! To top it all, roasted tomatoes, creamy feta cheese and briny Kalamata olives make this baked chicken thigh dish incredibly flavorful!
How To Make Greek Lemon Oven Roasted Chicken Thighs
- I marinate the chicken thighs in olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper and a little bit of plain yogurt. The yogurt helps produce the most delicious pan sauce. Trust me you will want to drink the sauce with a spoon!
- You can marinate the chicken at room temperature for 15 minutes or you can refrigerate it and marinate it overnight if you have the time. I place all ingredients in a zip-top bag for easy cleanup.
- Next, you place the chicken with the marinade in an oven safe pan. I used a cast iron skillet but any baking dish works.
- Bake the chicken thighs at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and top the chicken with Kalamata olives, cubes of feta cheese and tomatoes (any small tomato variety – like cherry or grape tomato – works well). Return to the oven and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and enjoy!
Love chicken thighs?Take a look at these Crispy Baked Chicken Thighs, they are easy to make and super tasty!
Greek Lemon Oven Roasted Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons plain yogurt
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 4 ounces Feta cheese, cut into small cubes
- 1/2 cup small tomatoes (cherry or grape tomatoes)
- 1/2 cup Kalamata olives
Instructions
- To make the marinade, place the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, yogurt, oregano, 1 teaspoon of salt and ground black pepper in a zip-top bag or a non-reactive bowl.
- Lightly season the chicken thighs with salt. Place the chicken into the marinade and mix to combine making sure the chicken is coat evenly. Marinate for 15 minutes or up to 24 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the chicken, skin side up in a cast iron skillet or baking dish. Pour the marinade over the chicken.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the skillet/baking dish from the oven and add the Feta cheese, tomatoes and Kalamata olives on top and in between the chicken pieces.
- Return to the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and golden brown. Remove from the oven and serve.
This is my new favorite recipe! Because it is super easy and super delicious! I do as one reviewer suggested and spend the latter half of the time broiling 10 inches from the broiler, the same shelf that it was on while baking. I had too much chicken marinating the first time so I threw a couple marinated pieces in the freezer. Thawed and cooked them up and they were just as good! Served with homemade rice pilaf and broccoli.
Perfect!
Thank you. I serve this to guests constantly, and they all want the recipe. I used skinless boneless chicken breast and cut down cooking by at least half.
Wow these were delicious!!!!!
After the addition of the tomatoes etc., I broiled the whole dish (probably 10” from the broiler) for 18 min.
That burst the tomatoes, gave the Feta a yummy little char and browned the chicken thighs.
Ridiculously good!!!
(Served with orzo dressed in evoo, lemon juice and dill and sautéed yellow peppers and zucchini)
I’ve never left a review on a recipe before but this has to be one of the best ones I’ve ever tried. I can’t count how many times I’ve made this since finding this recipe only months ago. The marinade is SO good and so easy to make. Whether you only marinade the chicken for 30 minutes or 24 hours, it’s still amazing (marinade longer if you have the time though obviously). I use Boar’s Head tzatziki instead of plain greek yogurt for the marinade and I also tend to add a hefty amount of garlic in addition to what the recipe calls for. It’s truly to die for. I have eaten this same meal for multiple nights back to back and I just can’t get enough of it. I have taken the marinade recipe and used it on chicken breast tenderloins for pitas as well. SO grateful for this amazing recipe!!
Can I try browning in a cast iron first then bake? TIA!
We added artichoke hearts to it as well as putting under brouler for a few minutes. Delicious!
.
Tried this last night and it was a hit! Super yummy! I broiled it for 5 minutes after the cooking time to get that browned look.
Thanks for the recipe! This will be added to my go to recipe. 🙂
I make this weekly. Instead of plain yogurt I use tzatiki and it works fantastic. I have made with boneless thighs and drumsticks.
Just made this tonight for supper. Oh my goodness! It’s completely delicious and reasonably easy (for someone who is not in love with cooking). My chicken didn’t brown up as shown in the picture; however, the taste more than made up for it. Plus – it smells fantastic bile it’s cooking. I added it to my collection. Thanks