The Only Greek Chicken Marinade You Need + How to Cook Chicken Breasts Indoors the Right Way!

I have for you a Greek inspired chicken breast recipe that tastes as good as it looks. Aromatics and herbs lend beautiful flavor while vinegar and Greek yogurt tenderize the meat. You can achieve grilling results by using a cast iron grill pan on top of your gas stove. That means irresistible char and smokiness in the middle of winter.

Chicken breasts have a reputation for being dry, flavorless and difficult to cook. Not today. Or ever again! Follow my tips and you will be able to cook juicy, moist, tender chicken every time.

Why Pasture Raised?

Pastured chicken is a world of difference from conventionally raised. Factory farmed chicken breast will often be chewy, and flavorless. Throughout their time in confinement and phycological distress, they only eat grain composed of corn and soy. At the grocery store, their cellophane wrapping with be labeled “vegetarian fed,” as if that is a good thing. Chickens are naturally omnivores. On pasture, they are allowed to scavenge for grubs, bugs, worms along with enjoy the variety of plants and grasses available. Their diet is supplemented with grain, but it’s not the only source of nourishment. Chicken breasts found at most store have lots of stripes on them. What is that, you ask? Fat. Fat isn’t always a bad thing, but when it’s excessive, it’s a sign that the chicken was raised in an intensive way with the ultimate goal to fatten them up quick and without regard to their well-being.

Introducing: Wanda Farm.

Wanda Farm is a regenerative farm in Harvard, Illinois. Husband and wife team, Joe and Hannah, offer pastured chicken, along with grass-fed beef, pastured pork, and fresh eggs. Check out their mission, in their own words,

“Our mission is to produce wholesome, nutrient dense food with regenerative farming practices and connect 5,000 families to their farmer. Please join our family farm and be apart of the mission to not just improve your family’s health, but that we can help feed 5,000 families a healthier meal together!

Quoted from About Page on Wanda Farm Website

Each month, Wanda Farm gives away to one lucky winner a meat box valued at $160. I won for the month of February! ENTER HERE for a chance to win next month’s prize. The chicken featured in this recipe came out the meat box gifted to me.

Prepare Chicken

A little bit of preparation is so worth it. This tip I’m about to share makes a world of difference. Salt your chicken the night before. I may get that tattooed on my forehead. Typically, for two chicken breasts I use about a teaspoon of salt. Leave the chicken on a pan, then, place uncovered in the fridge. The salt will not only flavor, but ensure you have crispy skin and a juicy, moist interior.

Next Day.

Take the chicken out of the fridge and pat dry. The salt will have changed the color of the chicken slightly, this is normal. Next, with scissors or a sharp knife, made slits in the thickest parts of the chicken. After that, with a meat tenderizer, whack the thicker side of the breast to match the thinner side. These two steps will ensure even cooking. Next, grab a bowl lined with a plastic bag for the marinade.

Let’s talk marinading.

A marinade is typically a combination of fat, acid and seasoning to really take something over the edge into Best-Thing-I-Ever-Ate Land. Along with imparting flavor, it can also tenderize. The ingredient options are endless but the flavor profile for this recipe is Greek inspired. This includes:

Olive oil. A nice dose of healthy fat to emulsify the mixture and make sure our chicken browns beautifully on the cast iron grill.

Greek yogurt. Yogurt tenderizes meat.

Red Wine Vinegar. Balances out the fat of the oil and also acts as a tenderizer.

Garlic. Half a head of garlic sounds like a lot but a lot of it will fall off during the transfer from the bag to the grill. The sweet, spicy allium is a staple in Greek cooking.

Herbs. Oregano & Za’atar are the key players. Both these herbs are popular in Mediterranean cooking and bring a freshness to the marinade.

Evenly coat the chicken and try to push out all the push air from the bag. Keep refrigerated for 2-6 hours. Meat that has marinaded for too long can become mushy in texture.

How to Grill Indoors.

Grilling indoors begins with a cast iron griddle/grill. The one I use is made by Lodge. It covers two burners. I use it a ton and have zero complaints. Here are my tips to grill perfect chicken:

You want that grill smoking hot! My chicken always has some sort of oil already on them, so no need to oil the cast iron. It is, in a sense, oiled because it is seasoned from many uses. A hot, dry pan will make for beautifully seared chicken.

Grilling time can vary based on how big the breasts are, but 5 minutes per side is pretty standard. It is important that you place the breasts on the grill, one on each burner, so they cook in the same amount of time. Some stove tops can heat unevenly, so my advice is to know your stove well and adjust accordingly. After 5 minutes, lower heat to medium, flip and then cover with a sheet pan. This creates the grill effect. Your chicken will be juicy, charred and have that smokey flavor that brings up memories of long summer days.

Check out another chicken recipe!

Make my Simple Whole Roast Chicken–a recipe to know by heart!