Greek Marinade

This is the best Greek marinade – it’s bursting with flavour and works on a variety of meats. Want lamb gyros, you definitely need this marinade. Juicy chicken thighs? This marinade; It has a wonderful way of working into the meat keeping it juicy and succulent after cooking with the added bonus of being incredibly flavourful.

• It tastes tangy and rich in umami.
• So quick and easy to make.
• Creates beautifully tender meat.
• Versatile – use it on everything from meats to roast vegetables.
• Customisable – I’ve added options for you to change it up to suit you!

And it’s versatile. I originally created this as a Greek lamb marinade but it adds amazing Mediterranean flavour to everything from lamb chops to chicken thighs and prawns/shrimp too. The same thing happens every time – juicy meat that’s tender and makes you want more.

Consider it your new go to Greek lamb marinade or Greek chicken marinade or, hey, why not drizzle over some pan-fried potatoes while they cook (did that and it rocks).

If you love this, you’ll also love these Greek lamb kebabs and my Greek seasoned chicken that so many readers make every month.

Detailed quantities and instructions in the recipe card below.

• Olive oil: First up you need a good quality olive oil but I actually prefer a lighter flavoured version so the other flavours can shine. Oil holds everything in the marinade together and adds moisture to the meat. You can also swap it for other oils like rice bran oil or avocado oil.
• Lemon juice: Every good marinade needs a source of acid to tenderise the meat. In Greek cooking, lemon is an absolute classic flavour and that’s what we use here. The natural sugar in lemon also helps to create the most amazing caramelised edges to your Greek chicken or lamb or whatever you’re using it on.
• Fresh flavours: Loads of fresh garlic and fresh thyme add great flavour.
• Spices: For dried spices, we use;
  • Paprika: an often overlooked, but very Greek ingredient that adds sweet, earthy flavour.Salt: Salt not only adds flavour but also helps to make the meat juicier.Dried oregano: One of the most classic Greek herbs and they do use it a lot dried. If you have fresh, you can use that and add double the amount.
  • Dried chilli flakes (red pepper flakes): These are for flavour and a touch of spice but you can leave them out if you prefer.

Variations / substitutions

• Herbs: While I prefer fresh thyme here you can use dried (halve the amount). Another great herb in Greek cooking is mint though it is quite a strong flavour so don’t go too heavy.
• Yogurt: You can add some full fat Greek yogurt to your marinade, just a couple of tablespoons will go a long way to helping to further tenderise the meat and add some tang and will also add a great crust to meats when you grill them.
• Lemon: I definitely think you need to keep a good hit of lemon in this recipe but if you don’t have quite enough juice in yours, feel free to make up the difference with red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar.

How to make it (step-by-step)

Next to the flavour and moisture it adds, the wonderful thing about this Greek style marinade is how easy it is. Just mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl, container or zip lock bag – it takes all of 5 minutes – then add the meat.

Marinating time

First things first, it is possible to over-marinate meat so the rule of thumb is to marinate no longer than 24 hours. Longer than that and the meat can take on a strange mushier texture that isn’t so pleasant – this is because the acid in marinades actually breaks down muscle fibres. You want to keep some of that fibre in the meat for a meaty texture.

As little as 1-2 hours is often enough for smaller cuts of meat or more delicate cuts. My Greek lamb kebabs marinate for just that long and turn out to be so incredibly tender using this Greek marinade.

• Chicken and pork: These meats are best marinated anywhere up to 6 hours.
• Beef and lamb: Red meats and gamey meats can withstand longer marinating times and you can marinate them up to overnight.
• Fish and prawns: These very delicate meats are best marinated for no longer than an hour. For fish especially, 20-30 minutes is enough.

Keep in mind, the above can be used as a guide but even 1-2 hours in marinade for any of these proteins does wonders to it’s flavour and texture.

How much meat will this marinade cover?

This is a stick to the meat kind of marinade, not the type that will run off when you lift the meat out. This will marinate 500g of meat beautifully and even up to 1kg of meat just fine. If you do go for the larger portion, the recipe does double easily and this way you can make sure every bit is loaded with flavour.

Storage and meal prep

Keep marinating meats in an airtight container or a large ziplock bag in the fridge for up to 24 hours.

The marinade itself can be made and store in the fridge in an airtight container or a mason jar for up to 6 days.

More recipes you’ll love

• Greek lamb kebabs
• Greek seasoned chicken
• Greek pastitsio
• Crispy oven roasted pork belly
• Herb roasted chicken