An olive oil & red wine vinegar marinade with garlic, dill and spices gives this Mediterranean grilled chicken big flavor.
I love prepping a quick marinade the night before I'm serving chicken. The next day, all that I have to do is throw the chicken on the grill or slide it into the oven.
My favorite way to cook Mediterranean grilled chicken is, well, on the grill! The edges get crispy and the smoky grilled flavor is perfect with Mediterranean flavors. But I also like to make this chicken year-round, so just as often I roast the chicken thighs in the oven for an easy weeknight dinner.
Mediterranean Marinade
Mediterranean Grilled Chicken is made with a simple marinade that delivers big flavor. Simply whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, paprika, allspice, salt and dill.
Mediterranean Yogurt Sauce
I always serve this grilled chicken with cool and creamy Cucumber Yogurt Sauce on the side. It's very similar to tzatziki, and is made from yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, salt and fresh herbs. I also add grated cucumber for texture and cool cucumber flavor.
What Should I Serve with Mediterranean Grilled Chicken?
Other sides that pair well include:
- Pita bread, homemade yogurt flatbread or pita chips
- Roasted or steamed potatoes
- Instant Pot Israeli Couscous
- Grilled veggie kabobs or roasted veggies
- Rice or grains, like barley or farro or Basmati Rice with Chickpeas, Herbs & Spices
- Orzo pasta salad or a Greek pasta salad
- Greek salad, or simple sliced tomatoes, cucumber and feta
Plan for Leftovers!
Trust me - you should double this recipe for leftovers the next day. The chicken is wonderful in a salad, sandwich or grain bowl.
Mediterranean Grilled Chicken Salad: Simply slice leftover chicken over greens with tomato, cucumber and feta. Drizzle with olive oil and red wine vinegar, or a squeeze of lemon.
Mediterranean Grilled Chicken Sandwich: Wrap the chicken in pita bread with cucumber yogurt sauce or hummus spooned on top. Add sliced bell peppers and kalamata olives.
Mediterranean Grain Bowl: Use barley, farro or quinoa as the base and add leftover chicken, plus cherry tomatoes, olives, and roasted vegetables. Top with fresh herbs (dill, mint, parsley).
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📖 Recipe
Mediterranean Grilled Chicken with Cucumber Yogurt Sauce
Either grilled or roasted, this Mediterranean chicken has big flavor from an olive oil and red wine vinegar marinade with garlic, dill and spices.
Mediterranean Grilled Chicken is fantastic cold the next day, so I encourage you to double the recipe for leftovers.
*This chicken needs to marinate at least 2 hours, but ideally longer to soak up the flavor of the marinade. I often start marinating the chicken the night before or the morning I plan to cook it for dinner.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes (plus at least 2 hours for marinating)
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 22 minute
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings 1x
- Category: chicken
- Method: grill
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 1 ½ to 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped or ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup roughly chopped fresh dill or just small handful of fresh dill sprigs or 1 teaspoon dried dill
Serve the cooked chicken with Cucumber Yogurt Sauce
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together the marinade: olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, paprika, allspice, salt and dill.
- Pour marinade over the chicken in a dish or Ziploc bag. Move the chicken around to make sure it’s all coated in marinade. Marinate at least 2 hours, but ideally longer. I often start marinating the chicken the night before or in the morning, which makes it easy to put the chicken straight into the oven or on the grill to cook at dinner time.
- You can grill or bake the chicken after it has marinaded for at least 2 hours. When ready to cook, remove chicken from the marinade.
Grill: Cook the chicken thighs 4 to 7 minutes a side over medium-high grill heat. The cooking time depends on how thick the thighs are.
Oven: Roast at 425 F for about 20 minutes. I usually put the chicken under the broiler for the last few minutes of cooking, to crisp up the edges.
Serve Mediterranean Grilled Chicken with Cucumber Yogurt Sauce on the side.
Notes
Cooked chicken should reach the internal temperature 165 F
If using bone-in chicken thighs, the total grilling time will increase to about 20 minutes and the baking time in the oven should increase to 35 to 45 minutes.
Keywords: grilled Mediterranean chicken, grilled chicken, yogurt sauce
Michelle
This recipe was very flavorful and delicious. I was apprehensive at first when seeing Allspice as an ingredient, with it being such a prominent flavor, but it mixed in well with the other marinade ingredients, and the dish all-around was great!
★★★★★
Jen
Love this flavorful marinade! Equally good on grilled and roasted chicken.
★★★★★