Greek Chicken with Lemon Feta (Printable Version)

Bright marinated chicken topped with feta and fresh lemon—a quick, healthy Mediterranean meal bursting with flavor.

# Ingredient List:

→ Marinade

01 - 1 lemon, juiced and zested
02 - 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
03 - 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
04 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
05 - 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
06 - 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
07 - 1/4 teaspoon coarse black pepper

→ Chicken

08 - 1 pound thin-sliced chicken breast
09 - Pinch of sea salt

→ Topping and Garnish

10 - 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
11 - 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
12 - Lemon wedges for serving

# Steps:

01 - In a large mixing bowl, whisk together lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, minced garlic, dried oregano, smoked paprika, sea salt, and black pepper until well emulsified. Reserve 1/4 cup of marinade for serving.
02 - Add thin-sliced chicken breast to the bowl with remaining marinade. Use tongs to coat chicken thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
03 - Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add a light drizzle of olive oil. Place marinated chicken in the skillet and cook for 4-5 minutes until golden brown on one side.
04 - Flip the chicken and continue cooking for 3-4 minutes until cooked through and juices run clear.
05 - Transfer chicken to a serving plate. Drizzle with reserved marinade and sprinkle with chopped parsley and crumbled feta cheese.
06 - Serve immediately with lemon wedges on the side.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The chicken stays incredibly juicy because the acid in the lemon tenderizes it while it marinates, and you get deep flavor in just half an hour.
  • It feels like a special meal but uses ingredients you probably already have, and cleanup is almost nonexistent.
  • The bright, salty feta on top melts just slightly from the heat of the chicken and creates little pockets of creamy tang in every bite.
02 -
  • Don't marinate the chicken longer than an hour or the lemon juice will start to turn the texture mushy and almost ceviche like, which sounds interesting but isn't what you want here.
  • Reserve some of the marinade before the raw chicken touches it, because using the same marinade for drizzling later is a food safety mistake I made exactly once.
  • Let the chicken sit in the skillet without moving it for the first few minutes so it develops a proper golden crust instead of steaming in its own juices.
03 -
  • Pound thicker chicken breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap until they're an even half inch thick, so they cook at the same rate and stay tender all the way through.
  • Use a microplane to zest the lemon directly over the bowl so none of those precious oils are lost, and stop before you hit the bitter white pith underneath.
  • Taste the feta before you add extra salt to the dish, because some brands are much saltier than others and you can always add more but you can't take it back.
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