Sliced grilled chicken breast garnished with lemon slices and fresh thyme, served with a side of tomato, cucumber, and red onion salad.

Why you’ll love this yogurt marinated chicken

A woman in a pink sweater smiles widely while holding a dish of fresh salad with greens and strawberries, standing at a wooden table against a light background—perfectly capturing the inviting spirit of a food blog.

This is one of those chicken recipes that doesn’t get enough credit – just like my lemon rosemary broiled chicken breast or easy ginger lime chicken marinade. They’re simple to put together and way better than a plain chicken.

We use this marinade all the time, and it never disappoints. It can be baked, broiled or even grilled, and we use it to make chicken sandwiches, or when we want to prep chicken for adding to salads. It even makes a great chicken gyro marinade.

I love serving this recipe with a simple cucumber salad and garlic rice, but it’s super versatile and can be paired with so many things.

→ If you like this recipe, you should try these: lemon rosemary broiled chicken breast / pan seared chicken breast / baked honey mustard chicken thighs

Close up of three chicken breast in a white baking dish with sliced lemons and springs of herbs.
Three chicken breast in a white baking dish with sliced lemons and springs of herbs.

Frequently asked questions

What does marinating chicken in yogurt do?

Using yogurt to marinate chicken helps made the chicken extra tender. Yogurt can do this without making the chicken too tough or rubbery.

How long should you marinate chicken in yogurt?

Yogurt can work quickly for a marinade so you won’t have to do it too far ahead of time, which can make for a quick meal (I recommend marinating for at least 1 hour), but you can leave it for up to 24 hours and still have delicious chicken.

Can you freeze the marinated chicken?

You can freeze the marinated chicken for up to a month. Just take it out and put it in the fridge the night before you want to cook it.

A plate sliced chicken breast with a cucmber, tomato, and onion salad on a white plate with a fork and knife on a red and white striped cloth napkin.

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Yogurt Marinated Chicken

By: Melissa Belanger
Yogurt marinated chicken is a simple recipe that’s perfect for those busy weeknight dinners. Marinating the chicken in unsweetened coconut yogurt adds an extra level of flavor to the chicken while infusing it with garlic, spices and a zip of lemon. I love serving this recipe with a simple cucumber salad and garlic rice, but it’s super versatile and can be pairs with so many things.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
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Ingredients 

  • 4 chicken breast, pounded to about 1-inch thickness
  • 1 cup unsweetened, plain coconut yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 lemon
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 2 teaspoons coarse salt
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, or z’atar
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions 

  • Prep. Preheat your oven to 400˚F and line a baking dish with foil or parchment paper. To ensure your chicken cooks evenly, make sure you pound the chicken breast to about 1-inch in thickness.
  • Marinate the chicken. Combine the yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, salt and herbs together in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth. Add the chicken to the bowl and cover or transfer everything to a zip top bag.
    Allow the chicken to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight.
  • Cook the chicken. Remove chicken from the marinate and pat dry. Transfer to a baking dish and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165˚F.

Nutrition

Calories: 312kcal, Carbohydrates: 5g, Protein: 49g, Fat: 9g, Trans Fat: 0.03g, Cholesterol: 145mg, Sodium: 1431mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 0.5g, Vitamin C: 6mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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A woman wearing a pink sweater smiles excitedly while holding a plate of fresh salad with greens and strawberries, standing at a wooden table beside a delicious turkey salad sandwich.

Hi! I'm Melissa.

I create easy, dairy free recipes because I know how hard living without milk can be. I believe you can live a completely satisfying life without dairy, and I want to teach you how.

Read more about me

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4 Comments

  1. Robyn says:

    How long do I marinate the chicken for?

    Reply
    1. Melissa Belanger says:

      You should marinate for at least 1 hour, or up to overnight.

      Reply
  2. Marianne says:

    What time is optimal for the marinade. Your blog makes it sound like overnight is at the edge. If I wanted the best result, how long should that be?

    Reply
    1. Melissa says:

      Overnight would be ideal for this marinade. It will still work if you only have about an hour, but the longer you leave it the better it will get.

      Reply