5-Minute green goddess sauce makes a tenderizing, herby, flavor-packed marinade that takes your average chicken dinner to the next level! Cook green goddess chicken in a skillet or on the grill – either way, it cooks in about 8 to 10 minutes or so. One of the easiest, tastiest chicken recipes you’ll try!
Chicken thighs with green goddess marinade!
Creamy, extra herby green goddess dressing is perfect to dip your veggies, drizzle over your salad or lettuce wraps, or to finish the perfect salmon dinner bowl. But it’s truly one of the more versatile condiments, and one of its best uses is in a marinade!
Toss your chicken in my green goddess sauce—made with herbs, nutty tahini or Greek yogurt, garlic, and citrus—and allow it a few hours in the fridge to marinate. You’ll end up with exceptionally tender, flavor-packed chicken.
And whether you choose to cook the chicken in a skillet or on a grill, it takes about 8 to 10 minutes to do! Add salad or your favorite vegetable (I like this lemony broccoli) for a side and call it dinner. Or, slice up the chicken and toss it onto a cold noodle salad.
In this post
Green goddess marinade
My green goddess dressing takes just 5 minutes and a few ingredients to make! You’ll need three kinds of fresh herbs (I use Italian parsley, cilantro, and dill), a green onion, garlic, Greek yogurt or tahini paste (if you want a little nuttiness), lemon juice, water, and an optional touch of red pepper flakes, for a subtle heat.
Simply blend the herbs together with the rest of the ingredients and voila, you have your green goddess marinade and extra sauce for serving, too!
Use boneless chicken thighs or breasts!
Boneless skinless chicken thighs are my favorite for this recipe. They are juicy, tender, and so easy to cook. Even if you accidentally overcook them, you will still end up with moist chicken. You can either eyeball the doneness (look for the juices to run clear) or use a meat thermometer to help you. Chicken has an internal temperature of 165 degrees F when fully cooked.
Not a fan of chicken thighs? You can also use boneless skinless chicken breasts in this easy chicken recipe. For even cooking and to make sure the chicken breasts don’t dry up, I like to butterfly them and slice them into thinner cutlets that are approximately the same thickness all the way through. And I usually take the chicken breasts off the grill when their internal temperature reaches about 155 degrees F. Then, I let them rest, tented with foil, until their internal temp continues to rise to 165 degrees F. This gives me juicy chicken breasts every time.
Key tip for best flavor
Whether you’re working with boneless thighs or chicken breasts, do this one thing to make sure you maximize the flavor. Before you dunk the chicken in the marinade, cut some slits into both sides of the chicken pieces. These slits will allow the marinade to penetrate the meat better, giving you more intense flavor throughout!
How to make green goddess chicken
- Make the herby 5-minute green goddess dressing. I used ½ cup tahini in my recipe, but you can also use an equal amount of Greek yogurt instead.
- Marinate the chicken. Pat dry 6 to 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs. With a small, sharp knife, make a few slits on both sides of each piece of chicken. Then season both sides with kosher salt and black pepper. Transfer the chicken to a large bowl and pour ½ to ¾ cup of the marinade over. My recipe for green goddess sauce yields about 1 ½ cups, so you will have quite a bit leftover for serving. Keep this extra sauce refrigerated.
Toss the chicken in the herby marinade with a pair of large tongs so that all the pieces are coated in the sauce. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours up to overnight. If you are short on time, even just half an hour of marinating time will make a difference to the flavor of your chicken.
- Stovetop option. Heat 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet until shimmering. Grab each thigh with tongs and give them a little shake over the bowl to get rid of excess marinade. Place the thighs into the skillet in a single layer and cook one side for about 5 minutes. Once a crispy crust forms, turn the thighs and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes, until the chicken is fully cooked.
- Grill option. If you’d rather grill the green goddess chicken, heat your grill to medium-high. After oiling the grates, arrange the chicken thighs in a single layer over direct heat and cook one side for 5 minutes. Then, turn and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes, until the chicken is nicely charred and cooked through.
- Serve. Place the chicken thighs on a serving platter and spoon some of the extra green goddess sauce on top. Serve and enjoy.
Make ahead tips
Green goddess sauce keeps well in the refrigerator in a tightly closed Mason jar for up to 5 days, so feel free to make it a couple of days in advance!
You can also marinate the chicken thighs a night ahead, so all you have to do when you’re ready is cook them!
Serve it with
There is no shortage of sides and salads to go with these delicious green goddess chicken thighs. Try them with potato salad or pasta salad. I like chopping up the green goddess chicken and tossing it onto a cold noodle salad with tahini dressing. Or serve with roasted vegetables or something green like Brussels sprouts or asparagus.
For a delicious and satisfying dinner bowl, simply add these chicken thighs with some bulgur wheat and Mediterranean bean salad to a bowl.
Leftovers and storage
Leftover chicken thighs with green goddess marinade can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
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Green Goddess Chicken (2 Ways)
Ingredients
- 1 green goddess dressing, follow this recipe (you can use tahini or Greek yogurt)
- 6 to 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- kosher salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Make the tahini green goddess dressing according to this recipe.
- Pat the chicken dry and using a small but sharp knife, make a few slits on both sides of each chicken thigh. Season on both sides with kosher salt and black pepper.
- Put the chicken in a large bowl and pour about ½ to ¾ cup of the green goddess dressing on top. Using a pair of tongs, toss to make sure the chicken is well-coated in the dressing. Keep the rest of the green goddess dressing in the fridge for later use.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 2 hours or up to overnight. If you don’t have the time, even 30 minutes of marinating will make a difference.
- Stovetop cooking option: In a large skillet, heat about 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Using a pair of tongs, arrange the chicken in one single layer in the heated pan (it helps give the chicken pieces a gentle shake in the bowl so that they release any excess marinade before adding them to the hot skillet). Cook for one side for about 5 minutes or until a crispy golden brown crust forms, then turn over and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked and its juices run clear.
- Grill option: To cook the chicken on the grill instead, heat your grill to medium-high, and carefully oil the grates. Arrange the chicken in one single layer over direct heat and cook for 5 minutes on one side, then turn over and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes or until the chicken is well-charred and cooked through.
- To serve, arrange the chicken on a platter and add more of the reserved green goddess dressing on top.
Video
Notes
- Make ahead tips: You can prepare the green goddess dressing a few days ahead and keep it in the fridge in a tightly-closed Mason jar.
- Pro tip for best flavor: The slits in the chicken will help the marinade penetrate the chicken, intensifying the flavor even more.
- Best pan to use: I like to use a cast iron skillet for the stovetop option, however, because of the consistency of the marinade, do not be alarmed when bits of it stick to the skillet. You can also use a nonstick pan instead.
- To use chicken breasts instead: Butterfly the breasts and slice them into thinner cutlets for even cooking. I usually take the chicken breasts off the grill when their internal temperature reaches about 155 degrees F. Then, tent them with foil while they rest until the internal temperature rises to 165 degrees F.
- Serve green goddess chicken with: So many options! Potato salad or pasta salad, roasted vegetables, Brussels sprouts, or asparagus.
- Leftovers and storage: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Nutrition information is mainly for the chicken. The green goddess dressing recipe with nutrition details is found here.
- Visit our Shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including extra virgin olive oils, all-natural and organic spices, and more.
My dressing / marinade turned out kind of bitter? What did I do wrong?
However, I haven’t cooked the chicken yet, but just tasting the marinade with my finger it was bitter?
It’s really hard to say, Laura, but the culprit could have been the lemons you were using.
Hi Suzy! I love your site and recipes and found you online about a year ago when I started eating more middle eastern foods. I made this Green Goddess dressing tonight for the first time, and for the first time I have a complaint! How on earth can this take 5 minutes to make? My thighs are marinating now, but just prepping the herbs to go in the food processor probably took a solid 20 minutes. It took so long I doubt I’d make it again, unless I’m missing something. Please give me some pointers because it’s impossible to make this dressing in 5 minutes (unless you have everything prepped already). Thank you!
If you’re using a food processor, you can save a little time by just rinsing bunches of which ever herbs you’re using, then just chop or break off the whole bunch of stems near the leafy parts. You don’t need to pull each individual leaf off the stems because the food processor blades will chop them up just as finely as the leaves. Also the stems have a ton of flavor too. After that, its just pouring out the proper amount of tahini, squeezing in the lemon juice, and sprinkling in the seasonings. It might be a little more than 5 mins, but shouldn’t take 20. Finally, never underestimate the power of practice. Everything takes longer until you’ve done it a couple of times. Hope this helps.
Thanks, Deborah!
Hi Susie
Can you make this dish with a mixture of breasts and thighs, marinate it overnight, and then freeze it cooked for later use? Maybe a total of a month in the freezer?
Thanks
I love your recipes
Hi, Gayle. We’ve never tried this before, but it should be okay. Just be sure to use chicken that is fresh (not frozen) to start with. I would also put in the freeze right after you add the marinade.
I marinated 2 wings, 2 thighs and 2 drumsticks for 24hrs using the green goddess recipe on this site. I grilled them over charcoal and they came out great. I was expecting it to have the same flavor as the dressing, but it’s more deep than that. Really good and will make again.
I made this before with chicken breasts and it was amazing.
I have a question – instead of boneless skinless chicken thighs can I make them with bone in skin on chicken thighs?
Absolutley!
Easy, unique and delicious!
This sounds delicious like all your recipes!
I am wondering if I can freeze marinated chicken to be ready to cook right away.
Meal prep really helps me.
Hi, Marina. That should be fine. Sometimes, though, the lemon/acid in marinades can affect the texture of the chicken over time. Just something to be aware of.
I wish the total cook time included the marinating step. I saw the 18 min. cook time and planned to have this for a weeknight dinner. Got all the way to the marinating step before I realized it was frozen pizza night instead.
My fault for not reading all the way through, but I wish the times at the top mentioned marinating. Looking forward to having it tomorrow!
Is the left over dressing safe to add to the chicken when served? It has had raw chicken dipped in it.
No, you will need to discard the dressing that was with the raw chicken.
Wow! This is a delicious recipe! I made the green goddess with basil, Italian parsley and dill instead of cilantro. Love it! Thanks for such a wonderful recipe for chicken.
So glad you enjoyed it, Cathy!
Delicious!! I started cooking the chicken in a cast iron skillet on the stovetop but instead of searing, the chicken started almost poaching in all the marinade. (I don’t have a great stovetop). I put them in the oven and they came out great. So much good flavor! Will make again!
Thanks for sharing, Marla!
Amazing! I love cooking with fresh herbs, and this recipe ticks all my boxes!
Yay! Thanks, Ania!
My family loved this recipe! Absolutely another great one Suzi!!! So excited for your cookbook, just a few weeks away!!!
Yay! Thank you so much for the cookbook support! I cannot wait for everyone to finally get their hands on it!! 🙂
can we bake the chicken in the oven instead of using a pan?
Sure, Maggie! You can set the oven to about 400 degrees F and bake for about 30 minutes or so (start checking at 20 minutes, though).
It is on my menu list!!
How would you modify this to make a salad dressing from the marinade?
No need to modify! The marinade and salad dressing recipe are one in the same!
One word: PHENOMINAL!
I have to agree! I happened to have chicken thighs and it took only like 5 minutes to make the Green Goddess dressing. I marinated the chicken overnight, and we just grilled it and served it with the white bean salad from The Mediterranean Dish, of course. The best lunch I’ve had in a while! Thank you!
Thanks so much, Lauren!