This grilled chicken recipe is one of the most popular here on the site, and for good reason! Juicy grilled chicken thighs, covered in a bold Mediterranean marinade and served with an herby Greek yogurt sauce that will have you coming back for more! Get my secrets for how to grill chicken thighs perfectly, plus a few great sides and salads to serve along for the perfect summer barbecue!
When it comes to cookouts, this Mediterranean grilled chicken recipe has been a fan favorite for the past few years. In fact, it’s one of the top chicken recipes!
You can’t go wrong with chicken thighs on the grill. They are tender and juicy–hard to mess up, really. But, covered in lots of garlic, warm Mediterranean spices, citrus, and olive oil, these marinated grilled thighs are next level delicious.
I love serving this grilled chicken with a side of thick and creamy Greek yogurt sauce with a good dose of fresh dill. The sauce is a must-try, unless you’re not a dill person, then you can totally do a tzatziki instead. Add a salad or through some vegetables on the grill to complete this perfect Mediterranean chicken dinner!
How long does it take to grill chicken thighs?
In this recipe, I’m using boneless chicken thighs, which will take about 7 to 10 minutes cooked over medium-high heat. Bone-in chicken thighs will take anywhere from 15 to 25 minutes, depending on how large they are. Chicken is fully ready to serve when its internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
Should you marinate chicken thighs for grilling?
Now, should you marinate chicken thighs before cooking on the grill. Yes! Although it’s not a requirement, marinating the chicken for 2 to 4 hours or so will give you delicious, boldly flavored grilled chicken. But if you don’t have the time, even 30 minutes or so will make a difference. You can also marinate the chicken in the fridge overnight, just don’t add citrus until the last couple hours of marinating time.
The chicken marinade
A simple combination of warm spices, fresh garlic, onions, and citrus make up the marinade for this Mediterranean grilled chicken recipe. Here is what you need for the marinade:
- 10 garlic cloves. Yes, the garlic here is a key ingredient! And I would recommend using fresh garlic cloves that you mince yourself rather than the already minced stuff which doesn’t have the same big flavor.
- Spices: paprika, allspice, nutmeg, cardamom, a foursome of warm and bold Eastern Mediterranean flavors.
- Red onion: You’ll need one red onion, halved and thinly sliced.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Good olive oil will help blend the different flavors and help them adhere to the chicken thighs.
- Lemon juice. Lemon juice provides flavor and acidity, but it also helps tenderize the chicken.
How to make grilled chicken thighs?
Chicken thighs on the grill is one of the easiest summer meals! Here is how to make this grilled chicken recipe (I’m showing you the steps with photos here, but the print-friendly recipe with the ingredient measurements is just below):
- Season the chicken. Start with 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs and be sure to pat them dry on both sides with a paper towel. Mince 10 garlic clovers and mix them with 3 tablespoons of olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon of paprika, 1/2 teaspoon allspice, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon cardamom, and a good dash of kosher salt and black pepper. Rub the chicken thighs with the seasoning mixture.
- Marinate. Grab a large dish with sides (it needs to hold the chicken thighs and the marinade). Slice 1 red onion and arrange the sliced onions in the bottom of the dish. Add juice of 2 lemons and about 2 to 3 more tablespoons of olive oil. Mix to combine. Arrange the chicken on top of the onions, and toss to make sure the chicken is coated in the liquid. If you have the time, cover and refrigerate for about 2 to 4 hours or overnight (if you do marinate the chicken overnight, remember to only add the lemon juice the next day about a couple hours before grilling). Otherwise, you can set the chicken aside at room temperature for 30 minutes or so while you heat up your grill and prepare your dill Greek yogurt sauce (if using).
- Heat an outdoor grill over medium-high heat and carefully oil the grates.
- Grill! Using a pair of tongs, arrange the chicken thighs on the grill and cook (discard the onions). Close the grill cover and cook for about one 5 minutes or until you see some good char marks, then turn the chicken over and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes. (I like to remove the chicken from the heat when its internal temperature reaches about 160 degrees, to make sure it doesn’t dry out).
- Allow the grilled chicken to rest. As the chicken rests, its internal temperature should continue to rise to 165 degrees (you can use a piece of foil to tent over).
The dill Greek yogurt sauce
For some of us, it’s essential to have a little something to dip or drizzle over grilled chicken. The cool dill Greek yogurt sauce compliments the bold flavors in the grilled chicken. To make it, you’ll mix together just over 1 cup of some creamy Greek yogurt with a little bit of minced garlic, fresh dill, lemon juice, and a dash of kosher salt, if needed. The Greek yogurt sauce can be made one night ahead; just keep it in the fridge in a tightly covered container, and give it a stir before serving.
You can also serve these grilled thighs with tzatziki sauce or even this tahini green goddess dressing!
Grilling bone-in thighs
If you would rather grill bone-in chicken thighs, you can still follow the same recipe, just budget about 10 to 15 more minutes for the chicken to cook properly. Like I mentioned earlier, bone-in chicken will take anywhere from 15 to 25 minutes to cook through (and again, use your thermometer to be sure it’s ready).
Can I make this grilled chicken recipe with boneless chicken breasts?
Chicken breasts are more tricky to grill without drying out. In general, boneless chicken breasts will take about 9 minutes to cook on the grill, flipping over once mid-way through. For me, I like to take them off the heat when their internal temperature reaches about 155 degrees F, that way they don’t get too dry. I do allow them to rest before serving (with a large piece of foil tented on top) until their temperature rises to 165 degrees F.
What to serve with this Mediterranean grilled chicken!
There are many great sides and salads that compliment this grilled chicken recipe. You can throw some vegetable kebabs or on the grill, or some zucchini to make grilled zucchini boats! Add a hearty salad like piyaz (Turkish white bean salad) or balela. I’m also a big fan of this simple lettuce salad with anything grilled.
Many people are big on adding something starchy next to grilled chicken, if that’s you, try these Greek baked fries, smashed potatoes, or this Mediterranean orzo salad.
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Mediterranean Grilled Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
For the Dill Greek Yogurt Sauce:
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 cup fresh dill, stems removed, chopped
- 1 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 lemon or lime, juiced
- Pinch cayenne pepper, optional
- Kosher salt, if needed
For the Grilled Chicken:
- 10 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground green cardamom
- Salt and pepper
- 5 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 2 lemons, juiced
Instructions
- Make the dill Greek yogurt sauce. Combine the minced garlic, fresh dill, yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice and cayenne pepper in a food processor. Run the food processor until all the ingredients are well blended and a smooth thick sauce or dip develops. Test and add salt if needed. Transfer to a small bowl or container, cover and refrigerate.
- Make the seasoning and season the chicken. In a small bowl, mix together the minced garlic, spices and 3 tbsp olive oil. Pat the chicken thighs dry and rub each with the garlic-spice mixture.
- Make the marinade and add the chicken. In a large dish with sides (to hold the marinade), add the onions, lemon juice, and the remaining olive oil. Place the chicken on top of the onions and toss for a bit so the chicken is coated in the olive oil and lemon juice.
- Marinate the chicken. If you have the time, cover and refrigerate the chicken for 2-4 hours. If not
- Heat a gas grill to medium-high. Place the chicken thighs on the grill. Cover for 5 minutes, then turn the chicken over and grill for another 3 to 5 minutes covered.
- Rest. Allow the grilled chicken about 5 minutes to rest before serving. Chicken is ready with its internal temperature, taken at the thickest part, should be 165 degrees.
- Serve with a side of the dill Greek yogurt dip you prepared earlier! And check out my side and salad suggestions!)
Video
Notes
- Browse Our Shop for quality Mediterranean ingredients including olive oils and spices to use in this recipe.
- If you have the time, do marinade the chicken! For best flavor, marinate in the fridge for 2 to 4 hours (you can try overnight, just add the lemon juice only 1 to 2 hours before cooking the chicken).
- You can make the dill Greek yogurt sauce one night ahead. Store it in the fridge in a tightly closed mason jar or a covered glass bowl. Give it a quick stir before serving.
- Can you use chicken breast instead in this recipe? Yes, you can make this grilled chicken recipe with boneless skinless chicken breasts. Chicken breast will tend to dry out more quickly, so to be sure that doesn’t happen, remove the chicken breasts from the heat when their internal temperature reaches 155 degrees F. Allow the chicken breasts to rest, covered, for about 5 to 10 minutes (the temperature will continue to rise, but the juices of the chicken will redistribute. This makes for juicier grilled chicken breasts).
Nutrition
*This post first appeared on The Mediterranean Dish in 2015 and has been updated with new information for readers’ benefit.
Really excellent. I was wary because those are very pungent, assertive spices for the chicken and a goid bit different than seasoning we might typically use like ras al hanout, or combos that would include cumin, coriander and such, or berbere. I had to leave it marinade for 24 hours and then we did have to cook it on an indoor stovetop grill pan (so I used a smoked salt to suggest that real grill smokey flavor). Fantastic flavor! That classic dill yogurt sauce is perfect with it. As I cooked, I had two questions: 1) it was unclear to me at what point you add the salt and pepper…do you mix these in with the spices in the marinade? And 2) what is your suggestion for what to do with thoe onion slices on which the chicken pieces rest while marinating? Like others, I grilled them and served them…obviously they would need to be cooked or discarded. What do you do with them?
Thanks in advance,
Linn
Lynn, thank you so much for sharing! Yes, the spices here are a little bit different, but they work so well together in this recipe. Glad you enjoyed it. As far as the onions, you can surely grill them, or you can discard with the marinade, i leave that up to you. The salt and pepper added with the spices in the marinade. Good questions. Thanks much for sharing.
I found this recipe on Pinterest a few months ago and after some research on the Mediterranean diet, I actually made it last night for my very picky daughter and myself. It was delicious! And yes, my picky daughter enjoyed it too except for the dill yogurt sauce that I added too much cayenne to, for her taste…It was easy to cut in half and I grilled the onions from the marinade as well…
I can see making this for the next family event…
Thanks so much for the beautiful blog…I want to make everything!
Lori, thank you so much for taking the time to share! I am so excited to hear your daughter enjoyed this recipe too. Hope you find more to try!
I tried this recipe yesterday for our Greek themed dinner with friends. We all loved it!! Thank you for sharing!
Awesome, Mark! Thanks for sharing!
I used the marinade for the chicken, with out the salt and pepper, and I didn’t have Cardamon at the moment. I looked online for alternatives, suggestions were ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, curry. So for the 1/4 teaspoon I used 1/8 ginger, 1/8 cinnamon, and a pinch of curry. I didn’t marinate it with the onions or lemon, just in a bag for 6 hours. I did not drizzle or sprinkle before grilling. OMG – it was the best chicken ever! I can’t wait to make it the full recipe way. It was so juicy and flavorful! My parents don’t like spices, (which is why I only did 2/3 of the marinade) but there wasn’t a crumb of this left over! AND THEY ASKED FOR MORE! This is going in my hard copy recipe file as a go to for chicken! Just can’t think you enough for posting this! So terrific!
Katherine, thanks so much for your comment! Glad you enjoyed this recipe and that you made it your own!!! Hope you try more recipes here!!
Could I use dried dill instead of fresh? If so, any thoughts on how much to use? Thank you!
Hi Mary Kay. Yes, you can use dried dill. I would start with a small amount, say 1 tsp and work from there to your taste.
Hi Suzy, thanks for the recipe. Can I double or triple the amount of chicken? and If yes, Do I do the same with all the marinade ingredients? I’m busy and it’s easier for me to cook big batches and keep it in the refrigerator. Thank you.
Hey Claire…Yes, this is a very forgiving recipe that you should be able to double up all around. Enjoy!
This was amazing!! My husband informed me that I am only allowed to make chicken this way from now on. Even my very picky daughter loved this. Needless to say it was a big hit in our house! The flavors were great and loved the dill sauce.
Thanks for this wonderful recipe!
Audra, thank you so much for stopping in and sharing! I am so glad you guys enjoyed this chicken. It’s a favorite over here too. Hope you find more to try! XO
I was looking for the perfect 1 birthday meal for my little. I think I found it. I am so excited to try this.
Awesome! Hope you all enjoy it. And thanks so much for stopping in to share.
And months later.. It is still a hit!
Camilla, that’s wonderful to hear! Thank you so much for stopping in and sharing
Is there a nutritional listing for this recipe? I want to add it to MyFitnessPal. I will be making this often! Thanks.
I don’t have one here…but this site might be helpful http://nutritiondata.self.com/
This was a big hit with my family. The chicken and yogurt sauce are fantastic. I took some liberties with the Greek potatoes and Fattoush based on what I had in the fridge and the time I had to get it done, but the basic idea is healthy and flavorful – just what I want my kids to appreciate. i’m looking forward to trying more of your recipes.!
Grant, thank you so much for taking the time to let me know! I am glad this recipe worked out great for your family. And so good to hear that you also made the fattoush and potato. Always make the recipes your own according to what you have…the recipes here are only meant to guide you through cooking the Mediterranean way…but I love to hear how people adapt them to their tastes and needs. be sure to let me know when you try other recipes!
Hello!
When you say “adjust times accordingly” if using chicken breasts instead of thighs, what would you recommend? I usually cut each chicken breasts into 3 roughly equal pieces (I chop off the thin end and slice the thicker end into two thinner pieces)
Thanks!
The way you describe the chicken breasts you use, the cooking time should be pretty similar. You’ll just want to make sure the chicken is cooked through to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
My whole family loved this recipe. The yogurt sauce was perfect. Thank you so much.
My pleasure, Jennifer! So glad your family enjoyed this recipe. The yogurt sauce is so versatile! Hope you’ll find other recipes to try here. Cheers!
Hi Suzy! Do you recommend a specific olive oil? For example, I LOVE using Spanish olive oil because, to me, it tastes saltier than Italian or Greek olive oils. And in my mind, I can use less salt in my meals. I know to each his/her own, but for Mediterranean cooking, in your opinion, is one region “better” than others in terms of enhancing the flavor of the dish?
Love this page!
Jeri, thanks for stopping in! Great question. I have tried Italian olive oils, Spanish, Greek and a lot more olive oils from the Eastern Mediterranean/Holy Land regions. I can’t say that I am an expert, but I do enjoy olive oil and use it a lot. I use the “heavier” more bitter extra virgin olive oils on salads or for dipping; the lighter, sweeter olive oil, I use for cooking. I tend to go cheaper on the oils I use for cooking. What qualifies as “better” olive oil depends on so many factors, and the only way to know is to really learn how to taste olive oil straight. I am trying to learn more about that, and hopefully sometime in the future, I’ll be able to share more. If you enjoy the Spanish olive oils because they allow you to use less salt, then that’s great! As with any food, there are personal preferences with olive oil too.
Hi! Your recipe looks and sounds so delicious. I wanted to ask, since you don’t use any salt in the rub, does the spice rub make up for the lack of it? I want to serve this to a large group this weekend and need your advice.
Hi Elizabeth. Thank you for stopping in and for your question. Salt and pepper are included in the spice mixture, see the sixth ingredient (right after the ground green cardamom). But I don’t specify the amount of salt and pepper because those are more driven by personal preference. So yes, do use some salt…I typically go light because there is a lot of flavor. But again, up to you!
Soooo, after printing your recipe and looking it over with bright eyes, I noticed your inclusion of salt. After reading it clearly, I felt a bit embarrassed.
Just so you know, I am excited to cook this chicken for my family. The yogurt sauce was very tasty. Before I had put the rub on my chicken, I tasted it and was happily surprised with the combination of spices. For some reason I feel confident with my cooking. Your recipe is taking me there for sure! Thank you for being so kind and posting this dish. I can’t wait to try another one.
No worries, Elizabeth! I’ve done the same thing myself in the past. So glad you like the recipe. Can’t wait to hear what else you make! Happy cooking
hi. I have my chick in the fridge on the bed of onion and the dill sauce made. I plan to grill this tomorrow after work. One question, did you throw the onion out after the marinade process? This recipe looks amazing. Can wait to try.
Hi Lisa. Thank u for your good question. I did discard the onions after the chicken had marinated. I hope you enjoy it! It’s one I make often for my family
Is there a way that i can make a sauce without the use of a food processor?
Sure, Dimetria. The processor just makes it easier and quicker to blend everything together. But if you mince the garlic well and very finely chop the dill, you could probably just whip the mixture together by hand. The texture may not be as smooth, but the taste will still be great. Otherwise, try a blender of sorts or small processor like the one in the link http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000645YM/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0000645YM&linkCode=as2&tag=themedidish-20&linkId=NTD3XFDJRRLIVQW2