Greek Chicken Thighs Recipe (2024)

This Greek Chicken Thighs recipe has a simple seasoning and cooks in a cast iron skillet, making cleanup easy. The lemon brings a light, crisp flavor and the kalamata olives provide a touch of saltiness. It’s a quick, one pan dinner perfect for a weeknight!

Hello everyone! My name is Taryn and I run a gluten free recipes blog at Hot Pan Kitchen where I create gluten-free recipes for families who don’t want to feel restricted by eating gluten free foods. I’m so excited to be here sharing this this really flavorful and fast recipe with you and wanted to thank Meghan for letting me come do so!

I love recipes that only require one pan to make them – less dirty dishes! This Greek Chicken Thighs recipe fits that bill and is great when you need something quickly on a weeknight.

Before we get into it, first let’s answer a couple of questions since there may be some of you who are wondering “why not use chicken breasts?”

Why Chicken Thighs Instead of Breasts?

Chicken thighs are typically a more forgiving cut of meat. They have a higher fat content so aren’t as liable to become dry the way chicken breasts can when overcooked. They are also usually more inexpensive than breasts so provide a good budget option.

Are Chicken Thighs White Meat or Dark Meat?

Chicken thighs are dark meat, due to a higher amount of a certain type of protein called myoglobin. Myoglobin provides oxygen to the muscles when a chicken needs to move around, which they do with their thighs and legs instead of their wings as they are (mostly) flightless birds. The breasts aren’t needed for as much movement, requiring less myoglobin and making breasts a whiter meat.

Okay, now that that’s done, let’s get to the recipe.

How to Make Greek Chicken Thighs

Start with a cast iron skillet – it will be better for getting a bit of a sear on the chicken. Warm it up over medium heat then add 2 tablespoons of a high heat oil into it. I prefer avocado oil, but canola or vegetable oil will also work.

Next up you’ll want to make the seasoning. It’s very simple but has a great flavor. Take a small dish and add in the kosher salt, garlic powder, oregano, and ground black pepper into it, then mix well to combine. Set it aside while you get the chicken all prepped.

How to Prep Greek Chicken Thighs

Prepping the chicken thighs on a large piece of aluminum foil is great because it can double as a splatter guard for the skillet! Place the foil on the counter and lay out the chicken on top. If you see any large pieces of fat you want to cut off, now is the time to do so.

Sprinkle half of the seasoning mixture on top of the chicken. Now we’re ready to fry them up a bit.

How to Fry Greek Chicken Thighs

Place the thighs in the warmed skillet with the seasoned side face down into the oil. Dust the chicken with the rest of the seasoning (careful not to get splattered by oil!), then place the aluminum foil on top of the skillet and cook for 4 minutes.

Once those 4 minutes are up, flip the chicken over (use a pair of tongs for this) and cook them for another 4 minutes.

While the chicken is frying in the pan you’ll want to prep the rest of the ingredients. Slice the kalamata olives into fourths (I like to make long, thin pieces), dice the tomatoes, and slice the lemon.

How to Finish Cooking the Greek Chicken Thighs

After the second round of 4 minutes are up, pour the chicken broth into the pan, followed by the kalamata olives and diced tomato. You’ll want to disperse the olives and tomato around the chicken, not on top of it.

Place one lemon slice on top of each chicken thigh and bring the broth mixture to a boil (this should not take long at all). Reduce the heat to low, then cover and cook for 10 minutes, until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.

That’s it – so easy! It’s a great meal for a weeknight and would be so good paired with Pita Bread or .

If you’re looking for more great weeknight meals, check out some of the following on my site:

• Weeknight Paleo Ground Beef Stroganoff
• Swimming Rama Loaded Sweet Potato
• Lemon Thyme Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner

Or here on Fox and Briar:

• Easy Broccoli and Shrimp Stir Fry
• Sausage and Potatoes Sheet Pan Dinner
• Beef and Broccoli

If you try this recipe, be sure to comment and rate it below! And I’m sure you’re already following Meghan on Instagram, but I would love it if you would follow along with me on Instagram too! I post recipes, kitchen tips, and ways I’m trying to teach my kids to cook.