How to Make a Greek Feast at Home? Marinated Chicken, Salad and Zucchini with Yogurt Sauce
In this blog post I’ll teach you how to make a Greek Feast at home. If you love Greece and you dream to go visit this beautiful country, these recipes will transport you there. The feast consists of delicious, marinated chicken meat, a vibrant salad and roasted zucchini with yogurt sauce. It sounds amazing right?
Why should you make Greek Feast at home?
Reason number one is flavor. I can’t even describe how flavorful and juicy the chicken tastes. It is one of my favorite chicken marinades ever. In combination with the salad and the zucchini every bite is heavenly.
You can serve this meal for lunch or dinner for friends and family. It tastes delicious and it has all the elements of a complete meal. This Greek feast contains protein, dairy, carbohydrates and a lot of vegetables.
This recipe is grain and gluten free. You can serve it to people with gluten allergy or sensitivity.
Tips on how to make a Greek feast at home
You can help yourself by preparing some of the elements ahead of time. You can marinade the chicken the night before. The longer you marinade it the deeper the flavor. You can also make the yogurt sauce and store it in the fridge until it is time to serve it. It is best if the zucchini are cold before you add the yogurt sauce on top, so you can also cook them ahead of time.
Greeks fry the zucchini, while I air fry or oven roast them. It is much healthier, and it takes less time.
More tips
When I use lemon peel and zest, I always buy organic lemons and I wash them very well.
If I eat feta I prefer to buy cow feta in brine. This is my favorite type of feta because it is creamy and milder in taste. Unfortunately, it is not easy to find. I buy it from an international store, or I order it online. You can use whatever feta you have and like. I don’t recommend using feta that is already crumbled, because it has additives and anti-caking agents.
I used a mandolin slicer to cut the zucchini thinly. That is totally optional. You can also slice your vegetables with a knife.
The FDA recommends cooking chicken until the internal temperature reaches 165F. If you are unsure that your chicken is cooked don’t serve it. Consuming uncooked chicken can cause serious illness, especially in toddlers and elderly people. You can make sure it is cooked by inserting a food thermometer in the middle of one piece of chicken.
How to Make a Greek Feast at Home?
Ingredients
For the chicken marinate
- 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs cut to bite-sized pieces
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 lemon zest and juice
- 5 garlic cloves finely chopped or pressed
- 1 Tbsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp dried onion
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
For the zucchini with yogurt sauce
- 2 medium sized zucchini
- 1 cup Plain or Greek yogurt I used whole
- ¼ cup fresh chopped dill
- 1 garlic clove finely chopped or pressed
- salt and pepper to taste
For the salad
- ½ seedless English cucumber or about a cup cliced
- ½ lb tomatoes I used Campari, on the vine
- 1 roasted red pepper sliced to bite-sized pieces
- 1 cup chickpeas drained, from a can
- ¼ cup olives
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3 oz feta cheese
Other
- cooking oil
Instructions
To prepare the chicken marinade
- In a food safe container with a lid add the olive oil, lemon juice and zest, pressed garlic cloves, smoked paprika, cumin, parsley, dried onion, salt and pepper. Stir until combined. Add the cubed chicken thighs and stir until the chicken is well coated in the marinate. Refrigerate for at least an hour (best overnight).
To cook the chicken
- In a large pan (I used a cast iron skillet) add about a tablespoon of oil and heat up to medium high temperature. Once the pan is preheated add the chicken, a little at a time. Use a heat resistant spatula or tongs to separate the meat chunks so they don't stick to each other. Cook for about two minutes per side. Keep the cooked meat in a food save dish with a lid to keep it warm.
To prepare the zucchini with yogurt sauce
- Preheat an oven or an air frier to 400F.
- Wash the zucchini and trim the ends. Then slice them to thin rounds and drizzle them with some olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and stir. Line them on a baking dish (or air fryer basket) and cook for about 10 minutes.
- While the zucchini are cooking make the yogurt sauce by combining the yogurt, dill, garlic salt and pepper and stir.
- Once the zucchini are cooked transfer them on a plate and pour the yogurt sauce on top.
To prepare the salad
- In a bowl combine the chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, sliced roasted red pepper, chickpeas and olives. Season with olive oil salt and pepper to taste and crumble the feta on top. Stir before serving.
To serve the Greek feast
- In a plate add a little bit of the chicken, the salad and the zucchini with yogurt sauce.
- Store leftovers in an airtight food container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Other chicken thighs recipes
How To Make Three Quesadillas With Two Chicken Thighs?