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This easy yogurt-marinated chicken recipe makes the most flavorful baked chicken ever. Tender, juicy, and coated with a crunchy golden crust, this simple chicken breasts recipe is a winning dinner idea!
Serve it with a side of roasted vegetables or a refreshing watermelon salad for a complete meal, or slice it up and add it to your favorite Mediterranean bowl for a satisfying lunch option.
I love no-fuss dinner ideas that deliver big on flavor. In fact, this yogurt-marinated chicken recipe is exactly what you need on a busy weeknight when all you really want is a delicious meal everyone will devour. This recipe makes the most flavorful chicken breasts, thanks to my easy yogurt marinade with garlic and thyme.
If you’re a fan of chicken breast recipes, you’ll appreciate how convenient this dish is—marinate the chicken breasts in the morning, then bread them and pop them in the oven when you get home after work. The end result is ultra-tender chicken that’s juicy on the inside and perfectly crunchy on the outside.
Why We Love This Yogurt-Marinated Chicken
- Easy. Simple pantry ingredients, a baking pan, and an oven are all you’ll need to make these chicken breasts. There’s nothing complicated or fussy about this recipe!
- Perfect for meal prep. Since the chicken is marinated for hours, it’s the perfect make-ahead meal.
- Goes with many sides. These golden, baked chicken breasts go with so many sides: mashed cauliflower, roasted veggies, Asian cucumber salad; you name it. I’ve shared some of my favorite ideas below.
What Does the Yogurt Marinade Do?
The marinade takes just a few minutes to put together and does a couple of things to your chicken; the acidity of the yogurt helps to tenderize the meat, making it more tender and juicy. It also infuses the chicken with tangy flavor and moisture, resulting in succulent baked chicken.
In addition to the yogurt marinade, we will pound the chicken before marinating it. This further tenderizes the meat by breaking down the muscle fibers. It also ensures that your chicken cooks evenly in less time.
How to Make Yogurt Marinated Chicken
Are you ready to make this easy chicken dinner? Here’s a quick overview. Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for step-by-step instructions and the full ingredients list.
- Make the yogurt marinade. It comes together in a snap.
- Marinate the chicken. I recommend marinating it for a few hours, but as little as one hour works. You have to give the yogurt time to work its magic!
- Add the panko breading and bake. The chicken is done when it is light golden, and the juices run clear when pierced with a knife. It should register 165˚F with an instant-read thermometer. Note that the cooking time will always depend on the size and thickness of the chicken.
Serving Suggestions
This is a serious, melt-in-your-mouth chicken dinner. I can’t even begin to tell you how often this yogurt-marinated chicken appears on our table. It goes with many different side dishes, too, so you can serve leftovers again later in the week and switch up what you serve with it.
I love serving these chicken breasts with crunchy green goddess salad or Jennifer Aniston’s bulgur salad. These grilled veggies with halloumi are incredibly good with chicken. You also can’t go wrong with crispy air fryer potatoes or creamy mashed turnips.
You can slice up these breaded chicken breasts and serve them on top of pasta! I love this Mediterranean baked feta pasta with chicken as well as this garlic butter pasta with spinach.
More Chicken Recipes
- Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
- Buffalo Chicken Pasta
- Chicken Broccoli Pasta
- Easy Baked Chicken Breasts
- Chicken Taco Soup
- Italian Dressing Chicken
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Yogurt Marinated Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts,, (4 chicken breasts total)
- salt and fresh ground black pepper,, to taste
- 6 cloves garlic,, minced
- ½ cup plain yogurt
- ½ tablespoon fresh thyme leaves,, or your favorite blend of fresh herbs
- ¼ cup panko crumbs
Instructions
- Lightly pound chicken just enough to even it out; do not pound it thin.
- Place the chicken in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper; set aside.
- In a separate bowl, combine garlic, yogurt, and thyme; mix until combined.
- Pour the yogurt mixture over the chicken; mix around until the chicken is thoroughly coated.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 375˚F.
- Grease a baking dish/pan with cooking spray.
- Remove the chicken from the bowl and shake off any excess; discard the yogurt mixture.
- Transfer the chicken breasts to the baking pan.
- Sprinkle panko bread crumbs over the chicken breasts.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the chicken is done. Use an instant-read meat thermometer to check for doneness; chicken is cooked through when its internal temperature registers at 165˚F.
- Remove from oven and let stand for 5 to 8 minutes.
- Serve.
Notes
- Ideal for Meal Preparation: The long marinade time makes this chicken perfect for prepping meals ahead of time.
- Versatile Pairings: Pair these golden, baked chicken breasts with a variety of sides, be it mashed cauliflower, roasted vegetables, or a salad.
- To Store Leftovers in the Fridge: Let the chicken cool to room temperature, then transfer it to an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- To Freeze: Place the cooled chicken in an airtight, freezer-safe container and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- To reheat: You can reheat your chicken in the microwave on a plate lined with a paper towel, which will help prevent moisture from building up below your chicken. I recommend reheating single servings in the microwave. You can also reheat your chicken in an oven preheated to 400F for 7 to 10 minutes or until warmed through.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
Hi
Looking forward to trying this at the weekend, however, may sound a stupid question but what did you serve this with? I’m unsure between rice or potatoes?
Thanks Mel
x
Hi Mel! I almost always serve it with rice and a big salad on the side. 😀
that sounds interesting. could i get your big salad recipe? I think I’ve perfect the garlic chicken . 🙂
Ok maybe it was just one or two cloves two many garlic. anyone else?? pls don’t delete me
Flavors were fantastic! Super easy. One of our new favorites. Would love to add the sliced lemon, did you cook on top or bake separately? Thanks!!!!
I messed up, lol. My chicken breasts have been marinating all day but now I just realized I used 4 whole chicken breasts instead of the halves. So they’ve been marinating in half the marinade required (I was wondering why it barely seemed to cover the surface of them) and they’ll probably cook all strangely, too. Sigh.
I guess I’ll just double the cooking time and panko crumbs and hope for the best.
OH! haha 🙂 It might not take double the time to cook, but I hope that the marinade will be enough and the chicken won’t be dry! Let me know! Fingers crossed, it will be amazing! 😀
I tried lowering the temperature to 350 and went up to a cooking time of an hour. It may need to cook longer than that but I hope the lower temperature will keep it from drying out as badly. I will let you know how it turns out!
It turned out okay, but it definitely would have been tastier with less chicken! 😀 Can’t wait to make it again the right way!! Thanks for the awesome recipe. Went great with panko-parmesan-zucchini crisps!
Stumbled across your site and this recipe while searching for a split pea soup recipe, of all things. [It was in a side-bar link.] This looks so good, I wish I could make it tonight! Unfortunately, no yogurt in the house. But this will be made and devoured soon, I promise! With some herb-seasoned rice and a nice, big green salad on the side, this will make a great meal.
I noticed that you cooked it with carrots and ? is that orange or lemon slices?
Hi Joann! Yes, those are lemon slices, I also added some sliced carrots and red onions… mostly for color, but they taste great, too! 🙂
Hi!
I had my heart set on making this (Garlic-Yogurt Chicken) tonight but missed the part about having to refrigerate 4- hours before cooking. Is that a requirement? I can place in fridge for about an hour only. If that wont work, ill have to make it another night.
Thanks for your help. Your site is fantastic!
XX
Jessica
Hi Jessica!! So, if you allow it to marinade, the flavors will be deeper and more distinct. If you can let it sit for at least one hour, then I’d go ahead and make it. It’s delicious no matter what! 😉 THANK YOU!!
Can it marinate overnight?
Hi Jo! Chicken can get mushy if left in marinades too long so a couple of hours is enough… overnight can be too much.
I need to try this recipe, saving it for later!
Diana.
Hi Diana!! Yes, it’s really, really good! I hope you have a chance to try it!
Amazing! Seriously I’ve already made this recipe and just checked to see if I can cook with yoghurt and I can’t believe I’ve cooked it with the exact same ingredients! This doesn’t happen to me often and just wanted to say thanks for.the reassurance. 🙂
The garlic yogurt chicken recipe was so easy and yummy. Thank you so much for sharing.
That’s great!! I’m so happy you enjoyed it! Thank you!
Looks delicious and i am gonna try this out today, Hope it will look delicious as your dish looks.
I made this tonight and it was so good! My boyfriend liked it a lot, too, even though we got a little thyme’d-out a few months ago–this was a great way to bring thyme back into our cooking! I didn’t put any garnish in with the chicken; I just baked it alone with the bread crumbs (regular, not panko), and then I squirted a little lemon juice on top when I took them out of the oven. Delicious–thanks so much for sharing!! 🙂
YAY! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! Thank you! And I’m lovin’ the “thymed-out”!! hahaha 🙂