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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.
panko is not gluten free so idk why you’re claiming this is a gluten free recipe
I have GF panko in my cupboard; maybe they do to.
I had excess vanilla yogurt so I’m marinating thighs w Moroccan spice, Odobe seasoning and a dash of hot paprika and garlic to counter the vanilla. Fingers crossed for a one pot meal later!
Bone-In Chicken Thighs were on sale today, in preparing, I removed the skin from 4 thighs and slashed the meat to the bone in a couple of places for the marinade to penetrate the meat. Used a generous ½ cup of yogurt, juice of one lemon, at least 6 cloves of garlic (maybe a smidge more to keep the vampires away!), and used McCormick Greek Seasoning which in includes a bit of mint, and finished with salt and pepper. I marinated the thighs for 2 ½ hours, baked off at 350F until chicken temp with a probe thermometer reached 160 degrees F. Removed from the oven and let the dish ‘rest’ for 5 minutes or so while mixing the salad. Temperature on the thighs came up to 165, safe for serving and was nóstimos (Greek for delicious!). Accompanied with your recommended rice and a nice Greek Salad with feta, kalamata olives, and dressed with a lemon vinaigrette using a fruity olive oil..
Why even post here when you didn’t make the recipe as written?
Can I make this with cherry flavored yogurt? I don’t have any plain.
Hi!
Well, if you don’t mind cherry-flavored chicken, sure, go right ahead. 😊
How can this possibly be only 3 WW points!?!?!?! When I was in turkey I remember a friend marinading chicken in yogurt. This was absolutely delicious and exactly what I was looking for. Thank you!
Can I leave out the breadcrumbs?????
Sure, but it will be without that bit of crunch 😀
The chicken was tender and delicious! I did add onion quarters and lime slices. I devoured it with rice! Thank you.
I really love yogurt but I ‘ve never tried it with chicken before.So I made it last week. So delicious :).
This is the perfect combination. Thanks for sharing.
had something this past week that was just about like this. My friend said to look it up online and this is what I found. I’ve babied the chicken all afternoon and will be ready to bake it in about 2 hours. I expect it to be just about what I’m looking for. I’m serving fresh summer squash with it…
WAAAYYYY TOO MUCH GARLIC. ANYONE ELSE???
Nope! We loved it with 6 cloves of garlic and ours were large cloves too.
Hi Katerina!
Your recipe of Garlic Yogurt Baked Chicken looks amazing! i have already bought chicken thighs not breasts though.. so think they would work out with the recipe? Also it calls for yogurt but it doesn’t say if its greek or not..any recommendations? Thank you!!