Greek Chicken Recipe

Greek Chicken - October 14, 2025

I’m half Greek on my mother’s side, and let me tell you something—Mediterranean cuisine is more than just gyros. I mean, obviously, we Greeks love a good gyro. But if I had to choose a true staple from my childhood, it would be Greek chicken, or as we called it, kotópoulo sta karvouná—chicken on the coals.

My papou (grandpa) would marinate the chicken for hours, then fire up the grill until it was blazing hot. Watching the meat sear and char while the aroma drifted through the backyard could make a person who had just eaten a three-course meal experience hunger pangs. Inside, my noni (grandma) was busy making extras—pastitsio with its cinnamon-butter sauce, flaky spanakopita stuffed with feta—but in the summer months, the Greek chicken was always the main event. Since Papou passed, our family dynamic has changed. No more huge family get-togethers, and definitely no more Greek chicken. Well, recently I decided to remedy that. It was time to revive this recipe and share it with my own little family of five. I only hope mine turns out half as good as Papou’s.

Greek Chicken