Super tender and bursting with flavor this Chicken Souvlaki can be the highlight of your next bbq gathering. Or a delicious, healthy, easy dinner for you and your family!
What's Souvlaki?
When we say Souvlaki in Greek we refer to meat threaded on skewers traditionally it's either pork souvlaki or chicken.
What's The Difference Between Souvlaki And Kebabs?
Kebabs are made with ground meat instead of cubed meat threaded on skewers. They also contain lots of spices.
What's The Difference Between Souvlaki And Gyros?
Gyros is the chopped meat that has been cooked on a tall vertical rotisserie and is served inside pita wraps. Check out my Homemade Pork Gyros and Homemade Chicken Gyros recipes to find out more.
Okay. And now that we covered the basics, let me tell you why this Chicken Souvlaki Recipe is absolutely amazing! For one, they're juicy and tender and get cooked very quickly.
The meat gets sooo flavorful because it gets marinated overnight in the most delicious Greek yogurt chicken marinade. Plus it's cooked along with veggies (tomatoes, peppers, onions) added in between the pieces of meat. Therefore even more flavor!
And to finish off, Souvlaki is served drizzled with the classic Greek lemon & olive oil dressing (Ladolemono) which is added on top of every grilled meat in Greece (like in these pork Souvlakis) along with a sprinkle of dried oregano (like the cherry on a cake).
How To Make Chicken Souvlaki
1 → Get some skewers. In this recipe, I'm using small wooden ones. You need 2-3 of them for a portion, they're more convenient for gatherings, they're dispensable, and easier to handle really. You can though use larger metal ones. One is enough for a portion and you can wash again and again. They're not that easy to handle though, as they get heated and you have to be careful handling them (not very ideal for gathering).
2→ Prepare the marinade. To make this Greek yogurt chicken marinade, take a small blender and toss in all of the ingredients for the marinade (Greek yogurt, mustard, olive oil, paprika, oregano, lemon juice & zest, onion, garlic) then blend until smooth & creamy paste forms. That's it!
3→ Marinade overnight. Cut chicken into small pieces (3cm / 1.5 inch), add in a food container, and season with salt and pepper. Add the marinade and mix well to spread all over the chicken. Cover and refrigerate overnight (ideally, otherwise, for at least 2 hours before cooking).
4→ Prepare the veggies. Take 1 tomato, 1 onion, and 1 green bell pepper. Remove the tomato inside and cut the skin to small square pieces as well (3cm / 1.5 inch). Cut the onion and pepper in the same fashion.
5→ Thread the skewers. Start by threading a piece of pepper, then 1-2 pieces of chicken, 1 piece of tomato, 1 piece chicken, 1 piece onion, 1 piece chicken. Overall use 1 piece of each vegetable and 5-6 pieces of chicken.
6 → Grill the Souvlaki (3 Ways). You can either use an outdoor grill, a griddle, or a grill pan (what I used in this recipe). Whatever you use, grease well with olive oil. Preheat on high heat so they won't stick on the grates and then drop the heat to medium-high. Add the Souvlakis and turn them every 3 minutes (approx.) so they will cook evenly on all sides. Overall it takes about 12-15 minutes. The internal temperature of the meat should read 80°C / 176°F on an instant-read thermometer.
7 → Finish Off Greek Style. Drizzle with the Ladolemono dressing and oregano. Preferably get yourself some proper oregano like this wild Greek one. It makes a HUGE difference in flavor. And really you can't expect to taste some real Greek grilled meat flavor without these two. We also add an extra squeeze of fresh lemon right on the meat but you might find it too sour if you're not used to that much lemon!
What To Serve Souvlaki With →
Most of the time, Souvlaki is served with these Greek classics: Tzatziki Dip -As Made In Greece , A Mouthwatering Greek Salad, And Pita Bread (try my Healthy, Homemade Pita Bread With Greek Yogurt).
SIMILAR RECIPE:
Delicious pork skewers as made and served in Greek grill houses!
Chicken Souvlaki Recipe (with BEST Greek yogurt chicken marinade)!
Ingredients
For The Souvlaki:
- 1 kg / 2 lb + 5 oz chicken breasts
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1 tomato
- 1 onion
- kosher salt
- freshly ground pepper
- 2 lemons juiced
- olive oil
- dried oregano
- 10 wooden skewers
For The Souvlaki Marinade:
- 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon mild mustard
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ small onion
- 1 large garlic clove
- ½ lemon juiced
- 1 lemon zested
- 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
Instructions
For The Souvlaki Marinade:
- Add all of the ingredients for the marinade in a blender and blend until smooth paste forms.
For The Souvlaki:
- Cut the chicken to bite-sized 1,5-inch (3 cm) pieces. Add in a food container.
- Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add the marinade and mix well to spread all over the chicken. Put the lid on and refrigerate overnight, or for at least 2 hours before cooking.
- Soak the wooden skewers in water for about 10 minutes.
- Remove the stem and seeds of the bell pepper and cut into 1,5-inch (3cm) pieces.
- Remove stem and inside of the tomato, leaving only the skin. Cut the tomato and the onion in 1,5-inch (3cm) pieces as well.
- Start threading the skewers by adding one piece of pepper, 1-2 pieces of meat, one piece of onion, 1-2 pieces of meat, one piece of tomato and 1-2 pieces of meat until you reach the end of the skewer.
- Heat your grill, griddle, or grill pan over high heat. Grease well with oil. Drop heat to medium-high and add the Souvlakis. Cook for about 12-15 minutes or until the internal temperature of the meat reads 80°C / 176°F on an instant-read thermometer.
Turn every 3 minutes to cook evenly all around. - Make the Ladolemono Dressing. Add ⅔ olive oil to the 2 juiced lemons. Whisk for a minute or two until it thickens. Or you can use a squeeze bottle and shake until combined.
- Pour Ladolemono over the meat right as it comes out of the grill. Sprinkle with dried oregano and you're ready to serve!
Nutrition
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