This Chicken Souvlaki Recipe is the perfect warm weather grilling recipe. You will love how tender the chicken thigh meat gets from the lemony Mediterranean marinade. The chicken is served with tzatziki and served on a pita with your favorite Greek ingredients!
Table of Contents
- CHICKEN SOUVLAKI RECIPE
- Recipe Ingredients
- What is the Difference Between Chicken Gyros and Chicken Souvlaki?
- How Do You Make Chicken Souvlaki?
- What Should I Pair with My Greek Chicken Souvlaki?
- What Toppings Should I Put on Chicken Souvlaki?
- Recipe FAQ
- Other Chicken Recipes You Might Like:
- Chicken Souvlaki Recipe
CHICKEN SOUVLAKI RECIPE
As we approach warmer weather I am excited to be celebrating grilling season today in partnership with Smart Chicken.
This Chicken Souvlaki Recipe is the perfect way to kick off grilling season.
You can’t beat chicken skewers that are marinated in a light, lemony marinade and grilled to create a juicy, tender piece of chicken.
If you aren’t familiar with Chicken Souvlaki, you are in for a treat. A few years ago Mike and I traveled to Greece and fell in love with Chicken Souvlaki. It is a poplar street food that we found in Athens and ate a lot in Greek restaurants.
It wasn’t hard for me to fall in love since I love lemons and the souvlaki marinade uses a lemony marinade for the chicken. Along with the lemon juice you will use extra virgin olive oil, a lot of garlic, paprika, oregano and thyme to create the perfect combination of flavors.
And an added bonus is that this is an easy recipe to make for your family using simple ingredients.
If you like chicken skewers try these Greek Marinated Chicken Kabobs or these Lebanese Chicken Kabobs.
You might be wondering “What is Chicken Souvlaki?”
Souvlaki is a popular Greek fast food consisting of small pieces of meat and sometimes vegetables grilled on a skewer.
In this case I used boneless skinless chicken thighs but you can use boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken tenders and cut them into cubes of meat.
In Greece they often make Pork Souvlaki but it can also be made using chicken, beef and sometimes lamb. I personally love using chicken because the chicken becomes so tender and juicy when marinaded and grilled.
We like to serve our Chicken Souvlaki on pita bread with tzatziki and a variety of other Greek toppings like kalamata olives, cucumber, parsley, tomatoes and feta.
Recipe Ingredients
- BONELESS SKINLESS CHICKEN THIGHS: I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs in this recipe because I find that it stays the juiciest and holds in a lot of the flavors from the marinade. You can also use chicken tenderloins or chicken breasts but make sure to cut the pieces into uniform size so it cooks evenly.
- LEMONS: fresh lemon juice is used in this marinade to add sweetness and help tenderize the chicken.
- EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL: I suggest a high quality extra virgin olive oil if you can use one. I find that the olive oil adds a lot of flavor and nutritional benefits to the marinade.
- GARLIC CLOVES: fresh garlic works best in this recipe but if you only have garlic powder that is fine as well.
- RED WINE VINEGAR: the red wine vinegar pairs nicely with the lemon juice to create a sweet and tangy marinade.
- SPICES: DRIED THYME, DRIED OREGANO AND PAPRIKA: these spices work really well together to create flavor in the chicken. If you would prefer you can use Greek seasoning along with the paprika.
What is the Difference Between Chicken Gyros and Chicken Souvlaki?
I ate a lot of gyros and souvlaki in Greece! I love them both equally. Gyros are made by thinly slicing meat that is grilled on a vertical rotisserie.
You often see pork or chicken used but can also be made from beef or lamb. Gyros are often served in warm pita bread as a wrap but I have also seen it served on a platter with roasted vegetables, Greek potatoes or fries and tzatziki.
Souvlaki is grilled pieces of meat, like chicken or pork, served on skewers. It is often served on a pita or on a platter with tzatziki, vegetables and potatoes.
How Do You Make Chicken Souvlaki?
Step 1. Create Marinade: Mix all of the marinade ingredients together in a small mixing bowl.
Step 2. Cut the Chicken: Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes and put them in a large Ziploc bag or glass tupperware container and pour in the marinade.
Step 3. Marinate the Chicken: Seal the bag or close the container and toss to coat the chicken with the marinade. Refrigerate the chicken for up to two hours but at least for a 1/2 of an hour.
Step 4. Soak the Skewers: Before grilling soak wooden or bamboo skewers in water for 20 minutes unless you are using metal skewers. When you are ready to grill the chicken heat the outdoor grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Remove the chicken from the fridge and take the chicken from the container or bag and discard the marinade.
Step 5. Thread the Chicken: Set out a large platter or wooden cutting board. Thread the chicken onto the wood or metal skewers.
Step 6. Create Marinade: While the grill is heating make the Tzatziki sauce by combining the Greek yogurt, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper and stir well to combine. Put in a covered container and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Step 7. Create the Greek Salad: To make the Greek salad combine the cucumber, tomato, olives, parsley, oregano and feta cheese in a medium mixing bowl. In a mason jar or salad dressing container combine the lemon juice and olive oil and then pour on the salad and stir to combine. Refrigerate the salad until ready to use. Brush the grates with oil to prevent the chicken from sticking.
Step 8. Grill the Chicken: Add the chicken to the grill and cook for about 7-8 minutes, turning once. The chicken is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Remove from the grill. Serve the chicken skewers with pita, greek salad and tzatziki.
What Should I Pair with My Greek Chicken Souvlaki?
- In my opinion the best topping for Greek souvlaki is Greek Salad. I often make a big bowl of this Village Greek Salad, Greek Chickpea Salad or this Greek Tabbouleh and add it to a Chicken Souvlaki Pita.
- Potatoes are another great addition to this meal. I love serving these Spicy Lebanese Potatoes or these Lemon Cilantro Potatoes.
- If you don’t want to serve Creamy Tzatziki Sauce you can also make this other yogurt sauces like this Creamy Dill Sauce Recipe or this Tahini Sauce.
What Toppings Should I Put on Chicken Souvlaki?
- Feta Cheese
- Red Onion
- Cucumber
Fresh Parsley - Fresh Dill
- Chopped Tomatoes
- Kalamata Olives
- Pepperoncinis
Recipe FAQ
When you cut the chicken pieces make sure you try to keep them the same size so they cook evenly. I try to stick to 1-inch cubes but you can do larger if you want.
The marinade is what really infuses the flavors into the chicken. You can to at least marinade the chicken for a 1/2 hour but ideally for 2 hours in the fridge. I don’t do much more than that because the lemon will start to break down the chicken.
This recipe is great for leftovers and honestly I like it more the next day. I use it for rice bowls, drizzle creamy tzatziki sauce over it, pair it with hummus or add it over a chopped salad.
You can make these into Greek Chicken Kabobs. To do this I suggest cutting the chicken into larger chunks and adding sliced vegetables and rotate in the chicken.
You can use either metal or wooden skewers. If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for at least 30 minutes before grilling to prevent burning.
Make sure to preheat your grill. This helps the chicken cook evenly. Brush the grates with olive oil to prevent sticking. I also suggest you turn the skewers occasionally until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
Other Chicken Recipes You Might Like:
If you like chicken recipes try one of these delicious recipes!
- BAKED CHICKEN FINGERS
- CHICKEN LENTIL SOUP
- CHICKEN SLIDERS
- FRENCH ONION CHICKEN
- GREEK MARINATED CHICKEN THIGHS
- AIR FRYER CHICKEN TENDERS
- RANCH CHICKEN THIGHS
Chicken Souvlaki Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds of Chicken Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs,, cut into 1-inch chunks
FOR THE MARINADE
- 2 Lemons,, juiced
- 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
- 6 garlic cloves,, minced
- 3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon dried oregano {or 2 tablespoons fresh oregano}
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
FOR THE TZATZIKI
- 1 1/2 cups Greek yogurt,, 2% or whole milk yogurt works best
- 3 garlic cloves,, minced
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tablespoons white vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons fresh dill
- 2 cups of grated cucumber,, about 1 small cucumber, squeeze out the excess juice from the cucumber
- Dash of salt and pepper
FOR GREEK SALAD
- 1/2 of an english cucumber,, diced
- 2 cups of cherry tomatoes,, halved
- 1/2 cup kalamata olives,, halved
- 1/4 cup of fresh parsley,, chopped
- 1/2 cup of feta cheese
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 Tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Mix all of the marinade ingredients together in a small mixing bowl.
- Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes and put them in a large Ziploc bag or glass tupperware container and pour in the marinade. Seal the bag or close the container and toss to coat the chicken with the marinade. Refrigerate the chicken for up to two hours but at least for a 1/2 of an hour.
- Before grilling soak wooden or bamboo skewers in water for 20 minutes unless you are using metal skewers.
- When you are ready to grill the chicken heat the grill to medium high heat. Remove the chicken from the fridge and take the chicken from the container or bag and discard the marinade.
- Set out a large platter or wooden cutting board. Thread the chicken onto the wood or metal skewers.
- While the grill is heating make the Tzatziki sauce by combining the Greek yogurt, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, white vinegar, cucumber, salt and pepper.
- Put in a covered container and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- To make the Greek salad combine the cucumber, tomato, olives, parsley, oregano and feta cheese in a medium mixing bowl.
- In a mason jar or salad dressing container combine the lemon juice and olive oil and then pour on the salad and stir to combine.
- Refrigerate the salad until ready to use.
- Brush the grates with oil to prevent the chicken from sticking.
- Add the chicken to the grill and cook for about 7-8 minutes, turning once. The chicken is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- Remove from the grill. Serve the chicken skewers with pita, greek salad and tzatziki.
Notes
- You can marinade up to 2 hours. Don't marinade more than 2 hours or the chicken starts to bread down.
- You could add vegetables on the skewers if you want. I like zucchini, red onion and red bell pepper.
Today’s recipe is in partnership with Smart Chicken. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.
Thanks so much. This was delicious and very reminiscent of a Greek restaurant souvlaki.
So glad you liked it!
This is a great recipe.