This recipe for Greek chicken souvlaki is skewers of tender chicken breast marinated in lemon, garlic and herbs, then grilled to perfection and served with a creamy yogurt sauce.

These chicken souvlaki kabobs are a taste of the Mediterranean right in your own kitchen. You can grill or broil these Greek chicken skewers for a simple yet healthy meal.

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Chicken souvlaki skewers marinated in lemon and herbs, then grilled. Served with olives, hummus and pita bread.

One of my ongoing challenges as a mom and as a cook is coming up with dinner recipes that all three of my children will eat. I’ve learned through trial and error that if I skewer meat on a stick, the fun factor alone makes it much more likely that the girls will be willing to try it. This chicken souvlaki was no exception – everyone happily devoured their “chicken on a stick”.

What is chicken souvlaki?

Chicken souvlaki is a Greek dish that’s made with marinated and grilled chicken and sometimes vegetables, all threaded onto skewers and broiled. It’s often served with pita bread.

How do you make chicken souvlaki?

This recipe starts with boneless skinless chicken breasts. I typically buy Foster Farms Organic chicken breast as it’s ready available at my grocery store and I try to buy organic whenever possible. Boneless skinless chicken thighs would also work great. The chicken is cut into chunks and marinated in garlic, lemon, olive oil and herbs.

It’s important to only marinate the chicken for a short period of time, less than an hour is ideal. If the chicken sits too long in the marinade the acid from the lemon juice could make it tough. The chicken then gets threaded onto skewers and can either be grilled, baked or broiled.

Chunks of marinated chicken breast threaded onto skewers to be grilled.

While the chicken is cooking I make my sauces. I do a yogurt sauce that’s similar to tzatziki with cucumbers, herbs, yogurt and a special ingredient – sour cream. The sour cream isn’t the most authentic but I find that it adds a lot of richness and mellows the tang of the yogurt in a way that makes the sauce more kid friendly.

I also make a cucumber tomato relish which is essentially minced cucumber and tomato that’s flavored with lemon juice, parsley, olive oil, salt and pepper. The relish adds a fresh note to this dish.

Ingredients for the cucumber yogurt sauce to go alonside chicken sosuvlaki.

What is the difference between a gyro and souvlaki?

Gyros and souvlaki are both popular meat dishes, typically served with pita bread. The main difference between the two is that gyros are made with ground meat, and souvlaki is made with chunks of chicken, pork, or beef.

I pair my Greek chicken souvlaki and sauces with store bought hummus, marinated olives and flatbread for a Mediterranean dinner that the whole family will love. In fact, I ended up making this twice in one week because it was such a hit, can’t argue with that kind of success!

A plate of grilled chicken souvlaki with olives and pita bread.

What is souvlaki seasoning made of?

Souvlaki is seasoned with lemon, olive oil, garlic, dried oregano, salt and pepper. There are two types of dried oregano typically sold at the store, Mexican oregano and Mediterranean oregano. You want the Mediterranean oregano for this dish. Sometimes souvlaki seasoning can include other herbs and spices like parsley and paprika.

A tray of chicken souvlaki kabobs with olives, hummus, pita bread and yogurt sauce.

More greek inspired dishes that you’ll love

Chicken Souvlaki Video


5 from 36 votes

Chicken Souvlaki

AuthorSara Welch
This recipe for greek chicken souvlaki is skewers of tender chicken breast marinated in lemon, garlic and herbs, then grilled to perfection and served with a creamy yogurt sauce. FosterFarmsOrganic AD
This recipe for greek chicken souvlaki is skewers of tender chicken breast marinated in lemon, garlic and herbs, then grilled to perfection and served with a creamy yogurt sauce.
Time
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine Greek
Serves 4 servings

Ingredients 

For the chicken skewers:

  • 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast cut into 1 inch chunks
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 garlic cloves minced

For the yogurt sauce:

  • 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1/2 cup sour cream (or an additional 1/2 cup of greek yogurt if you prefer)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup minced cucumber (I prefer the small persian cucumbers)
  • 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley or dill

For the tomato cucumber relish:

  • 3/4 cup minced cucumber
  • 3/4 cup minced seeded tomato
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons minced parsley
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions 

  • For the chicken skewers: Combine the lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, salt, pepper and garlic, along with 1 tablespoon of water, in a bowl.
  • Add the chicken pieces and toss to coat. Marinate for at least 10 minutes or up to 1 hour.
  • Heat a grill or grill pan over medium or preheat the broiler.
  • Remove the chicken from the marinade and thread the chicken pieces onto 4 skewers.
  • If grilling, place the chicken on the grill and cook for 5 minutes on each side or until chicken is cooked through.
  • For broiling, broil for 8-10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
  • While the chicken is cooking make the sauces.
  • For the yogurt sauce: Mix together the Greek yogurt, sour cream, cucumber and parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  •  Refrigerate until ready for use, or for up to 1 day.
  • For the relish: Combine the tomato, cucumber and parsley in a bowl. Stir in the lemon juice and olive oil.
  • Season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready for use, or for up to 1 day.
  • Serve the chicken skewers with the yogurt sauce and cucumber relish, as well as flatbread, hummus and olives if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 356kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 90mg | Sodium: 560mg | Potassium: 685mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 950IU | Vitamin C: 18.7mg | Calcium: 117mg | Iron: 1.2mg

This post is sponsored by Foster Farms® Organic Chicken. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Dinner at the Zoo possible! This post was originally published on March 8, 2016 and was updated on April 25, 2018 with new content.

Hello! I’m Sara!

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Hello, our family loves this recipe. My question is can you marinate the chicken longer than 1 hour or it’s not recommended?

  2. 5 stars
    Oh my goodness! This is THE BEST chicken! We now have this in rotation at least 2-3 times per month. It by far beats any Greek chicken we’ve had at a restaurant!

  3. I’ve made this recipe Pat least 100 times. It’s my kids’ favorite and I even made it for Christmas dinner for my in-laws one year. So easy and delicious! Thank you!

  4. 5 stars
    Everything was delicious. The chicken skewers were juicy and tender. The sauce was perfect with the chicken. I think it’s as good, if not better, than what we get from our neighborhood Greek restaurant.

  5. 5 stars
    I have tried many souvlaki recipes but THIS one is the best. My fussy kids actually enjoyed it which is amazing. Thank you so much 🙂

  6. 5 stars
    My picky kids LOVE this chicken! Even my husband, who hates lemon flavor (weirdo! #amiright), loved it! PLUS, the chicken and relish are keto friendly (for me)! We’ve had this once a week since finding it. Thank you!

    1. I made this recipe and it was fantastic. Super yummy. Made the tomato cucumber garnish but swapped out the parsley with freshly chopped mint leaves and added a little of minced red onion. It was insanely delicious. Perfect in every way and super easy. Highly recommend this recipe. Thank you