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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
More greek inspired dishes that you’ll love
- Greek Couscous Bowls
- Greek Chicken Kabobs
- Greek Lemon Chicken
- Chopped Greek Salad
- One Pot Greek Meatballs with Lemon Dill Rice
Chicken Souvlaki
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.
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.
Rachel @ Bakerita says
Greek souvlaki is one of my favorite meals, and I was devastated to see the Greek place I normally go to within walking distance of my house CLOSED sometime in the past week! So…naturally, I’m super excited about this recipe. I’ve got to try it ASAP to get my Greek fix! Looks so delicious.
Michelle @ The Complete Savorist says
Mouthwatering meal right here. Lets have a Greek BBQ.
Chrisy @ Homemade Hooplah says
I gotta agree with your daughters – dinner on a stick is always more fun! And seriously, these sound amazing! My mom is in town this week and I think this would make a perfect low-hassle dinner.
Kim Beaulieu says
This looks positively fabulous, I love souvlaki. I used to work in a Greek restaurant so I have a serious love and appreciation of the food.
I think all parents struggle with that. What to make for dinner that will make every single person happy. It’s like walking a tightrope some days.
Beatrice says
Love this easy chicken dish!
Julie @ Texan New Yorker says
Now that spring weather is starting to arrive, Greek food is sounding so perfect and just heavenly to me. Seriously drooling over your post!
Dee Dee (My Midlife Kitchen) says
I love, love, love anything at all with Greek flavors. Truly one of my all time favorite cuisines, and this simple and flavorful recipe is a perfect example of why that is the case! Now where are my skewers…? :o)
Citra Kale @Citra's Home Diary says
Drooling over here…. what a complete yummy dish you present here. Thx for sharing the recipe. It’ll be a winner in our dinner table too! 🙂
Greg says
Looks amazing! What a great way to use delicious Greek flavors at home!
Ranjanis Kitchen says
amazing collection of recipes.. happy knowing your site.. would love to try many of your recipes
Nancy | Plus Ate Six says
You made it twice in one week? That’s a winner of a chicken dinner 🙂
Tracy says
I am in serious awe of the presentation!!! It looks beautiful and it looks like something I can surprise my sweetie with. Thank you so much for sharing!!
Lucky says
Humm so yammy testy
Roxanne says
I was chicken souvlaki girl the entire time I was in Athens and at the islands. Maybe, after the second week I swore I didn’t want it for the third week. I had different things when I was with other company. But, I simply love it!
Anna @ Blender Authority says
Yum, This looks so good. I like the detailed instructions on the recipe. thanks,Anna
Rena says
I recently made this dish, its so quick and easy to prepare and super tasty. The kids enjoyed it, and I have picky eaters so it’s hard to get them to eat anything on the best of days, needless to say this was a hit in out home and I will be making it again for sure.
Thanks
Rena
Armelle O'Neal says
Just made this recipe for dinner tonight and everyone loved it! Perfect for a weekend (or week day!) evening. Delicious flavors and healthy meal. This one is definitely a keeper!
Donna says
OMG, that’s looking really really delicious. Especially, the chicken breast and the veggies. I think the greek yogurt and olive oil add so much flavor to them.Thanks for putting them together. I will definitely thy this one.
GiGi Eats says
DROOLING HARD CORE RIGHT NOW – you have no idea! SOUVLAKI is one of my all time favorites!
yuli says
This is the most perfect post I have ever seen on delicious chicken! wow. love the pictures and the video! Saved the recipe 🙂
Annie Cho says
I’m going on vacay to Greece next week so I’m excited to try this there! Your version looks so pretty and flavorful!
xoxo
Annie
tara pittman says
My husband loves Greek food. I need to make these for him for dinner
Brittany says
I used to work at a Greek restaurant and it was so important to know what its all this stuff. Souvlakis are amazing!!!
Kiwi says
I am hand clapping because i love Mediterranean food! Unfortunately I have given up eating me at in my diet two weeks ago, It may not be forever but as of currently I wont be able to indulge in this unless I remove the chicken completely out but it does look good!
Nancy at Whispered Inspirations says
This looks spectacular. I am going to have to try this out as soon as possible. I am a huge fan of Chicken Souvlaki..
Elizabeth L says
This looks fantastic. I am adding this to my meal plan asap! I love chicken souvlaki.
Izzy Grey says
That looks so freaking yummy! It also seems pretty healthy, so it would be nice to throw in occasionally for my diet Thanks!
Natalie says
My family would really enjoy this. I do not consume meat but do enjoy Greek cuisine!
Annalisa F says
This looks delicious. I’m on a vegetarian diet now, do you think I could switch the chicken cubes with grilled tofu?
Sara says
Yes that would work!
Rosey says
I like that it’s served with a creamy yogurt sauce. This would be perfect for a weekend family gathering!
Dana Peller says
This post on grilled chicken souvlaki brought me back to my youth! There is a Greek restaurant my family and I would frequent and my dad had this platter often. It was near our hometown, and It’s still there today.
Karina Pacheco says
It’s the middle of the night and now I’m hungry!! This looks delicious and love that it’s easy to make and kid friendly. Can’t wait to make it for my family sometime next week 🙂