This post is sponsored by Foster Farms® Organic Chicken. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Dinner at the Zoo possible!
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.
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 Greek chicken souvlaki was no exception – everyone happily devoured their “chicken on a stick”. This souvlaki is super simple to make, and when paired with a cool yogurt sauce, tomato cucumber relish and some store bought accompaniments, you’ll have a Mediterranean feast in no time at all.
This recipe starts with the chicken – Foster Farms® Organic Chicken to be exact. I buy organic poultry and meat whenever possible at my local (San Francisco Bay Area) Safeway store. I like that Foster Farms® Organic Chicken is grown in California, free range, fed an organic vegetarian diet, is Non-GMO Project Verified and is certified organic by the USDA.
I used boneless skinless chicken breast for this Greek chicken souvlaki. The chicken is cut into chunks and dipped into a marinade of lemon juice, garlic, oregano and olive oil. 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 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.
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!
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Foster Farms® Organic Chicken.
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Greek Chicken Souvlaki with Yogurt Sauce
Ingredients
- For the chicken skewers:
- 1 pound of Foster Farms® Organic boneless skinless chicken breast , cut into 1 inch chunks
- 2 tablespoons of lemon juice (organic preferred)
- 3 tablespoons of organic 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 of plain organic greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup of organic 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 organic persian cucumbers)
- 1/4 cup minced fresh organic parsley or dill
- For the tomato cucumber relish:
- 3/4 cup minced cucumber (organic cucumber if possible)
- 3/4 cup minced seeded organic tomato
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice (organic preferred)
- 1 tablespoon organic olive oil
- 2 tablespoons minced organic 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.
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.
Mouthwatering meal right here. Lets have a Greek BBQ.
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.
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.
Love this easy chicken dish!
Now that spring weather is starting to arrive, Greek food is sounding so perfect and just heavenly to me. Seriously drooling over your post!
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)
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! 🙂
Looks amazing! What a great way to use delicious Greek flavors at home!
amazing collection of recipes.. happy knowing your site.. would love to try many of your recipes
You made it twice in one week? That’s a winner of a chicken dinner 🙂
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!!
Humm so yammy testy
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!
Yum, This looks so good. I like the detailed instructions on the recipe. thanks,Anna
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
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!