Super-Easy Greek Chicken Souvlaki
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Greek chicken souvlaki is one of my favorite meals and couldn’t be simpler to throw together: marinate the chicken and make tzatziki in the morning; skewer the chicken while the grill is preheating; make a simple, refreshing salad somewhere in between. Served with warm pita or naan, this meal couldn’t be more summery!
When I think of summer dinners growing up at home, I think of this meal.
I think of the smell of charred garlic and basil; I think of my stepfather sweating at the grill, a slave to his stopwatch, the wrath of my mother should the chicken be the slightest bit overcooked driving his utmost concentration; I think of sitting at the table in our screened-in porch with my brother and sister and eventually Ben, too.
I think of eating for hours, a time of considerably faster metabolisms. I think of the candles melting into the tabletop, the humidity just beginning to subside, and the buzz of the crickets as we clear the table at the end of the night.
This is one of my favorite meals — grilled chicken, tzatziki, warm pita, and some sort of salad. This couldn’t be simpler to throw together: marinate the chicken and make the tzatziki in the morning; skewer the chicken while the grill is preheating; make a simple, refreshing salad somewhere in between.
What is souvlaki?
- Souvlaki comes from the Greek word souvla, which means “spit.”
- Souvlaki is marinated, skewered, cooked cubes of meat (often lamb, beef, pork, or chicken).
- Traditionally, souvlaki is dressed with tzatziki (a cucumber-yogurt sauce), and served with chopped tomatoes and onion, and warmed pita.
Souvlaki Marinade
There’s no real need to measure with marinades in general, and souvlaki marinade is no exception. Just be sure the chicken is coated in olive oil; be generous with the basil and garlic; use a teaspoon of kosher salt per pound of meat; grind pepper to taste; a few good pinches of oregano should suffice.
- olive oil
- garlic
- basil
- oregano
- kosher salt
- freshly cracked black pepper
What to Serve with Souvlaki
How to Make Chicken Souvlaki
Gather lots of garlic and basil, and transfer them to a food processor. You can also mince by hand if you prefer.
Purée into a fine paste. Scrape down the sides, add a splash of olive oil, and purée again.
Transfer to a large bowl.
Add cubes of chicken thighs (or breasts if you prefer.) Season with salt, pepper, and oregano (optional); then toss to coat.
Transfer to the fridge for a few hours or up to 48 hours. Then skewer the meat.
This 4-qt glass bowl comes with a lid, which is so nice for storing. This is the bowl I use most often for mixing bread, too. I have two of them because I use them so often.
Prepare a grill or preheat your broiler to high.
Broil for 5 minutes on one side. Flip. Broil 4-5 minutes on the other side. If you’re grilling, it may take much less time, 3 minutes a side or so depending on how hot it is.
Recently, I’ve been smearing the tzatziki on a platter and tumbling the skewered chicken over top.
I love serving chicken souvlaki with a simple tomato or cucumber and feta salad. The dressing is simply equal parts olive oil and white balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, basil or mint, and feta to taste:
An old photo of this favorite meal:
Super-Easy Greek Chicken Souvlaki
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 to 8
Description
This Greek chicken souvlaki recipe can be prepared in various ways. In the summer, we always fire up the grill and grill the skewers of meat; in the winter or when the weather doesn’t cooperate, we simply broil the meat. Either way is delicious.
Ingredients
- 3 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- kosher salt and pepper
- oregano
- lots of basil (at least once cup packed), roughly chopped
- 3 to 6 cloves of garlic, minced
- extra-virgin olive oil
for serving:
- lemon wedges
- naan or pita bread
- tzatziki
- tomato or cucumber and feta salad (recipe below)
for the salad:
- 2 cups diced tomatoes or cucumbers (if the skin tastes a little tough, peel the cucumber)
- feta cheese, crumbled or sliced
- basil or mint
- extra-virgin olive oil
- white balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken. In the bowl of the food processor, purée the garlic and basil into a fine paste. Stop the processor, scrape it down, add a splash of olive oil, and purée again. Transfer the paste to a large bowl. (Alternatively, you can simply roughly chop the garlic and basil.)
- Cut chicken into roughly 1- to 2-inch pieces. Transfer it to the bowl with the garlic-basil paste. Season chicken all over with kosher salt and pepper to taste — a good rule of thumb is 1 teaspoon (or slightly less) of kosher salt per pound of meat. Crumble oregano (about a teaspoon or two) over top. Add a splash of olive oil. Toss to coat. Cover bowl and transfer to the fridge to marinate for at least two hours if possible. If you don’t have space for a big bowl in your fridge, you can use a ziplock bag.
- Cook the chicken. When ready to cook: Preheat the grill to its highest setting (525ºF or 550ºF) or preheat the broiler to high for at least 15 minutes. Skewer the chicken. Season lightly with salt and pepper all over. If grilling, grill skewers for 3 minutes a side or until charred to your liking. If broiling, set the chicken on a lightly oiled broiler pan or a cooling rack set in a sheet pan. Broil 5 minutes. Flip. Broil 4 to 5 minutes more or until charred to your liking. Transfer to a platter. (Optional: smear tzatziki on a platter; then tumble the grilled or broiled pieces of meat over top.) Season lightly with sea salt and squeeze some lemon over top. Let rest at least 5 minutes before serving with more tzatziki on the side, lemon wedges, salad, and warm naan or pita.
- To make the salad: Place the tomatoes or cucumbers in a bowl. Season all over with salt and pepper to taste. Add a tablespoon of each olive oil and vinegar — use more or less depending on how many tomatoes or cucumbers you are using. Add basil or mint leaves. Toss to coat. Transfer to a platter. Crumble feta over top. Crack more pepper over top.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Grill or Broiler
- Cuisine: Greek
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91 Comments on “Super-Easy Greek Chicken Souvlaki”
I don’t love chicken, but this looks amazing! And Lagunitas is a tried and true summer beer for me, as well.
Awesome meal, love everything about it!
indeed, easy to put together, but delivers a lot in return….
Happy Memorial Day, enjoy the break tomorrow!
omg. This looks amazing. Thanks for adding the Tzatziki sauce recipe.
This is dinner tonight!
This looks perfect! And I have some chicken in the fridge too.
Love tzatziki and all the accompaniments. Looks a great, simple dinner
Jeff will love this as will I….some of our favorite ingredients….plus, it’s something I can grill! The kitchen is still in the ‘demolished’ stage, full of scrap lumber and sawdust but he made the most beautiful countertops today out of white pine…every weekend a little progress is made….the vegetable garden is on steroids, it’s about time to pull out the arugula because it went to seed early, the tomatoes are setting and the baby fruit trees have all leafed out…..congrats again on the new little one!!
Chicken on the grill is the best and I love these flavors.
What a great idea for a perfect lunch or dinner 🙂
My husband and I had this tonight and it was delicious! The chicken was so moist and flavorful. The tzatziki was fresh and light with mint straight from the garden. We didn’t even miss the cucumber. Thanks for sharing this recipe and your beautiful stories. You sure know how to set a scene. So talented!
Trish — So wonderful to hear this! I bet your fresh mint made all the difference! I prefer my tzatziki without cucumber, and that might just be bc that’s the way my mother has always made it, but I think it’s mostly because it is a little lighter (as you say) without the cucumber. Thank you for your kind words, too. It’s always so nice to hear from you 🙂
HI again! When I saw this dish I immediately thought of “chicken gozleme”! I don’t know why. Maybe because it was the last dish I ate before embarking on a 3 week trip to Shanghai with mom where everything was coated in oil!! I think Gozleme means “eye” because when you heat the crepe dark tiny circles are created on the surface that look like eyes! So good and light, perfect for summer!
Tony — Chicken gozleme sounds amazing. I have never heard of it. If you come across a recipe, send it along! I would love to try it.
This was so delicious and so easy to make! Absolutely perfect dinner for summer or when it’s 90 degrees in NH in May. Thanks so much!
Caroline — wonderful to hear this! And I know, it is hot! I am in CT right now visiting my parents, and we have been sweating through meals on the back porch. Still, I am so happy summer has arrived!
Aaaah this is lovely, I went right back to my vacation to Mykonos loooooooong ago when my husband was still my boyfriend 🙂 We had a hotel outside the towncenter and every night a bus would pick up all the guests and drive us to the towncenter where the smell of souvlaki would enter your nose mmmmm! After a day on the beach and the deep blue water nothing tasted more delicious. Only a couple of “drachme” oh oh the memories, thank your for that AND a great recipe, this is on the list for this Summer!
Dorothea — I have fond memories of traveling in Greece with Ben, too, when he was just a boyfriend as well. We didn’t make it to any of the islands, but had a wonderful time up in Thessaloniki. Your memories are filling me with wanderlust! Wonderful to hear from you!
Isn’t it great to have those memories from before having kids to share with each other? I just came back with an oregano and mint plant, just made a tiny vegetable garden with herbs as well, no idea where to fit it all in but we’ll make it work! Enjoy the Summer and thanks for your great Blog:-)
wonderful, simply said.
We fired up the grill last night and made this for dinner….I had to debone and skin chicken thighs because I couldn’t find them at the grocery store and that took awhile! I’m not a seasoned butcher by any means! I hope to find them already done next time. They were amazingly good, the naan was nice and warm, the chicken was moist from all the olive oil and tasted amazing….the tzatziki was scrumptious….no cucumber….we’re having it again tonite! Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
This recipe was soo amazing! Even the kids loved the chicken. Thanks for sharing!
I made this last night and it was absolutely delicious. I’ll definitely be making it again.
Thank you for sharing!
OH man, this looks perfect! I’m getting super hungry looking at these photos. And I keep drinking Lagunitas too!
Megan — so good, right?
Can you make this in the oven?
i love this meal. I love that I can prepare it earlier in the day, throw it on the grill and everyone loves it. Easy, make-ahead, delicious! Does it get better than that? ❤️
So happy to hear this!! And, no, doesn’t get any better than that 🙂
Alexandra, I don’t see a print option for this recipe : (
I cant wait to make it; is it possible for you to add that?
Yummy, yummy, yummy!!! I hope you can help me!
Hi Nancy! Sorry for the delay here. It has been a busy weekend, but I finally got to my computer this morning, and the recipe is now in print-friendly mode! Hope you are having a lovely long weekend. xo
Can you suggest a way to revise this for a potluck? no skewers? for a bbq on june 5th i want i to make & take something not too diffucult but fabulous. i would make the cukes.
Hi Linda,
You could grill whole chicken thighs or breasts (whatever you prefer) and cut them into strips afterwards. Does that sound easier? The cukes can be prepared ahead as can the tzatziki. If there is a grill going at the bbq, you could heat up pita or naan when you arrive — stonefire naan sells mini naans that I really like.
You could also arrive with your chicken marinated and grill at the bbq. And while skewers do take time in advance, I think they might be potluck friendly — you could do small skewers, which would allow guests to each take one. Let me know this sounds and I’ll keep thinking.
I didn’t know how much flavor was going to be imparted on the chicken so I was shook when I took the first bite! I marinated mine overnight, put on skewers, and just used a cast iron pan to get good sears. It was perfectly juicy and so flavorful! Garlicky and the basil was mild but earthy. Went great with my Greek salad and pita bread 🙂
Yay! So happy to hear this, May!
Hi Alexandra, can I marinate this overnight and grill in the evening? Will it still hold up? Can’t wait to try it soon!
Absolutely! Go for it 🙂
Hi Alexandra. This looks delicious and I have had it in the past in Greece. I am really looking forward to trying this recipe. However, I would like to point something out. The CDC says we should never wash chicken, as it could spread bacteria all over the kitchen. Something to bear in mind.
Cheers
Great point, Marco! I actually never wash chicken anymore … glad to hear this is what is recommended.
I always look to you and your website for inspiration and this is one of our all time favorites. Living in Arizona, we always make a side of roasted jalapeños, red peppers, and onions to go along with the meal (copied from one our favorite family food joints) because every loves the heat. This just may be our New Year’s Eve or day dinner. I can’t thank you enough for always inspiring me to cook great foods…I think we have one of your recipes weekly. Happy safe and blessed New Year!!!
Oh Liane, it’s so nice to hear all of this 🙂 🙂 🙂 Thanks so much for taking the time to write and share all of this. Wishing you and your family a Happy Happy New Year!! Your roasted pepper side dish sounds amazing.
Another winner, Ali!!! Who’da thought something so simple could impart such flavor? Served it over mixed greens and feta with your Greek salad dressing. I’ll be making your rye peasant bread tomorrow. Always so grateful!
So nice to hear this, Lisa! Love the sound of this whole meal. Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
I love your mother’s recipes! I made the recipe with thin sliced chicken breasts (it’s what I had). I also made the faux focaccia (on the peasant bread recipe) to go with it. My 4 year old had a great time picking the basil leaves. I served it with a Greek salad. Perfect for these long summer days.
Oh yay! Great to hear your 4-year old was able to contribute. So sweet. Thanks for writing. Hope you are well! xo
Hi Alexandra
Can’t wait to try this….do you use fresh oregano? How much approx? Thanks
Nancy
Hi Nancy! I use dried oregano, and I would say about a teaspoon or two for 3 lbs. of meat. If you have fresh oregano, you can use more: a couple of tablespoons at least.
This chicken is SO good. We make it all the time and served it for company and everyone loves it.
So great to hear this, Elizabeth! Thanks so much for writing.