Chicken Souvlaki
Lemon, oregano and olive oil is all a good souvlaki marinade needs. Grill it hard so the edges char, then pile into warm pita with tzatziki, tomato and red onion.
Photograph credit: Greek Souvlaki - Duncan Road, Gillingham, Medway by Sunolafjagtenben-hur · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Photograph credit: Greek souvlaki by NikosLikomitros · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Chicken Souvlaki, Step by Step
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Whisk the olive oil, lemon juice and zest, garlic, oregano, paprika, vinegar, salt and pepper together.
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Toss the chicken through and marinate, covered, in the fridge for 2 to 4 hours. Do not exceed 6 hours.
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Thread the cubes onto skewers, packing them snugly but not crushed, and let them come to room temperature for 20 minutes.
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Heat a griddle pan or barbecue until very hot. Shake the excess marinade off the skewers — dripping oil causes flare-ups.
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Grill for 10 to 12 minutes, turning every 3 minutes, until charred in patches and cooked to 74°C / 165°F in the centre.
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Rest the skewers for 5 minutes while you warm the pitas on the grill for 30 seconds a side.
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Slide the chicken off the skewers into the pitas with tzatziki, tomato, red onion and parsley, and squeeze over more lemon.
Related guides: Prep, cook and total time · Ingredient substitutions.
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Tips for Making Chicken Souvlaki
- Thighs, not breasts. Souvlaki needs the fat to survive the fierce heat of a grill.
- Leave a small gap between cubes so the heat can reach every surface and char it.
- A final squeeze of lemon over the cooked meat lifts everything.
Common Substitutions & Variations
- An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.
What to Serve with Chicken Souvlaki
- A cold Greek lager or an Assyrtiko
- Serve with Greek salad and chips, as they do in Athens
- Finish with baklava
Leftovers and Storage
Cooked chicken keeps 3 days refrigerated and is excellent cold in salads. Reheat briefly in a hot pan.
Chicken Souvlaki FAQ: Common Questions
How long does Chicken Souvlaki take to make?
20 minutes of preparation and 15 minutes of cooking, plus 2 hours 20 minutes to 4 hours 20 minutes of marinating, so allow 2 hours 55 minutes to 4 hours 55 minutes from start to finish. The recipe serves 4.
Chicken Souvlaki Nutrition Facts
Per serving, an approximate calculation from the ingredient list. Treat it as a rough guide: part of the energy comes from foods, or weights per item, with no recorded source. How the figures are worked out.
Gluten-free when served without the pita breads.
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Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.
First published ; last changed .
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