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. Souvlaki is one of my favorite way to enjoy grilled meat on a skewer along with grilled shrimp skewers, Hawaiian chicken kabobs and shish kabobs.
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.”
You can enjoy this souvlaki with homemade hummus, tzatziki sauce or make a whole Mediterranean mezze platter!
Chicken Souvlaki Ingredients
When you make this chicken souvlaki you will need for the skewers boneless, skinless chicken breast, lemon juice, olive oil, dried oregano, salt, black pepper and garlic cloves. For the yogurt sauce you will need plain Greek yogurt, sour cream, cucumber and fresh parsley or dill. To make cucumber tomato relish you will need cucumber, tomato, lemon juice, olive oil, parsley, salt and pepper.
How Do You Make Chicken Souvlaki?
To make this chicken souvlaki recipe start by cutting boneless, skinless chicken breasts into chunks. Next make a marinade in a large bowl by whisking together minced garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, water, salt and pepper. Place the chicken in the marinade and let it soak up the flavor between 10 minutes and 1 hour. Thread the marinated chicken on skewers and place the skewers on a hot grill. Cook the chicken until done.
For the yogurt sauce, simply mix together plain Greek yogurt, sour cream, minced cucumber, parsley, salt and pepper in a bowl. To make the relish place minced cucumber and minced tomato in a bowl and stir in lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Enjoy the hot chicken skewers with the yogurt sauce and relish!
Tips For The Perfect Chicken Souvlaki
- If you have difficulty cutting your chicken, you can place it in a freezer for 20-30 minutes to firm up the chicken.
- 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.
- You can use wooden skewers or metal skewers for this recipe. If you use wooden skewers you can soak them in water for 20 minutes to keep them from burning.
- While I like cooking chicken souvlaki on a grill, you can cook it on a grill pan or even on a sheet pan under a broiler in an oven.
- 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.
Quick Tip
Cut your chicken with a sharp knife into 1 inch square chunks. You want similar sized pieces of chicken so they cook in the same amount of time.
Recipe FAQs
Chicken souvlaki is a Greek dish that’s made with marinated and grilled chicken and sometimes vegetables. People thread souvlaki onto skewers and grill or broil them. People often served it with pita bread and Mediterranean sauces.
People season souvlaki with lemon, olive oil, garlic, dried oregano, salt and pepper. Sometimes souvlaki seasoning can include other herbs and spices like parsley and paprika.
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.
Follow Me
Flavor Variations
While this chicken souvlaki is delicious, you can change up the recipe to suit your own taste.
- Meat: Feel free to use chicken thigh meat, beef or lamb for this recipe.
- Veggies: You can make these skewers with some veggies like cherry tomatoes, red onions, zucchini or bell peppers.
- Spicy: For a spicier chicken, try adding a little hot sauce or red pepper flakes to your marinade.
I pair my Greek chicken souvlaki and sauces with 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. I can’t argue with that kind of success!
More Greek Inspired Dishes
Chicken Souvlaki Video
Love This Recipe?
Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.
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.
Notes
- Cut your chicken with a sharp knife into 1 inch square chunks. You want similar sized pieces of chicken so they cook in the same amount of time.
- 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.
- While I like cooking chicken souvlaki on a grill, you can cook it on a grill pan or even on a sheet pan under a broiler in an oven.
This is the most perfect post I have ever seen on delicious chicken! wow. love the pictures and the video! Saved the recipe 🙂
DROOLING HARD CORE RIGHT NOW - you have no idea! SOUVLAKI is one of my all time favorites!
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.
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!
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
Yum, This looks so good. I like the detailed instructions on the recipe. thanks,Anna
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!
Humm so yammy testy
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!!
You made it twice in one week? That's a winner of a chicken dinner 🙂
amazing collection of recipes.. happy knowing your site.. would love to try many of your recipes
Looks amazing! What a great way to use delicious Greek flavors at home!
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! 🙂
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)
Now that spring weather is starting to arrive, Greek food is sounding so perfect and just heavenly to me. Seriously drooling over your post!
Love this easy chicken dish!
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.
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.
Mouthwatering meal right here. Lets have a Greek BBQ.
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.