Grilled Chicken Souvlaki with Tzaziki

Juicy, tender and loaded with flavour, these truly are the most delicious Grilled Chicken Souvlaki you’ll ever make. The secret is in the marinade and you’ll be surprised how simple it is. I’ve also included recipes here for an amazing, homemade Tzaziki, traditional Greek Village Salad (Horiatiki) and crispy Home Fries so you can make a healthy and hearty meal the whole family will love.

Ingredients You Need for the Chicken Souvlaki

• Chicken: I like to use boneless and skinless chicken thighs here. They’re flavourful, juicy, easy to cook and are more affordable than chicken breast. You can, of course, substitute boneless and skinless chicken breast if preferred. Just try not to cook it past 165F or it will dry out and be a bit too chewy.
• Yellow Mustard: Adding a couple tablespoons of yellow mustard to your marinade is the real secret to the best tasting grilled chicken souvlaki. It adds tang, colour and flavour. Don’t skip this ingredient!
• Dry Oregano: Try not to go overboard with the oregano. It’s a powerful herb and can quickly drown out the other flavours.
• Garlic: I like to finely grate the garlic so that it dissolves into the marinade and more evenly coats the chicken. If you roughly chop the garlic, do your best to scrape it off of the chicken before you place it on the grill. Otherwise, the garlic will burn and taste bitter.
• Red Wine Vinegar: This will help to flavour the chicken and tenderize it.
• Extra-Virgin Olive Oil: Stretch the marinade with a big glug of extra-virgin olive oil.

Ingredients You Need for the Homemade Tzaziki

• Greek Yogurt: For the best texture, use a good-quality, unflavoured Greek yogurt for your tzaziki. Generally speaking, the “Greek” part refers to yogurt that has been strained to remove most of its whey, resulting in a thicker, creamier consistency compared to regular yogurt. It’s also higher in protein and lower in sugars than regular yogurt, making it a healthier option.
  
  You can also make your own thickened “Greek-style” yogurt at home by placing regular yogurt in a sieve lined with cheese cloth and placing it in the fridge to naturally drain of excess moisture overnight.
• Cucumber: I like to use Persian cucumbers here because the skin is thin, mellow and edible and they tend to have less moisture than other varieties.
  
  You can finely chop or coarsely grate the cucumbers. Some people scoop on the seeds, but I find it’s unnecessary as long as you squeeze out as much of the moisture from the cucumber as possible before adding it to the yogurt. You can do this with a cheese cloth, clean kitchen towel or even with your hands. Otherwise, you’ll be left with a loose texture and diluted flavour.
• Garlic: As always, measure this ingredient with your heart and don’t let anyone tell you there’s such a thing as too much. Do keep in mind though, the garlic going into the tzaziki is raw and will pack a punch so my advice is to add a bit at a time and taste as you go.
• Dry Oregano: Try rubbing the dry oregano leaves between your fingers to waken up the flavours and aromas a bit before adding it to your tzaziki.
• Red Wine Vinegar: For some much needed twang, add a swig of red wine vinegar to your tzaziki. It will make your lips pucker with ever bite.
• Extra-Virgin Olive Oil: Use a good quality extra-virgin olive oil so that you get some of the peppery notes permeating through your tzaziki. The fat in the oil will also help to balance out the acidity in the vinegar and leave you with a velvety mouthfeel.

Note: I’ve made many variations of tzaziki over the years but I think this one is my favourite. It’s super simple, very flavourful and well balanced. The most important thing is actually the taste and quality of the yogurt you use. I recommend experimenting with different brands available near you to find the one you like best.

What is Souvlaki?

Souvlaki is a popular Greek dish consisting of small pieces of meat, typically pork, chicken, lamb, or beef, that are skewered and grilled. The meat is almost always marinated beforehand in a mixture of olive oil, acid in the form of vinegar or lemon juice, garlic, herbs, and spices to enhance its flavour. The skewers are then and grilled until cooked through and lightly charred.

Souvlaki can be served in various ways, such as wrapped in a pita bread with vegetables, tzatziki sauce, and other condiments to make a souvlaki wrap or souvlaki sandwich. It can also be served on its own with a side of rice, fries, or Greek salad.

Can I Use Chicken Breast for the Souvlaki?

If you are not a fan of chicken thighs or want a lower calorie option, you can substitute boneless and skinless chicken breast. As mentioned above, if using chicken breast, it’s important not to cook it past 165F or it will dry out and get chewy.

To make sure you cook the chicken perfectly, I recommend using an instant digital thermometer. This way you will know exactly when it’s time to take it off the grill.

In What Order Should I Prepare the Whole Meal?

1. Assemble the marinade in a bowl, add the chicken and toss everything to coat. Cover and transfer the chicken to the fridge and let it marinade 2 hours to overnight.
2. While the chicken marinades, prepare the tzaziki. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
3. 20 minutes before cooking, assemble the Greek salad. Cover and set aside until ready to serve.
4. Preheat the grill and assemble the chicken skewers.
5. Add the chicken souvlaki to the grill and cook.
6. While the souvlaki grills, prepare the Home Fries. They will take around 15 minutes to cook and should be done around the same time as the chicken.
7. Remove the chicken from the grill and serve with the Tzaziki, Greek Salad and Home Fries.

I don’t have a grill. Can I Still Make This Recipe?

These grilled chicken souvlaki taste the absolute best when cooked on a Traeger Grill because it infuses the most incredible wood-fired flavour.

However, if you don’t have a Traeger or conventional grill, you can prepare the souvlaki in a grill pan, your air-fryer or broil them in the oven. If using a grill pan, you may need to trim your skewers to fit.

Can I Bake the Home Fries?

If you don’t want to fry the potatoes in a pan, you can bake them in the oven or air fryer instead. I like to do this on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper because it makes for easy clean up and prevents the potatoes from sticking.

If baking the fries in the oven, cook them at 425F for around 35 minutes, flipping halfway, or until they’re golden brown and crispy on the outside and fork-tender in the middle.

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5 from 2 votes

Grilled Chicken Souvlaki with Homemade Tzaziki

Juicy, tender and loaded with flavour, these truly are the most delicious Grilled Chicken Souvlaki you'll ever make.

Prep Time: 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients 

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For the Grilled Chicken Souvlaki:

• ▢ 2.5 pounds boneless and skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1” pieces
• ▢ ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• ▢ ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• ▢ 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic, finely grated
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dry oregano
• ▢ 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper

For the Tzaziki:

• ▢ 2 Persian cucumbers
• ▢ ½ cup whole milk Greek yogurt
• ▢ 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, plus more to taste
• ▢ 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• ▢ ½ teaspoon dry oregano
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic, finely grated
• ▢ Kosher salt and freshly-cracked black pepper, to taste

For the Greek Village Salad:

• ▢ 3 tomatoes, roughly cut into large chunks
• ▢ 4 Persian cucumbers, roughly cut into discs
• ▢ ½ green bell pepper, thinly sliced
• ▢ 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
• ▢ 2 sprigs fresh oregano leaves, roughly torn
• ▢ 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra
• ▢ Juice of ½ lemon
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper
• ▢ ¼ cup Kalamata olives
• ▢ 2 tablespoons brined capers, drained and rinsed
• ▢ 3 ounces feta cheese
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon dry oregano

For the Home Fries:

• ▢ 3 large russet potatoes, cut into large matchsticks
• ▢ ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• ▢ Kosher salt, to taste

Instructions 

For the Grilled Chicken Souvlaki

• In a large bowl, combine the chicken, vinegar, olive oil, mustard, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Toss well to combine, cover and refrigerate 2 hours to overnight.
• Preheat your Traeger Grill to 450F. If using bamboo skewers, soak them in water for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Thread the marinated chicken pieces onto individual skewers.
• Place the chicken souvlaki to the lowest grates of the grill and cook, undisturbed, until grill marks form, around 8 minutes. Flip and cook the other side of the chicken souvlaki until grill marks form and the thickest part of the chicken registers between 165 and 180F. Note: if using chicken breast, cook until the chicken reaches 160F.
• Transfer the grilled chicken souvlaki to a platter and serve with the Tzaziki, Greek Salad and Home Fries.

For the Tzaziki:

• Coarsely grate the cucumbers over a paper towel or cheesecloth. Squeeze out as much of the moisture from the cucumbers as possible and add them to a mixing bowl along with the yogurt, vinegar, olive oil, oregano, garlic, ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Stir well to combine, taste for seasoning and adjust with salt, pepper or vinegar as desired. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 5 days.

For the Greek Village Salad:

• In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, cucumbers, bell pepper, onion, and oregano leaves. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss everything to coat, taste for seasoning and adjust with salt, pepper or lemon juice, as desired.
• Add the olives and cap ers and top with the feta cheese. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil over top of the feta and lightly season with a pinch of dry oregano.

For the Home Fries:

• Add the ¼ cup of olive oil to a large non-stick skillet and heat over medium heat until the oil reaches approximately 365F. Add the potatoes and evenly spread them across the pan. Cook, undisturbed, until the bottoms begin to turn golden brown, around 6 minutes. Carefully toss the potatoes and continue cooking, tossing occasionally, until crispy, golden brown all over and fork-tender, around 10 more minutes. Drain the oil and transfer the potatoes to a large bowl. Immediately season with a big pinch of salt and toss to coat. Set aside, uncovered, in a warm spot or oven to keep warm until serving.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 964kcal, Carbohydrates: 42g, Protein: 66g, Fat: 59g, Saturated Fat: 12g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g, Monounsaturated Fat: 36g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 289mg, Sodium: 1428mg, Potassium: 1849mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 1142IU, Vitamin C: 38mg, Calcium: 248mg, Iron: 6mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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About the Author

Hi, i’m Ronny! In 2013, after a lifetime of struggling with my weight and body issues, I rehabilitated my relationship with food, lost over 40 pounds and completely changed my life.

Read My Paleo Story

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