Chicken Souvlaki is a regular in our dinner rotation! We love that it’s fast to prep, super easy, and oh-so delicious!
Chicken breasts are marinated in a simple garlic and lemon marinade. Thread them onto skewers and grill until juicy and tender.
You can serve souvlaki with potatoes or rice, but my personal favorite is to make a souvlaki pie wrap with lots of fresh lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and tzatziki. So good!
What is Souvlaki?
Souvlaki is meat that has been skewered and grilled, it can be chicken (as in this recipe) or made with beef, lamb, or pork to name a few.
The marinade is a very simple herb, lemon, and garlic mixture with a bit of oil.
Gyro vs Souvlaki: Souvlaki has chunks of meat whereas chicken gyros generally has meat that has been thinly sliced/shaved. Shawarma is similar to a gyro but has different preparation and seasonings.
Chicken Souvlaki Marinade
A Greek chicken souvlaki recipe uses a marinade to bring all flavor. Just a few pantry staples are all that are needed: extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and oregano!
The longer the herbs, spices, and garlic are allowed to infuse into the chicken, the more tender the chicken will be. That’s what makes chicken souvlaki such an easy recipe, the make-ahead magic!
Perfect for planning ahead since chicken souvlaki can be made and held in the fridge up to 24 hours ahead.
How to Make Chicken Souvlaki
- Marinate: Whisk together all the marindate ingredients and marinate in the fridge.
- Skewer: Thread chicken (and onions if desired) onto the soaked skewers.
- Grill: Cook chicken skewers on an oiled grate grill or bake in the oven per the recipe notes.
This can also be cooked on a grill pan. Serve with a Greek salad, warm pita and a sprinkle of feta cheese.
What To Serve With Souvlaki
Delicious and falvorful, Souvlaki will transport you to the sunny shores of Greece. Tender marinated bite sized pieces of chicken breast, we love to wrap souvlaki in warm pita bread and top with with lettuce, tomato, red onion and a generous dollop of tzatziki sauce. Here are our favorite sides to serve with this chicken souvlaki recipe.
More Recipes on Skewers
Chicken Souvlaki
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts cubed into 1-inch cubes, about 1 ½ lbs
- ½ onion optional
Marinade
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice about 1 lemon
- 3 cloves garlic crushed
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- In a medium bowl or freezer bag, combine olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper. Add the chicken (and onion if using) and toss well to coat.
- Refrigerate and allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.
- Soak wooden skewers in water for at least 30 minutes.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade allowing excess to drip off. Discard the marinade and thread the chicken (and onion if using) onto skewers.
- Preheat a grill or a grill pan to medium-high heat. Add the skewers, turning frequently, and cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and reaches 165°F.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Chicken, Entree, Main Course
Cuisine American, Greek© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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Yes, you can absolutely use either chicken thighs or breasts.
It is not recommended to marinate longer than 4 hours as the marinade ingredients are acidic and will break down the chicken too much, causing it to be mushy instead of tender.
Yes, leftover chicken souvlaki can be frozen.
Yes, this is considered a healthy dish, depending on what sides you serve it with. We like to serve with tzatziki which is a Greek yogurt cucumber dip.
Made this tonight with your homemade tzatziki for the monthly cooking challenge & served with a shepherd salad, feta cheese, and marinated Greek olives. Yum!
This recipe has been in my “Favorites” file for some time. Usually I will do skewers (one breast) for two nights and if there is still a little chicken uncooked I’ll wok it with whatever else is handy. Always, always enjoy it. (I’m old & live alone so repeats are perfectly OK when they’re this good)………
I am so happy to hear you love this recipe Bill!
Repeats are good, Bill! *** I just whipped this up for the grill tonight.
this was the main event for our Father’s Day feast…this and homemade Tzatziki (made with buffalo yogurt.
I made this for dinner tonight along with Pita Bread and French fries. Very delicious.
Sounds wonderful Leathe! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe.
I made this today for lunch with lettuce, tomatoes, tzatiki dip, all wrapped in a pita!
So so delicious! We made this for company with your homemade pita bread recipe and it was a hit!
Yay! I am so glad to hear this recipe was a hit Samantha!
Could I make in a large batch and freeze raw?
Hi Louise, yes the chicken can be frozen raw for up to 3 months. Enjoy!
Haven’t tried it yet but looks delicious! Can’t wait to make this!
Hope you love it as much as we do Cathy, Let us know how it goes!
Can I try this recipe with boneless thighs, I always find when I use breast meat for kabobs they get a bit dry…this recipe sounds delicious
Absolutely, this would work great with thighs.
absolutely delicious! perfectly moist chicken and perfectly crisped skin. thank you so much! genius!
Can’t wait to try this recipe. Is there a pro to using wooden skewers instead of metal skewers?
They can be used interchangeably in this recipe.
I tried this recipe just as it is written and boy was it delicious. I will have to triple this and use it as a meal for family gatherings. I am a triple amputee so I would enlist the help of a few family members. Thanks for another flavorful recipe to add to my repertoire.
Ron Mays
So glad you enjoyed this recipe, Ron!
I am excited to make this for the 4th of July!
Let us know how it turns out!
Will try chicken souvlaki tonight
Let us know how it turns out!
Made this for dinner tonight and I loved it! A quick, easy and delicious way to cook chicken!
So glad you loved it Christine!
I just did with chicken breast halves and grilled–family enjoyed. thanks–it’s a keeper
I just noticed this only had 1 review so far? Is that right? So I feel it’s only right to leave a comment since this will be my third time making this. This chicken souvlaki recipe is a keeper. My family loves when I make this, and I am happy when an easy to make dish goes over so well with the fam!
Thanks!
Thanks so much for the comment, Greenlee! It makes us so happy to hear when a family loves one of our recipes! :)
This recipe is awesome. I use it when I’m just making chicken breast on the BBQ. And everyone in the house likes it. I even cut the leftovers up and use them for pizza later or in salad it’s definitely versatile.
Gonna try all these soups!!!!!!!
This sounds so good & easy!! Can’t wait to make it. I love your recipes. Thank you