Chicken Souvlaki - The Seasoned Mom (2024)

Ingredients

This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for our favorite Greek chicken souvlaki marinade. As always, you’ll find specific measurements and step-by-step instructions in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.

• Extra virgin olive oil: adds flavor, helps to keep the chicken moist, and acts as a carrier for other flavors in the marinade, helping to distribute them evenly and ensuring that they penetrate the meat.
• Red onion: for zesty, savory flavor. Feel free to sub with green onions, white onion, yellow onion, or a sweet onion.
• Garlic, oregano, kosher salt, and ground black pepper: for even more flavor. Feel free to add other fresh herbs as well, such as chives, parsley, thyme, basil, or rosemary.
• Lemon juice: the acidic component that brightens up the marinade and tenderizes the meat.
• Chicken: I use boneless skinless chicken breasts but boneless skinless chicken thighs will also work. For a beef souvlaki recipe, use the same marinade with cubed beef. You can thread the beef on skewers and grill it just as you would the chicken.
• Plain Greek yogurt, cucumber, lemon juice, salt, pepper, garlic, and dill: come together to make the tzatziki sauce for serving with the chicken. For a shortcut, feel free to purchase store-bought tzatziki (which you can usually find in the deli section of a grocery store — near the hummus). I prefer 2% or whole milk Greek yogurt (not non-fat Greek yogurt) for the richest texture and flavor.
• Pita, Naan, cooked rice, chopped lettuce, chopped tomatoes, additional fresh herbs, feta cheese, olives, quick pickled red onions, or roasted vegetables: optional ingredients to serve with the chicken souvlaki.

Directions

The best chicken souvlaki recipe comes together quickly and easily! You’ll find detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the overview with my notes:

• Prepare the chicken souvlaki marinade. The souvlaki seasoning consists of fresh herbs (such as oregano), red onion, garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil, and plenty of salt and pepper. You can whisk everything together in a small bowl, or just shake it together in a large Ziploc freezer bag (one less dish to wash)!
• Marinate the chicken. Add the bite-sized pieces of chicken to the marinade and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• Prepare the homemade tzatziki. While the chicken marinates, you’ll have time to stir together the sauce. This is a classic sauce from Southeast Europe and the Middle East, consisting of salted strained yogurt or diluted yogurt mixed with cucumbers, garlic, salt, olive oil, sometimes with vinegar or lemon juice, and herbs such as dill, mint, parsley, and thyme. Just stir the ingredients together, cover, and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve the chicken. It’s a perfect cool, creamy balance to the warm grilled meat.
• Skewer. Thread the chicken onto wooden skewers and discard the marinade.
• Cook. Grill the chicken or place under the broiler until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.

Preparation and Storage Tips

• Make Ahead: You can marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for up to 4 hours, but I don’t recommend marinating for much longer than that.Too much time in the acidic marinade can cause the chicken to become mushy. You can also assemble the tzatziki up to 12 hours in advance.
• How to Store: Leftover chicken souvlaki will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or wrapped tightly in the freezer for up to 3 months.
• How to Reheat: Wrap the chicken in foil and warm in a 350°F oven just until heated through. You can also reheat individual servings in the microwave for 30-60 seconds.