Create your own flavours of Greece at home with these authentic grilled chicken souvlaki.
What is souvlaki
Souvlaki (pronounced soo-vlah-kee) is a popular Greek food that translates to “small pieces of meat grilled on a skewer”. Souvlaki are the most popular item appearing on every Greek restaurant menu since they’re flavourful, moist and ever so hard to resist.
I’ve made these delicious souvlaki skewers loaded with classic Greek flavours so many times for family, friends and neighbours. The chicken comes grilled in many forms, but somehow when it’s skewered on a stick with genuine Greek flavours, it always seems so much more exciting to everyone. I always get rave reviews and everyone comes back for more. I’ve always kept this recipe a secret but now it’s time for me to share it.
The secret revealed in two parts
- The souvlaki is made with a simple marinade containing “the holy trinity” of Greek flavours. This refers to olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, and garlic. Just simple, fresh and flavourful ingredients.
- The grilled souvlaki are garnished with grilled lemon juice. Grilling lemons loosens and releases their juices and adds a subtle smoky flavour to the juice. The flavour makes these souvlakis extra special and tasty.
What you need to make souvlaki
It’s super easy to make these souvlakis at home with only a few ingredients! You do need to get your hands dirty to thread the marinated chicken cubes onto the skewers – but don’t panic! Hands are totally washable! Here’s a list of all you need:
- olive oil
- lemons
- dried oregano
- garlic cloves
- paprika, salt & pepper
- boneless chicken breasts
- bamboo skewers
How far in advance can you make souvlaki
Marinate the skewers for a few hours, or ideally overnight to ensure the ultimate infused flavour. This makes it convenient when entertaining as all the prep work is done in advance. Wait to grill the souvlaki and lemons just before they’re needed; they grill up quickly in 10 – 12 minutes.
Using other types of meat
This recipe caters to chicken but would work equally well with pork, beef or lamb. You may need to adjust the grilling time for the type of meat you use.
Tips for making souvlaki
- Use boneless chicken breasts for this recipe, if they have tenders attached, remove them since it’s difficult to cube them; reserve tenders for another use (think chicken strips or chicken stir-fry).
- Cube the chicken pieces in consistent 1” to 1 ½” sizes to ensure even cooking.
- Allow for marinating time so plan to assemble the souvlaki early in the day or a day ahead.
- Soak the bamboo skewers in water for at least 30 minutes or longer before skewering the chicken.
- Remove souvlaki from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before grilling.
- Drizzle the cut lemons with a little bit of olive oil before grilling, this helps them caramelize.
- Do not overcook the chicken; the pieces are fairly small and cook quickly.
- Allow the grilled souvlaki to rest on a platter tented with foil for a few minutes before squeezing the grilled lemon juice overtop.
What to serve with Souvlaki
Serving souvlaki with a salad is a must. I happen to love Greek flavours so I’ve also developed the perfect Greek Salad that pairs beautifully with this souvlaki. Also, it’s a must to serve souvlaki with a cool creamy tzatziki sauce and pita bread. Tzatziki is a traditional Greek yogurt-based sauce with cucumbers, garlic, and lemon. I simply like to use a good quality store-bought one. You can also wrap the souvlaki in pita bread with Greek Salad and tzatziki sauce as a garnish.
This is truly the best chicken souvlaki ever. It’s juicy, lemony and garlicky. I could eat this souvlaki every day! Even leftovers are great served the next day for lunch or dinner with a salad or in a wrap.
I’m telling you, once you make this souvlaki at home, you won’t need to visit your local souvlaki hut any more!
Greek Chicken Souvlaki
Chicken Souvlaki prepared for the grill are made with a Greek marinade and drizzled with grilled lemon juice.
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 4 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 - 5 boneless chicken breasts approximately 1 kg
- 2 lemons halved and drizzled with olive oil, for grilling
- 1 container store-bought tzatziki sauce for dipping
Instructions
-
Soak bamboo skewers in water for at least 30 minutes
or longer. -
In a large bowl (which will ultimately fit all the cubed chicken) whisk together the marinade ingredients: olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, garlic, paprika, salt and pepper.
-
If the chicken breasts have tenders attached, remove them and reserve tenders for another use. Cut chicken breasts into 1 – 1 ½” cubes. You should get at about 30 - 36 pieces. Transfer the cubed chicken to the large bowl with the marinade. Toss to combine well, cover and refrigerate for 10 minutes.
-
Spear each skewer with at least 5 - 6 cubes of chicken, butting them tightly. Place the skewers in a rimmed baking dish. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate to marinate for at a few hours or overnight.
-
About 30 minutes before grilling, remove the souvlaki from refrigerator and let sit at room temperature. Slice the lemons in half and drizzle the cut sides with a little bit of olive oil and place them on a separate plate.
-
Grill souvlaki and lemons (cut side down) on a medium-high pre-heated BBQ for about 6 minutes on each side for a total of 12 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and no pink remains and the lemons are charred. Check on the lemons, they may need to be removed sooner if they are charring quickly. Place souvlaki and lemons on a platter and tent with foil. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Just before serving, squeeze the
grilled lemon juice over the souvlaki.
Matthew says
I was lucky enough to try a batch of these made by the kitchen fairy herself and they are yummy. I can’t wait to try this recipe!
Rita Jakobschuk says
I hope you will try them Matthew! You know they’ve been a favourite in our family for years! And so simple to make!
heather (delicious not gorgeous) says
this sounds delicious! and so garlicky, which is right up my alley. tzatziki is so easy to do (it’s a dump and stir kind of thing) that you might want to try making it homemade at least once (:
Kathy says
I tried this souvlaki chicken on the bbq and it was fantastic. Thanks Rita.