Name: Chicken souvlaki
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 6 min
Total time: 16 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients: 1 lb or 500 grams of chicken breast; 4 cloves of garlic; 2 tablespoons oregano; 2 tablespoons olive oil; The juice of 1 lemon; Salt; Pepper; 6 wooden skewers; 6-8 pitas

Jump to Recipe

Chicken souvlaki with pita is a traditional Greek dish of pork on chicken and herbs such as oregano. Serve with a fresh pita, tzatziki, and a salad to complete your meal.

Chicken souvlaki on a white plate with pita, tzatziki and greek salad

Souvlaki has been eaten for thousands of years in Greece. In Akrotiri, archaeologists discovered a BBQ made of stone from the 17th century BC.

Serve the souvlaki with pita bread, Mediterranean yellow rice, a Greek cucumber salad, and homemade tzatziki for an easy summer meal.

What is chicken souvlaki?

Chicken souvlaki is a Greek dish you make with grilled chicken marinated in herbs and olive oil served with Greek pita, a salad, and tzatziki sauce.

greek pita bread with chicken souvlaki and horiatiki

Ingredients

Chicken - I always use chicken thighs when making souvlaki, but you can also use pork or beef.

You can use chicken breast for this recipe but make sure not to cook it too long to prevent it from becoming too dry.

Lemon juice - lemon juice gives a fresh taste to the souvlaki.

Olive oil - olive oil is a commonly used ingredient in Greek cooking. Make sure it is an olive oil you can cook with.

Greek pita -using storebought pita is absolutely fine, but did you know it is super easy to make pita bread at home?

Instructions

Start by soaking your wooden skewers in some cold water. This way, it is less likely the wood will burn while cooking.

step one, two and three in making chicken souvlaki

Cut the chicken into about 1-inch or 2-cm cubes. Put the garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, pepper, and salt in a bowl or freezer bag and mix well.

Add the chicken, mix it well through the marinade so that every piece of chicken is coated, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.

step four, five and six in how to make souvlaki

Thread the chicken cubes onto the skewers.

Cook the chicken for about 6 minutes, flipping them halfway through.

Equipment

To make this recipe, you will need wooden or metal skewers, a bowl to marinate the chicken, and a grill pan to cook the souvlaki. You will also need some plastic wrap to cover the chicken.

Storage

Fridge: You can keep the uncooked chicken in the marinade for about two days. After baking, the souvlaki will stay good for 2-3 days.

Freezer: This recipe is also suitable for freezing! Put the chicken, the marinade, or the fried souvlaki in a freezer bag. This way, the chicken will stay fresh for about three months.

Thaw: Slowly let the raw chicken thaw in the fridge before continuing with the recipe.

You can reheat cooked chicken skewers in a skillet on the stove or microwave.

More easy Greek recipes