Grilled chicken souvlaki are tasty, marinated chicken skewers that are easy to prepare and result in tender, flavorful, juicy bites. Delicious wrapped in pita with tzatziki and tomato, alongside grilled vegetables and more.

chicken souvlaki on a pita with tomato, onion and tzatziki.

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I know I've mentioned before, but one of the best parts of traveling to Cyprus and Greece with the kids, for me, was that food was pretty easy. There were always some pretty good options that would work for my son, like hummus and baba ghanoush with bread and mains like moussaka and youvetsi.

wrapped up pita filled with chunks of chicken and tomato.

Tasty grilled chicken souvlaki and gyros were right up there as well. Marinated chicken, a simple fresh tzatziki sauce and tomato all wrapped up in a soft bread, it's something most people can easily love.

Souvlaki and gyros are very similar dishes in that both involve chicken marinated in an oil, lemon and garlic-based marinade. The main difference, though, is that souvlaki is made with

The exact ingredients in the marinade and the yogurt-based sauce will vary regionally and between cooks, but the idea is the same. You'll usually always see garlic, lemon and olive oil in the marinade, but the herbs vary as do additional flavors.

marinading chunks of chicken for chicken souvlaki.

Greek tzatziki usually has cucumber in with the yogurt base, while other places might make it herbs instead. It's usually seasoned with lemon, olive oil and garlic and sometimes also mint, though not always.

If you choose to make the chicken into a pita wrap, you can keep the additions simple or add more, as you prefer. Some places add just tomato and often red onion, or you may have a chopped salad in there (similar to Jerusalem salad). Others add in some fried potatoes as well.

How they're made

This is a dish you need to think about ahead of time to allow the marinade to do it's magic, but you don't actually need to do that much. You just make up a simple marinade for the chicken and leave it to take on the flavor. Then make the tzatziki by grating the cucumber, squeezing out excess liquid, and mixing it into the yogurt with the other ingredients. Grill the chicken, warm the bread then put it all together.

Grilled chicken souvlaki with tzatziki is such an easy meal to make and easy to love. We had it with some Greek salad on the side to make more of a meal, but it's also great as part to serve a crowd at a party alongside your favorite sides. Great flavors, its a kind of street food dish that's just as good, if not better, at home. Enjoy!

overhead view of chicken souvlaki over a pita with tzatziki, tomato and onion, with a board with more skewers and grilled zucchini above.

Try these other international grilled dishes:

Jamaican jerk chicken
Pinchos morunos (Spanish spiced pork skewers)
Sosaties (South African lamb and apricot kebabs)
Beef bulgogi (Korean marinated grilled beef)
Plus get more grilling ideas, salads and more in the summer recipes archives.

grilled chicken souvlaki on top of pita with tzatziki, tomato and red onion

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Grilled chicken souvlaki with tzatziki

A simple marinade gives this grilled chicken such great flavor and keeps it tender. An easy meal that all ages love.

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

marinade time (minimum)2

Total Time20

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Greek

Servings: approx

Calories: 398kcal

Author: Caroline

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Ingredients

For chicken and marinade

1 ½ tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon crushed garlic (1tbsp is 2-3 cloves)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried mint
½ teaspoon ground cumin optional
¼ teaspoon paprika optional
¼ teaspoon salt + a little pepper
1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs or you can use boneless breasts

For tzatziki

⅓ cup cucumber coarsely grated & squeezed, ⅓ cup is approximately a 3in/7 ½cm piece
½ cup Greek yogurt
½ tablespoon lemon juice or a little more to taste
½ tablespoon olive oil or a little more to taste
½ clove garlic crushed (small)
2 - 3 fresh mint leaves finely chopped (optional)

To serve

1 tomato sliced (2 if smaller)
⅛ red onion approximately - a couple thin slices
4 pitta bread

Instructions

Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, oregano, mint, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Dice the chicken and remove any excess fat or other tough membrane etc. Add the pieces of chicken to the marinade and mix so all the pieces are well covered. Cover and put in the fridge for at least 2 hours, but a bit longer is also good up to overnight.
Before you start cooking, cut the chunk of cucumber in half, remove the seeds in the middle, if they are large, and discard. Coarsely grate the cucumber then gently squeeze most of the liquid. Put the drained cucumber in a small bowl and add the yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil and garlic (plus mint, if using). Mix together and set aside until needed (chill if any more than around 15-20min).
Remove the chicken from the fridge around 20 minutes before you plan to cook to let the chicken come nearer to room temperature. If using wooden skewers on a flame grill/BBQ, soak the skewers. Thread the chicken pieces onto skewers, not pushing the chunks together too tightly. Warm the grill to a medium heat then place the skewers on the grill (you can also cook them on a griddle pan). Turn once or twice and cook until cooked through, around 3 - 4 minutes a side depending on size of pieces of chicken.
Once cooked either make a pita wrap by removing the pieces from the skewer and placing on pita with a couple slices of tomato and red onion and a good spoonful of tzatziki. Alternatively serve the skewers with pita and tzatziki on the side and serve eg with salad and grilled vegetables.

Video

Notes

Note re preparing chicken:

You can also use the same marinade to make gyros - to be most authentic, marinate large pieces of chicken (so whole thighs or breasts, halved if thick). Then after marinating you stack them vertically on a skewer. Either cook in the over by placing the stack on a lined baking sheet/tray (approx 400F/200C) or place on side and cook on grill - if you have rotisserie option, even better. You will likely want a double batch to make it work better as a stack. I also often make a cross between gyros and souvlaki (as in video) by marinating then grilling whole thighs, then slicing after cooking. It's technically not quite either dish, but has all the delicious flavors and stays wonderfully tender and juicy.

For tzatziki - if you are using Persian cucumber or a thinner English cucumber, there's no need to remove seeds, they will be small enough. If you are using a thicker skinner cucumber you may want to remove some or all of the skin as it can be more bitter and not break up well.

Nutrition

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Try these other grilling ideas:

BBQ Bacon Cowboy Burgers from Tip Garden
Gigi's Baked Beans from Family Around The Table
Grilled Meatballs and Spaghetti from A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
Queijo Coalho (Brazilian Grilled Cheese) from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Grilled Marinated Tuna with Sesame Rice Steaks and Orange Cucumber Salad from A Day in the Life on the Farm