This chicken souvlaki recipe is an easy way to bring fresh Mediterranean flavor to your table. With juicy marinated and grilled chicken, lemon, garlic, and oregano, it’s delicious served with pita, tzatziki, rice, or salad.
Chicken Souvlaki Highlights
- Why Make It: A perfect recipe for a quick and easy grilled or baked entree where the marinade does most of the work. It is low in calories, loaded with protein, and so delicious.
- Tools: You will need a zip top bag or bowl, metal or wooden skewers, and a grill pan or a foil-lined baking sheet to make this recipe.
- Make Ahead: Prep marinade ahead of time, add chicken and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Thread onto skewers before cooking.
- Serving: Serve as a main entree with Greek salad, and tzatziki sauce or yogurt dip on the side.
- Weekly Meal Prep: Cook a double batch of kabobs, then use leftovers in pita wraps, salads, rice bowls, or quick lunches.
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken: Cut boneless, skinless chicken breasts into equal-sized pieces so they grill at the same rate. Chicken thighs can be used but you might need to adjust the cook time.
- Onion: Adds mild sweetness and savory depth, complementing the bright lemon, garlic, and oregano. You can use yellow, white, or red onion.
- Marinade:
- Olive oil coats the chicken, helps transfer the seasoning into the meat, and keeps the chicken from drying out.
- Lemon juice and zest adds bright citrus flavor.
- Fresh minced garlic adds bold flavor, while garlic paste works in a pinch.
- Dried oregano adds an earthy and peppery herbal note. Rub it between your fingers to wake up the flavor before adding to the marinade.
- Adjust Kosher salt and black pepper to taste. It enhances the bright Mediterranean flavors and adds subtle warmth to the marinade.
Variations
- Marinate pieces of chicken and onion then cook in a grill pan or skillet without threading onto skewers.
- Sometimes I like to thread extras like cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, halved Brussels sprouts, or halved slices of zucchini and yellow squash along with the chicken and onions.
- Add chopped fresh parsley or dill after cooking for a clean finish.
How to Make Chicken Souvlaki
- Marinate all ingredients, and soak wooden skewers.
- Thread chicken and onions onto soaked skewers.
- Cook on an oiled grate or grill pan, turning skewers frequently (full recipe below) or until chicken is cooked through and reaches 165°F.
To Roast:
- Roast in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until the chicken is cooked and reaches 165°F.
- Place the skewers under the broiler to char the edges of the meat and brown the onions. Watch carefully, since the broiler can burn the skewers very quickly.
Best Souvlaki Tips
- Keep chicken pieces the same size so the skewers cook evenly.
- Marinate 6 to 8 hours or overnight only. Sitting in the lemon juice too long can make the meat soft and mushy.
- You may need to cook in batches to ensure there is room for the chicken to brown instead of steam.
- Lightly oil the grill pan to brown chicken and prevent from sticking.
- Chicken breast dries out quickly so use a meat thermometer to check it has reached 165°F and remove immediately.
- A squeeze of fresh lemon before serving brings out the flavors in this dish.
Leftovers and Reheating
- Refrigerate leftover Greek chicken souvlaki in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Remove the chicken and onions from the skewers before storing.
- Reheat leftovers in the microwave or oven just until warmed through. Avoid re-cooking which will dry out the meat.
- Freeze the cooked chicken and onions for up to 4 weeks and thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
Greek-Inspired Dinner Night
Did you make this chicken souvlaki recipe? Leave a comment and rating below.
Chicken Souvlaki Recipe
This chicken souvlaki recipe has classic Mediterranean inspired flavor with tender marinated chicken, lemon, garlic, oregano, and onion, then cooked until juicy and golden.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lemon juiced and zest of ½ of the lemon
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste
- 4 chicken breasts cubed into bite sized pieces
- ½ onion cut into bite sized pieces (or 1 small onion)
Instructions
Marinate Chicken
- Add lemon juice, zest, olive oil, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper to a large zip-top bag. Mix ingredients together and add chicken and onions.
- Gently massage bag to ensure chicken and onions are covered. Refrigerate for 4 hours, or overnight.
Cook Chicken
- Soak 8 wooden skewers in water (at least 1 hour).
- Thread chicken and onions onto skewers.
- Cook on an oiled grill pan preheated to medium (up to medium high) for 10 to 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and reaches 165°F. Turn skewers frequently.
Notes
- To Cook in the Oven:
- Move rack to the position above the center. Preheat oven to 450˚F. Line a baking tray with foil paper.
- Place skewers on the baking tray and bake for 10-12 minutes.
- Broil for 1 minute to brown if desired (watch carefully if using wooden skewers).
- Make sure chicken is cooked to an internal temperature of 165˚F for safe consumption. Use a meat thermometer to be sure of temperature.
- Refrigerate leftovers for 3-4 days.
- Reheat in the microwave or wrapped with foil in the oven, taking care to just warm, not re-cook the chicken.
- Remove meat from skewers before placing in a zippered bag to freeze for up to 4 weeks.
- Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 303 | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 72mg | Sodium: 424mg | Potassium: 477mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 47IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information does not include optional ingredients or garnish and is an estimate. It may change based on actual ingredients and cooking methods used.
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Very slightly adapted from Spend With Pennies
can you use pork or beef with this recipe and add bell peppers, mushrooms, & tomatoes in addition to the onions – this chicken recipe sounds just so delicious and wonderful Thank you
Hi Estella, I have only tried this recipe as written. I’m sure it’d be delicious with those additions! You may also like to check out our recipe for beef skewers. They’re so good!
It’s even better when using fresh oregano instead of dry
Yes Oleg, fresh oregano is fantastic! I’d use 1 Tablespoon fresh oregano in place of the dried.