Chicken Souvlaki

5 from 4 votes

Marinated grilled Chicken Souvlaki with Tzatziki Sauce is perfect tucked inside pita, served over rice, or piled on top of a crisp salad.

Course Dinner

Cuisine Greek

Keyword chicken souvlaki, Greek Chicken Recipe, souvlaki chicken

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 8

Marinating Time 30

Total Time 58

Servings people

Calories 248.7kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

1 cup plain Greek-style yogurt
½ of an English seedless cucumber, peeled, grated and squeezed dry
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Juice from 1 lemon
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh dill
Dash of pepper
Optional, for serving: pita bread, chopped tomatoes, sliced cucumber, lettuce, feta cheese, olives, rice, grilled or roasted vegetables

In a large bowl or large Ziploc bag, combine marinade ingredients. Add the chicken, toss to coat with the marinade, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Stir the chicken once halfway through the marinating time.

While the chicken marinates, prepare the Tzatziki Sauce. In a bowl, stir together the tzatziki ingredients. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard marinade. Thread the chicken onto wooden skewers that have been soaked in water.
Heat a grill pan or an outdoor grill over medium-high heat. Brush the grates with oil to prevent the chicken from sticking. Add the chicken to the grill and cook for about 6-8 minutes, turning once. The meat is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
Serve the chicken skewers with the Tzatziki and other optional ingredients.

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.
It's important to squeeze the liquid out of the grated cucumber before adding it to the Tzatziki sauce. I like to wring it out in a dish towel over the sink. This extra step helps to ensure a thick, creamy sauce!
Don't forget to soak the wooden skewers in water before threading with the meat. This will prevent them from burning on the grill.
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.
I recommend using 2% or whole milk Greek yogurt (not non-fat Greek yogurt) for the Tzatziki.
How to make Chicken Souvlaki in the Oven: Preheat the broiler and place the rack about 5-6 inches from the top of the oven. Place the skewers on a large baking sheet, and broil for 6-8 minutes, turning once, until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink inside.
If you want to pan-fry the Chicken Souvlaki, you can skip the step of threading the cubed meat on the skewers. Instead, just pan-fry the marinated chicken in olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink inside.