Greek Chicken Souvlaki & Tzatziki Sauce
Greek food is one of my absolute favorites! I love all of the light, fresh flavors and tang of citrus. My mother-in-law is Greek and whenever she’s in the kitchen, I’m always watching closely! This Greek Chicken Souvlaki with Tzatziki is full of amazing flavor and super easy yet impressive!
I have made this recipe with either chicken breast or ground chicken. I prefer the 1″ chunks of chicken breast because I think it holds better shape while grilling and has less tendency to dry out. However, if you’re going to wrap it in pita and make it into a gyro, ground chicken would be a great option! For this recipe, I’ll describe the steps using chicken breast, I just wanted to point out that ground chicken is definitely another option.
This recipe for Chicken Souvlaki & Tzatziki Sauce is so easy and super delicious. It’s great for anytime of year when you want some amazing Greek flavors!
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Total Time
45 mins.
Course
Entree
Cuisine
Greek
Servings
6 servings
Ingredients
3 lbs. chicken breast cut into 1" chunks
1/4 cup extra vrgin olive oil, plus 1 Tbsp. for tzatziki
1 lemon zested & juiced
4 Garlic cloves minced and divided (marinade and tzatziki)
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. dried dill
1 Tbsp. dried oregano
Kosher salt & black pepper
1 English Cucumber
2 cups Greek yogurt plain/original
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh oregano
1/2 Lemon juiced
Instructions
If using wooden skewers, soak them for at least 30-60 minutes so they don't burn, or use metal.
Make the marinade. Cube the chicken into 1" chunks and set aside. In a bowl, add 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, lemon zest and juice, half of the minced garlic, 1 Tbsp. of red wine vinegar, dried dill, oregano, salt and pepper and whisk to combine. Add the chicken to the marinade and marinate at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
Prepare the English cucumber by partially peeling it with stripes. No need to seed it for this type of cucumber. Using a box grater, grate the cucumber on the large grate onto a paper towel and squeeze all excess water out a few times to remove as much moisture as possible. Set aside.
Meanwhile, make the tzatziki sauce. In another bowl, add greek yogurt, chopped dill and oregano, remaining minced garlic, grated reserved cucumber, 1/2 lemon juiced and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Combine, add salt and pepper to taste and adjust accordingly. Cover with plastic wrap and stick in the fridge until ready to serve.
Skewer the chicken and sprinkle with a little more kosher salt and black pepper. Preheat the grill to medium high (400F) and cook the chicken, leaving alone for 4- 5 minutes to get some nice grill marks but not so high that it burns before cooking through. Continue to turn and cook on all sides until chicken is cooked through, closing the lid between turns for total grilling time of about 12-15 minutes.
Serve with greek salad, warm pita or naan bread and the tzatziki sauce...yum!
Notes
Delicious served with warm pita or naan bread and with a Greek Salad.
Here are a few additional recipes you may enjoy!
