Chicken Souvlaki

5 from 4 votes

Marinated chicken souvlaki with tzatziki is delicious grilled or broiled in the oven!

Course Dinner

Cuisine Greek

Keyword chicken souvlaki, chicken souvlaki marinade, chicken souvlaki pita, 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

Pita, warmed
Cooked rice, warm
Fresh, grilled, or roasted vegetables, such as sliced cucumber, chopped tomatoes, chopped lettuce
Feta cheese, crumbled
Quick pickled red onion
Olives

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 sauce. In a bowl, stir together the tzatziki ingredients. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 20-30 minutes before using.
Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard marinade. Thread the chicken onto skewers.
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°F.

If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 20-30 minutes before using.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil; coat lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Adjust one of the oven racks to the top position (about 6 inches from the broiler). Preheat the broiler on HIGH.
Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard marinade. Thread the chicken onto the skewers, or let the excess marinade drip off and just add the chicken directly to the sheet pan.
Place under the broiler for 11-14 minutes, or until the chicken is golden brown and reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Flip the chicken halfway through for even cooking.

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!
If you want to pan-fry the chicken instead of grilling or broiling, you can skip the step of threading the cubed meat onto the skewers. Instead, just brown the marinated chicken in olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink inside.