Love the Chicken Souvlaki you had in Greece on holiday or at your favourite Greek restaurant? Now you can make them at home! Easy Chicken Souvlaki is so quick and easy to make! Just marinate cubes of chicken breast in a simple marinade of lemon, olive oil, garlic and oregano, then grill, fry or barbecue – whichever you prefer – with delicious results every time!
This blog post contains affiliate links. This means if you click on a link and go on to buy the product I recommend, I will get a small commission, but you will not be charged a penny more – thanks in advance!
Love Chicken Souvlaki? Now you can make it at home!
Where did you go on holiday this year? I went to the beautiful island of Crete… it was actually my very first trip to any part of Greece. Greece has been on my bucket list for years, but somehow it never happened… until this year!
And oh wow, I will definitely be going again. It has literally everything you could want in a summer holiday: beautiful weather, beautiful beaches, beautiful countryside, lovely lovely people (I was told Greek people were very friendly and welcoming, but I was not prepared for quite how lovely Greek people actually are!) and of course AMAZING FOOD.
I was genuinely bowled over by the food. It was even more delicious than I was expecting (and I was expecting good food!). And one of my absolute favourites was Chicken Souvlaki!
Back home, I have worked hard to create a Chicken Souvlaki recipe that is as close as possible in flavour to what I had in Greece, but at the same time, easy enough to deserve a place on this website, and I am really please with the result!
How to make Chicken Souvlaki
My recipe for Chicken Souvlaki really is very easy to make.
All you need to do is marinate cubes of chicken breast in a simple marinade of lemon, olive oil, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper, then grill, fry or barbecue – whichever you prefer – with delicious results every time!
(Full recipe given in the recipe card below.)
How to ensure the chicken does not spin round on the kebab skewers
Do you ever have that problem of chicken spinning round on the skewers, when you make souvlaki, so you can’t get all the sides evenly cooked?
I have tips!
- Use flat metal skewers – the meat is much less prone to spinning than on round skewers.
- I recommend threading the skewer through each piece of chicken TWICE – go in through the bottom and then back out through the top – kind of like sewing. This ensures each piece of chicken is more ‘stable’ on the skewer and should stop the chicken spinning round as much.
- Push the chicken pieces quite close together – this also helps stop the spinning.
What to serve with Chicken Souvlaki
There are so many delicious things you can serve with Chicken Souvlaki!
If you want to stick with the Greek theme, these Greek-style kebabs are especially delicious with Greek Salad, Tzatziki and Pittas.
But you can also serve them with any of the following:
- Classic Coleslaw
- Rainbow Slaw
- Tabbouleh
- Creamy Potato Salad
- Fruity Couscous Salad
- Beetroot Salad
- Hummus
- Flatbreads
- Homemade Oven Chips
- Baked Sweet Potatoes
Or, if you want to keep things super simple, serve them with a simple green salad and some shop-bought pittas – and maybe a dollop of shop-bought Tzatziki or Hummus on the side. (Though if you have the time to make them fresh, do! Homemade Tzatziki and Homemade Hummus taste so much better than shop-bought!)
Homemade Tzatziki
What to drink with Chicken Souvlaki
If you want to stick with the Greek theme, why not pair these Chicken Kebabs with a Greek white wine? They go especially well with Assyrtiko!
Otherwise, Chicken Souvlaki are very white wine friendly and will go well with most white wines: especially Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio.
Alternatively, this dish also works well with dry, fruity rosés.
At a push it would even work with lighter, fruitier reds too. But white wine would definitely be my first choice!
Want more easy peasy Greek-inspired recipes?
Why not try these…
- Easy Lamb Souvlaki
- Easy Lamb Moussaka
- Kleftiko Traybake
- Greek Roast Chicken and Roast Potatoes
- Greek Chicken Traybake
Head here for all my Greek and Greek-inspired recipes: Easy Peasy Greek Recipes
Greek Chicken Traybake
What to do with leftover Chicken Souvlaki
Leftover Chicken Souvlaki will keep well in a lidded container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
You can either eat the leftovers cold (this makes an envy-inducing packed lunch!) or place them in a roasting tray, covered with foil in an oven heated to 180C (160C fan / gas mark 4 / 350F) for 10 minutes, or until piping hot all the way through.
Alternatively, reheat the leftovers in the microwave, until piping hot all the way through. (Don’t put the metal skewers in the microwave, obviously!)
Can you freeze Chicken Souvlaki?
Yes! Simply put any leftovers in a lidded container and place in the freezer where they will keep for up to 1 month.
Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat as above, or eat cold.
If you like this recipe…
…you might also like:
- Chicken Tikka Kebabs
- Chicken Shish Kebabs
- Greek Chicken Traybake
- Chicken Drumstick Traybake
- Oven Baked Chicken Shawarma with Garlic Sauce
Chicken Tikka Kebabs
Easy Chicken Souvlaki
Ingredients
Easy Chicken Souvlaki
- 50 ml olive oil
- Juice of 2 lemons
- 3 cloves garlic crushed or grated
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon salt (See Note 1)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 650 g chicken breast cut into large in chunks (roughly 2cm x 2cm)
You will also need...
- 4 metal skewers – ideally flat skewers rather than rounded ones (See Note 2)
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients (except the chicken) in a large bowl and mix well.
- Place your chicken chunks in the marinade and use your hands to ensure every piece of chicken is well coated in the marinade. (You can use a spoon if you don’t like getting your hands messy!)
- If you have time, cover the bowl with clingfilm and place it in the fridge. Leave the chicken to marinate for 30 minutes (or up to 2h if you can!)
- If you don’t have the time, simply continue on with the recipe – it will still taste good!
- Pre-heat your grill (broiler) as hot as it goes. (See notes for other cooking methods.)
- Thread the chicken chunks onto the 4 metal skewers, ensuring that each skewer has roughly the same amount of chicken onto it. Push the pieces together so they are all touching – you should have plenty of space at the top and bottom of each skewer. (See Note 5.)
- Place the skewers onto your grill tray and place the grill tray under your grill. The chicken should be very close to the grill – as close as possible without them actually touching the grill bars!
- Grill the chicken for 6 minutes, then turn the skewers over and grill the other side for 6 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through in the middle and charred in places on the outside.
Notes
- I recommend you use ¼ teaspoon of salt here – it will really bring out the flavours of the marinade, without making it too salty.
- You can use wooden skewers if you prefer. If you do, make sure you soak them for about 30 minutes in water before using them so they don’t burn.
- If cooking on the barbecue… Place the skewers directly onto the grills of a pre-prepared barbecue – be sure to place them over a medium-hot spot to ensure the outside doesn’t burn before the inside is fully cooked. Cook the chicken for 6 minutes, then turn the skewers over and cook the other side for 6 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through in the middle and charred in places on the outside.
- If cooking on a griddle pan / frying pan… Place your pan over a medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Then place the skewers directly onto the pan. Cook the chicken for 6 minutes, then turn the skewers over and cook the other side for 6 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through in the middle and charred in places on the outside.
- I recommend threading the skewer through each piece of chicken TWICE – go in through the bottom and then back out through the top – kind of like sewing. This ensures each piece of chicken is more ‘stable’ on the skewer and should stop the chicken spinning round on the skewers. For the same reason, I recommend using flat metal skewers rather than rounded ones.
- Suitable for freezing.
- Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
Pin Easy Chicken Souvlaki for later
FREE 4 Week Easy Dinners Meal Plan
Have you got your hands on a copy of my meal plan yet? If not CLICK HERE to download a copy of my FREE 4 Week Easy Dinners Meal Plan today!
Don’t want to miss a thing?
Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Or why not subscribe to my blog and get delicious, stress free recipes straight to your inbox every week?
Disclosure
This blog post contains affiliate links, this means if you click on a link and go on to buy the product I recommend, I will get a small commission, but you will not be charged a penny more – thanks in advance!
Leave a Reply