Greek Chicken Souvlaki is a simple recipe made with chicken thighs and a fresh marinade that is packed with flavor. After soaking in the marinade, the chicken is placed on skewers and grilled. Perfect for an easy weeknight meal or a quick appetizer. Serve with creamy tzatziki sauce and warm pita bread. DELISH!

We started making this Greek chicken souvlaki many years ago and it has been a family favorite ever since. Souvlaki is meat grilled on a skewer and is popular street food in Greece. It’s also become a popular street food every May at the Texas Steak Cookoff in Hico, Texas.

Tom and a group of friends have participated in the cookoff for many years. It’s become a huge family affair that we all look forward to. Aside from entering the cooking competition, we make a ton of food to give away to the public who attend this elaborate affair. You know what they say…”Everything is BIGGER in TEXAS! 

Tom makes 40 pounds of this Greek chicken souvlaki every year.  We serve it with couscous salad and my tzatziki sauce. Definitely not your typical Texas barbeque but it’s always a huge hit!

Tammy’s Tips For Making Greek Chicken Souvlaki

Plan Ahead – This recipe takes just a few minutes to put together, but the chicken needs to marinate for at least 3 hours and up to 24 hours. We like to prep it the night before we are planning to grill it. This makes it perfect for a busy weeknight dinner because the next day we just have to thread the chicken onto skewers and throw them on the grill for a few minutes.

Oven Directions – We have also made this with bone-in skinless thighs and baked it in the oven. After the chicken marinates, place in a baking dish and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. 

Cook Once Eat Twice – I like to make an extra pound of chicken so that we can have it for multiple meals. There is no need to make extra marinade if you are just making one extra pound of chicken.

The chicken can be served on the first night with tzatziki sauce, couscous, and a veggie. For another night it’s delicious on my Greek Nachos! We also like it in pita bread with lettuce, tomatoes, and tzatziki sauce.

Appetizer – Not only is this a quick weeknight meal, but it’s also an easy appetizer your guests will love. For appetizers just put a little less chicken on each skewer and serve with tzatziki sauce or add it to a Greek-inspired food board.

Simple, versatile, clean ingredients, and oh so yummy!!! – MY FAVORITE KIND OF RECIPE!

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Greek Chicken Souvlaki

Greek Chicken Souvlaki is a simple recipe made with chicken thighs and a fresh marinade that is packed with flavor. After soaking in the marinade, the chicken is placed on skewers and grilled. Serve with creamy tzatziki sauce and warm pita bread. 

Course Dinner

Cuisine Greek, Mediterranean

Keyword clean eating dinner, easy dinner, easy weeknight dinner recipe

Prep Time 3 hours 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 3 hours 30 minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat and cut into 3/4 - inch strips

Marinade

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/3 cup fresh mint, finely chopped
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• salt and pepper to taste
• tzatziki sauce, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, warm pita bread - optional for serving

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, combine marinade ingredients.

2. Stir in chicken until well combined. Cover; refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.

3. Soak wooden skewers for at least one hour before threading with chicken.

4. Thread chicken onto skewers.

5. Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Grill chicken until cooked through, about 4-5 minutes on each side.

6. Remove from grill and serve.

Recipe Notes

I often make 3 pounds of chicken to have leftovers for lunch or another dinner. There is no need to make additional marinade when using just 1 pound of extra chicken.

We recommend using organic ingredients whenever possible.