Fire up the grill and transport yourself to the mediterranean with Greek Chicken Souvlaki! These kabobs are juicy and flavorful with make ahead options for dinnertime success. They cook up in just 15 minutes!

Greek chicken souvlaki on a white plate with lemon and oregano

It’s summertime, which means my grill is going into overdrive.  I’m constantly making grilled vegetables, bbq chicken, burgers and this Greek Chicken Souvlaki.

It really doesn’t get much better than a taste of the mediterranean on a warm summer evening, does it?

Meals like this make me wish that summer lasted forever. 

Why you’ll love this recipe:

  • It’s juicy, delicious and bursting with the mediterranean flavors of garlic, lemon and oregano.
  • This chicken souvlaki recipe only takes 5 simple ingredients.  It’s the easiest chicken marinade ever!
  • It cooks up in about 15 minutes.
  • Make ahead options make it perfect for a weeknight family meal or entertaining.

Recipe ingredients

greek chicken souvlaki ingredients

Ingredient notes

  • Fresh ingredients will provide the most flavor in this recipe.  I highly recommend using fresh lemon, garlic and oregano to make the flavors shine.
  • Oregano.  If you don’t have fresh oregano on hand, substitute it with 1 tablespoon of dried.

How to make this recipe

Greek chicken kabobs are incredibly easy to make and only require about 15 minutes of prep.

how to cut chicken for kabobs collage

Greek chicken souvlaki marinating and skewered collage

  1. Slice boneless skinless chicken breast.
  2. Cut the chicken breast into 1″ chunks.
  3. Place the cubed chicken in a baking dish and season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Add the olive oil, garlic, lemon and oregano and toss well to coat.  Cover with plastic wrap and marinate for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight.
  4. Preheat the grill to medium high.  Skewer the chicken onto metal or wooden skewers (if wooden, soak in water for 30 minutes prior).  Reduce grill heat to medium.  Grill chicken for 12-15 minutes, turning on all sides until grill marks form or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.

FAQs

What is souvlaki vs. gyro?

A gyro is a Greek style sandwich that consists of pita bread filled with gyro meat, onion, tomato and tzatziki sauce. 

Gyro meat is similar to shawarma as it’s cooked on a vertical rotisserie and shaved off, while souvlaki is meat grilled on a skewer.

How do you eat souvlaki?

It may be eaten warm, straight off of the skewer, or removed and serve over rice, with salad or in pita bread topped with tzatziki.

How long should I marinate my chicken?

The key to tender, flavorful chicken breast is marinating it as long as possible.  Cut the chicken into chunks before marinating for maximum flavor and toss well in the marinade.

For best results, marinate the chicken for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight.

PRO TIP:  Toss the cubed chicken with the marinade and freeze until you’re ready to use it.  The chicken will marinate as it defrosts!

What is souvlaki seasoning made of?

It’s simply garlic, lemon and oregano.

platter of Greek chicken souvlaki with lemon and fresh oregano

Serving suggestions

Greek chicken kabobs may be served a number of way as follows:

Recipe notes

  • Pro tip:  Toss the cubed chicken with the marinade and freeze until you’re ready to use it.  The chicken will marinate as it defrosts!
  • Chicken souvlaki is easily scaled to feed a crowd and the skewers may be assembled up to a day in advance.
  • About 1-2 hours before cooking time, remove the chicken from the refrigerator and skewer onto the wooden or metal skewers and let stand at room temperature. The chicken will cook more evenly when it’s grilled at room temperature.
  • The chicken may be substituted with beef, lamb or pork!  Cooking times will vary depending on which protein you choose.
Close up of chicken souvlaki on a white platter with lemon and oregano

More Greek recipes you’ll love:

Did you try this recipe?  If so, be sure to leave a review below and tag me @flavorthemoments on Facebook and Instagram

Close up of chicken souvlaki on a white platter with lemon and oregano

Greek Chicken Souvlaki

Greek Chicken Souvlaki is juicy and flavorful with make ahead options for dinnertime success. They cook up in just 15 minutes!
 
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Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast cut into 1″ chunks
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 lemon juiced (2-3 tablespoons)
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic minced (or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)
  • 1 teaspoons dried oregano

Instructions 

  • Season the chicken with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste and place in a medium bowl or large zip top bag.
  • Add the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and oregano, then toss the chicken in the marinade until well coated.  Marinate for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight.
  • About 1-2 hours before cooking time, remove the chicken from the refrigerator and skewer onto the wooden or metal skewers and let stand at room temperature.  The chicken will cook more evenly when it’s grilled at room temperature.
  • Preheat the grill to medium high heat.  Reduce the heat to medium and grill the chicken for about 3 minutes on each side or until grill marks form.  Remove from heat and serve with lemon wedges. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Serving: 1skewer, Calories: 267kcal, Carbohydrates: 3g, Protein: 37g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 109mg, Sodium: 198mg, Potassium: 667mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 51IU, Vitamin C: 17mg, Calcium: 26mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.

Did you try this recipe?Be sure to tag @flavorthemoments with the hashtag #flavorthemoments on Instagram so I can see what you made!

**This post was originally published in June 2014.  The text and photos have been updated to include step by step instructions.

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