One of my favorite Mediterranean Diet recipes is eating souvlaki from a street vendor in Greece. They start with well marinated chicken on a stick cooked slowly over a wood fired grill. As the chicken cooks, they sprinkle salt and squeeze lemon juice on the tasty morsels. Usually, it is served with a slice of bread that has been drizzled with olive oil and grilled. Our recipe for chicken souvlaki takes the traditional recipe, but adds Greece’s famous yogurt Tzatziki Sauce to create the perfect summer dish alongside a Greek salad or a fried potato, tomato and arugula salad and a bottle of red or white wine. Serve this at a summer barbecue and your guests will become your biggest fans. Did we mention that it is remarkably quick and easy? Souvlaki is a no fuss option that quickly comes together with just a few ingredients. As a plus, there is very little kitchen cleanup!
Here is a video I took of a vendor in Chania, Crete making pork souvlaki. This was at then end of a mile long market and I was ready for lunch!
Chicken Souvlaki with Grilled French Bread and Tzatziki
Ingredients
- 1 lemon juice
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 pound chicken breast, cut into 1” squares
Instructions
- Mix first 5 ingredients in a Ziploc bag large enough to fit chicken.
- Add chicken to marinade in bag, shake well, and let it marinate in fridge for at least 1 hour (2-3 hours is even better). Shake bag once in middle of marinating.
- When ready to grill, remove chicken from marinade, skewer, and grill on medium heat until cooked through.
Nutrition
About the Author: Bill Bradley, R.D.
How much lemon?
Hi Marion, add the juice of 1 lemon. Sorry for the confusion.
This was my first time preparing souvlaki and oh my word it was delicious!! Thank you for an amazing and easy recipe! Will definitely make again!
Try it with Tzatziki and a Greek salad. Even better!
Hi Bill, I am LOVING your website and recipes! I just made your skillet potatoes with poached eggs for my weekend, lazy, slow breakfast. Delicious. I’ve tried the avocado toast with greek yogurt and honey, the Full Medames (Syrian dish) for my dinner last night, having the smoked salmon open faced sandwiches for my lunch today and tonight I’m making this souvlaki (love the video you took) and the fried potatoes, tomato and arugula salad you suggested to go with. I can’t wait to try more! Thank you so much.
Hi Heather,
So glad you liked all the recipes! Thanks for the comment.
Bill
Brings me back to my youth, when I enjoyed many a souvlaki from a street vendor in Greece. Do you by any chance have the recipe for the salt/herb mix that is sprinkled over the top after the lemon? I have had tried to recreate it over the years, but it would be great to see if you have a source! Thanks so much for sharing all your wonderful recipes.
Hi Cate,
When I have had it in Greece, they just sprinkled on salt, but I will ask my co-author (Koula Barydakis) and see if she knows.
Bill
Hi Cate,
Koula said she uses a mix of salt, pepper and oregano.
Bill