Greek Chicken Souvlaki (2024)

Chicken souvlaki is one of my favorite Greek street food items! Tender chicken soaks in a bright lemon garlic marinade, then it’s threaded on skewers and grilled until perfectly juicy and charred. Just don’t forget the tzatziki sauce for that creamy, refreshing touch!

What is Souvlaki?

Chicken souvlaki is a traditional Greek dish and the epitome of easy and delicious summertime grilling. And if you’re not sure what souvlaki means, it translates to “grilled meat on a skewer.” Pretty straightforward, eh?

Consider this recipe a more simplified version of my Greek chicken kabobs or shish kabobs. Unlike kabobs (which are grilled with vegetables), souvlakis are simply skewers of meat and are meant to be served with fresh-cut veggies or even a Greek salad. But the finishing touch is a mandatory drizzle of tzatziki sauce all over everything!

Chicken Souvlaki Recipe Ingredients

This souvlaki recipe is as simple as can be, which is why it continues to be one of my favorites for summer grilling. But for the tzatziki sauce, I’ve got a few notes below:

• Chicken: Boneless skinless chicken breasts are the best option for skewer grilling.
• Chicken Souvlaki Marinade: The marinade is the star here, which is a combination of olive oil, fresh lemon juice, garlic, oregano, parsley, salt, and pepper.
• Tzatziki Sauce: I love to make my own tzatziki sauce when I have time. But of course, you can buy your favorite brand as well. And if you’re dairy-free, I highly recommend making this vegan tzatziki. It’s easy to make and just as delicious.

Find the printable recipe with measurements in the recipe card below

How To Make Chicken Souvlaki

While I personally think chicken souvlaki is best grilled over an open fire, you can also use an indoor grill pan. So once that’s set up, grab a set of 12-inch skewers. If your skewers are smaller, that’s fine. You’ll just make more skewers than what I have listed in the recipe card below.

Marinate the chicken. Stir the marinade together in a small bowl. Then add the chicken pieces and let them marinate for at least 30 minutes. But no longer than 24 hours.

Thread the skewers. Heat the grill on medium-high heat. Then thread the marinated chicken pieces onto the skewers. About eight to nine pieces should be able to fit on a 12-inch skewer, making six skewers total.8-inch skewers will fit about four to five pieces of chicken.

Grill. Grill the skewers for 3 to 4 minutes on each side. They should be beautifully charred on the outside and juicy on the inside.

Ways to Serve Chicken Souvlaki

• With fresh veggies. I love to slice up cucumbers and tomatoes for an easy and refreshing side of veggies. Or you can make a quick side salad like this cucumber salad or tomato avocado salad.
• Wrap it up. This chicken souvlaki is delicious wrapped with pita bread. But if you’re gluten-free like me, you can also use butter lettuce leaves.

More Mediterranean Recipes

If you love Mediterranean food as much as I do, this list of Mediterranean recipes will give you endless amounts of inspiration to make at home. But here are a few favorites I make often:

• Greek Sheet Pan Chicken (or this Greek Lemon Chicken!)
• Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
• Mediterranean Cod en Papillote
• Shrimp Scampi
• Avgolemono Soup

Get ready to make endless amounts of chicken souvlaki this summer! I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comment box below.

Recipe originally published March 2016, but updated to include new photos, video, and information.