The flavors of garlic, lemon, and oregano really pop in these marinated chicken skewers.
Greek food is so delicious, I could eat it all day, every day — no problem. Souvlaki is one of the most popular street foods in Greece, and for good reason. Souvlaki just means “meat-on-a-skewer,” but it’s so much more than that. Try these lemon, garlic, and oregano-marinated Greek Chicken Kebabs at home for your next street party or barbecue.
Greek Chicken Kebabs
Nearly every cuisine has its own local flavor of chicken kebab as a much-loved, on-the-go street food. Chinese, Lebanese, Indian, Thai, Turkish, and Japanese flavors – the possibilities are endless. We’ve done chicken skewers many times at SkinnyMs., and I can personally vouch for these Jerked Chicken and Plantain Skewers or these Chipotle Honey ones. No need to go out when you can make these Greek Chicken Kebabs so easily at home!
The Marinade
Arguably, the most important step in making the perfect, traditional Greek Chicken Kebabs is the marinade. The chicken is marinated to soak up all the wonderful Mediterranean flavors and then grilled to high temperature, helping these skewers get their crunchy, juicy flavor and beautiful color. We chose to use boneless chicken breast here, but you could easily use chicken thighs if you like. Whatever you choose, make sure you cut up the meat evenly to ensure even cooking. You’ll also want to cut your veggies to the same size to match.
Once you have them cut up, soak your chicken for anywhere from 15 minutes to three hours in a bowl or a resealable plastic bag. I generally don’t go longer than the 3-hour mark to avoid the chicken becoming mealy. After marinating, you can use either metal or bamboo skewers. If using a wooden skewer, be sure to soak the skewers for at least 15 to 30 minutes so they don’t burn on the grill.
One idea is to use mini-size skewers to create a great appetizer next time you feel like the at-home restaurant experience. Pack your skewers tightly together, as both the meat and vegetables will shrink as they cook.
What To Serve With?
The obvious next step is now making a Homemade Tzatziki Sauce for your Greek Chicken Kebabs. Heavy on the red pepper flakes, dill, and paprika, this Greek yogurt and cucumber sauce is a refreshing, creamy addition to your skewers. And next? Fluffy fresh pitta breads, of course. A lemon couscous tabouleh with plenty of freshly chopped parsley would be delicious too. Alternatively, keep it light with a Classic Greek salad.
Greek Chicken Kebabs
Ingredients
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon oregano fresh, minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 chicken breast boneless and skinless, cut into large chunks
- 1 red onion cut into large chunks
- 1 cup grape tomatoes
- 1 zucchini cut into large chunks
Instructions
- Combine the garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and oregano in a small bowl.
- Place the diced chicken breast in a medium bowl and drizzle about 3/4 of the garlic and lemon juice mix over the chicken. Toss to coat the chicken in the marinade, cover, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Reserve the remaining 1/4 of the marinade.
- Preheat grill to medium heat. If a grill is unavailable, preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Place one cube of chicken on to a skewer, followed by one piece of onion. Place a second piece of chicken on to the skewer, followed by a tomato. Place a third chicken cube on to the skewer followed by a piece of zucchini. Repeat until the skewer is full. Continue this processes on skewers until all ingredients are used.
- Set each filled skewer on to the hot grill (or place on a sheet pan in the oven). Cook for about 5 minutes and turn the kebabs. Turn the kebabs and cook an aditional 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Remove from the grill (or the oven) and brush with reserved marinade. Serve.
Nutrition Information
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The Marinade on this is gorgeous!
This is excellent! I baked the skewers and we really enjoyed the flavor. I wondered if we could make this in the air fryer as we have another chicken skewer recipe that we love made in the air fryer.
Hi, Sandra! That’s great! We’re so happy you loved it! You should be able to make it in the air fryer! The veggies might get a little charred, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing! We recommend preheating the air fryer to 400F, arranging the skewers in a single layer, and cooking them for 10 minutes or so. You’ll know they’re cooked through when the internal temperature reaches 165F. Be sure to let us know what you thought if you end up trying it! 🙂