This Greek Chicken Souvlaki is a batch of juicy, flavorful chicken served on a piece of fluffy pita with a couple of crisp and creamy sides to go along with it. It takes an hour to marinade, and just 10 minutes to make on the grill! It’s the perfect Mediterranean recipe for the whole summer and the whole family.

There’s nothing like Mediterranean cuisine for the summer: fresh, simple, and full of seasonal ingredients. And here’s one that you can throw right on the grill!

My chicken souvlaki recipe involves an incredibly simple marinade that is versatile and customizable. So customizable, in fact, that you can easily swap it out with my alternative Mediterranean Chicken Marinade!

Important to note: this is not an overnight recipe. You don’t want to marinate for any longer than one hour, four tops, or you risk the chicken becoming mushy and unappetizing. 

When it comes to sides and sauces, you can’t do much better than fresh and zesty tzatziki to round out these Mediterranean flavors. To serve, toss your grilled skewers onto some homemade pita bread.

Chicken souvlaki pita

Cuisine: Greek / Mediterranean

Souvlaki is a Greek dish, featuring small pieces of marinated meat grilled on skewers. Sometimes vegetables are added as well. Authentic Greek souvlaki is made with pork, but beef, lamb and chicken are common too.

For this Greek souvlaki recipe, we’re using chicken.

Common names/spellings: 
Greek souvlaki, Greek grilled chicken skewers, chicken souvlaki pita

Pronunciation:
soo · ​vlah ·​ kee

Course:
Main dish

Preparation:
grilled

Difficulty: Easy 🥄

INGREDIENT NOTES AND SUBSTITUTIONS 

• Chicken – You’ll have the easiest time cutting boneless breasts.
• Olive Oil – This is a great marinade base because it moistens the meat as well as helps all of the other ingredients stick to and flavor it. Canola or vegetable oil are possible substitutes, but olive oil heavily contributes to the Mediterranean flavor.
• Lemon Juice – A bright flavor that also tenderizes the meat. 
• Garlic – Sharp and pungent. Chives, shallots, or plain garlic powder can be used instead if preferred or easier. 
• Oregano – I used dried, but you can chop up fresh herbs if you have them handy. Just add a bit more to get the same amount of flavor.
• Salt & Pepper – Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper will balance the marinade. Don’t skip them!
• To Serve – I recommend plating with fresh tzatziki, soft pita, some lemon slices, a couple of tomato slices, and a bit of red onion.

Greek souvlaki recipe video

Grilling chicken to juicy perfection does take practice, but it’s a simple process. To see it from start to finish, watch the video in the recipe card below!

HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN SOUVLAKI

1. Cut the Meat. Dice the meat into bite sized cubes, somewhere between a ½” to 1”. Toss in a baggie and set aside.
2. Marinade. Add all of the marinade oils, juices, and seasonings to a bowl and whisk together. Pour the mixture into the bag with the meat and toss until covered. Refrigerator for up to 1 hour. 
3. Make the Skewers. Skewer the marinated meat with some space between the pieces. 
4. Prep the Grill. While the grill preheats to a medium-high heat, spray down with oil.
5. Grill the Souvlaki. Grill the skewers for up to 10 minutes while regularly rotating the skewers to allow for even browning. Pour some of the reserve marinade over the skewers sometime during the process, and a couple of times if preferred. 
6. Let Rest. Remove the skewers once the meat reaches an internal temperature of 163°F, allowing them to rest for 5 minutes while the center continues to cook.
7. Plate & Serve. Meanwhile, heat up the pita on the grill and plate the vegetables, lemon, and tzatziki. Serve alongside the chicken souvlaki, and enjoy!

IMPORTANT TIP:

Before you add the chicken pieces to the marinade, reserve a little bit for basting the meat while it’s on the grill.

Tips for grilling chicken souvlaki skewers

1. Use metal skewers if possible.
   While bamboo and other wooden kabob skewers are fine to use, you’ll need to soak them in water for at least 30 minutes before adding food for grilling. Otherwise, there’s a risk of them catching fire.
   
2. Food safety is important!
   When precautions aren’t taken, grilling raw meat and poultry presents a risk of food poisoning and/or illness from bacteria that’s present in the raw meat.
   
   Because your health is important, I recommend following the grilling guidelines outlined by the FDA and USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).

Important!
Because of the bacteria in raw meat, do not ever reuse marinades that have had raw meat or poultry in them. If you’d like to use a marinade as a dressing or dipping sauce, just make extra and reserve it for using with the meal, or set some aside before coming in contact with raw meat.

Chicken souvlaki pita FAQ

This post, originally published on Silk Road Recipes June, 2021, was updated with new content, photos and/or video in June, 2022.