It’s major Greek street food and happens to be one of my favorites and this is our Americanized version.
Served with a refreshing cucumber sauce to dip this garlicky Mediterranean chicken in is totally addicting.
Our family loves this chicken served with our Rice Almondine, Homemade Pita Bread and an easy leafy salad with Homemade House Greek Dressing
Also, if you love these flavors also try our Greek Salmon, and for dessert our delicious Greek Butter Cookie recipe, both family favorites.
Just scroll to the recipe card below for both recipes for this wonderful meal and get a taste of Greece!
Chicken Souvlaki Copycat
Greek souvlaki is bursting with fresh herbs and spices and just a wonderful addition to your chicken recipes.
Oregano, rosemary, and loads of garlic give it a robust flavors.
Back in my hometown in Central N.Y., we have a delicious restaurant called (Symeons) and this is a copycat marinade and if you've ever been there you're going to love this recipe!
This simple marinade recipe is as close as it gets until I visit back home.
When we have a large family gathering, baking these in a gridded iron skillet makes cooking easier especially if your cookout gets rained out.
After the chicken is cooked, just thread them on wooden skewers is perfect for any large event.
Chicken souvlaki just shouts one of the best-grilled summer foods you can have on your meal planning list.
Served with our homemade Tzatziki sauce recipe below(or pick up some store-bought), a simple Greek salad, and our Homemade Pita Bread you will have a home run dinner on your table and a taste of Mediterranean cuisine.
Ingredients to buy to make this Greek meal:
- boneless chicken breasts cut into strips or cubed
- garlic cloves peeled then sliced (or in a pinch use granulated garlic powder around 3 teaspoons)
- dried oregano
- fresh rosemary
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- extra virgin olive oil
- dry white wine
- Juiced fresh lemons
- cucumber sauce homemade below or store-bought
- Optional: pita bread, salad, and greek dressing
Tools You Will Need
- cutting board
- sharp knife
- bowl
- lemon juicer
- spoon
- plastic wrap
- skewers
- gridded cast iron pan(if not grilling)
- long dish to soak skewers in
Cooking Methods
- Grill: Soak the skewers in warm water, thread chicken. Heat the grill to medium heat and cook for around 5 minutes turning until juice run clear and internal temperature is 165 degrees
- Oven: place on in a cast-iron skillet, and bake at 400 degrees until browned and the juice runs clear around 15 minutes. Cool then thread on skewers
- Air Fry: Heat the air fryer to 400 degrees. Place chicken strips on the middle rack set the timer for 11 minutes. Thread on skewers when cooking is completed.
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Let's Get Grilling!
As I mentioned before, this is the perfect marinade for any kind of meat, seafood and bursting with summer fresh flavors.
If you were looking for a way to tenderize meat that melts in your mouth, you have hit the jackpot right here.
Give our recipe a try and let us know how you like it and remember you have several ways to cook it, so don't worry if you don't have a grill just choose another method! Enjoy!!
Chicken Souvlaki Skewers
Yield: 10
Prep time: 1 MinCook time: 11 min total time: 12 Min
A delicious Greek marinade for chicken with a lemon and oregano base that makes these skewers juicy tender and so good with cucumber sauce!
Ingredients
- Marinade
- 2 lbs of boneless chicken breasts cut into strips or cubed
- 10 garlic cloves, peeled then sliced (or in a pinch use granulated garlic powder around 3 teaspoons)
- 2 tablespoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon each Kosher salt and black pepper
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- Juice of 2 fresh lemons (around 1/2 cup)
- Optional: 1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika and cayenne pepper ( I use both)
- You will need: Metal of Wooden skewers soaked in water
- Tzatziki Recipe (Greek Cucumber Yogurt Sauce)
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- 1/2 cup chopped a peeled cucumber
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 2 tablespoons snipped fresh dill or 2 teaspoons dill weed
- 1 garlic clove, peeled, minced fine
- Dash salt
- Mix together refrigerate until ready to serve with chicken
Instructions
- Place chicken chunks in a medium-size bowl.
- Add the olive oil over the top, squeeze the lemon over the olive oil.
- Shake oregano generously over the top of the chicken and add salt and pepper to your taste and the rest of any ingredients.
- I also like heat so I add a couple of shakes of cayenne pepper.
- Marinate for 1 hour or overnight.
- Thread the chicken onto metal or soaked wooden skewers and grill 5 minutes on each side or till browned.
- For the oven, place on in a cast-iron skillet and bake at 4oo degrees until browned and the juice runs clear around 35 minutes.
- Serve with cucumber sauce or your favorite hot sauce!
- These are great served with pita bread and a salad with our homemade Greek Dressing on top!
- Grill: Soak the skewers in warm water, thread chicken. Heat the grill to medium heat and cook for around 5 minutes turning until juice runs clear or until the internal temperature is 165 degrees
- Oven, place on in a cast-iron skillet, and bake at 400 degrees until browned and the juice runs clear around 15 minutes or internal temperature is 165. Cool then thread on skewers
- Air Fry: Heat the air fryer to 400 degrees. Place chicken strips on the middle rack set the timer for 11 minutes. Thread on skewers when cooking is completed.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
271.21Fat (grams)
11.33Sat. Fat (grams)
3.23Carbs (grams)
6.66Fiber (grams)
0.80Net carbs
5.87Sugar (grams)
3.15Protein (grams)
33.10Sodium (milligrams)
795.82Cholesterol (grams)
92.69Pin for later
Other Recipes We Love
15 Easy Pasta Recipes
Chicken Bacon and Spinach Pasta
Disclosure: This recipe was originally shared in 2011. It was edited and re-published in 2021.