chicken souvlaki

Chicken souvlaki is ready in 31 minutes. Greek yogurt marinade makes it juicy, and you can grill or use a skillet indoors. Family-friendly.

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Total Time 31

Servings: 4 servings

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Greek

Calories: 340

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

Chicken souvlaki

600 g chicken breast cut into bite-size chunks
3 tablespoons Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 cloves garlic minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
0.5 teaspoon salt
0.25 teaspoon black pepper

Method

Combine Greek yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, oregano, salt, and black pepper in a large bowl. Mix well.
Add the chicken pieces to the bowl and toss so every piece is well coated. Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 20 minutes. If you can wait 1–2 hours, even better, but 20 minutes works if you're in a rush.
Thread the marinated chicken onto metal or soaked wooden skewers. Try not to squash the pieces — a little space in between means better browning.
Heat up a grill, grill pan, or heavy skillet until it’s so hot a drop of water sizzles away in under a second. Brush lightly with oil if not nonstick.
Cook the skewers for 4–5 minutes per side. You want them golden with some charred spots. Check for doneness — the center should be white, not pink.
Let them rest a couple of minutes off the heat before serving. A squeeze of lemon on top right before eating boosts the flavor, so I never skip it.

Notes

I make chicken souvlaki when I want something that tastes like summer but doesn’t take a pile of prep. The yogurt in the marinade guarantees the chicken is never dry, even if I get distracted.

Tips for fast, juicy souvlaki

Don’t skip marinating — even 20 minutes with the yogurt and lemon makes a big difference for tenderness. If you only have 10, poke the chicken pieces all over with a fork first to help the flavors get in fast.

If it’s raining or you don’t have a grill, a heavy skillet does the trick. Don’t overload the pan or the chicken will steam instead of brown. I do two batches if needed.

Want more browning? Let the chicken sit out of the fridge for 10 minutes before cooking. Cold meat straight from the fridge sticks and doesn’t color as well.

Substitutions that actually work

Thigh meat instead of breast works great — it just needs 1–2 extra minutes per side to get fully cooked and golden.

Lemon juice is hard to swap, but you can get away with half lemon, half red wine vinegar in a pinch. If you’re dairy-free, full-fat plain plant yogurt works, but skip coconut-based ones (the flavor is too distracting here).

Meal prep and storage

I marinate the chicken the night before, then cook fresh in less than 10 minutes. Leftover cooked skewers go in the fridge and are still good for lunch the next day. Reheat gently in a covered skillet or serve cold in a salad or pita.