Greek Chicken Souvlaki

GREEK CHICKEN SOUVLAKI😍

You know a recipe is gonna be good when you sneak in 6 extra bites before even assembling it. I’ve been getting the major travel bug lately, so I’ve been loving recreating my street food favorites from around the world. Although I do wish I was walking the streets of Athens, souvlaki in hand, the flavors in this send me right back to vacation mode. Perfectly juicy and charred souvlaki chicken, cooling tzatziki, all wrapped up in a warm pita, you’re gonna love this! 

Notes before you begin:

• The most traditional way to make gyros is either with gyro meat or souvlaki. Both refer to the way in which the meat is cooked, gyro meat being meat (usually lamb) grilled on a spit of stacked meat vs souvlaki is meat skewered and grilled over an open flame. You’ll find many Greeks, especially those from Athens, refer to souvlaki as any kind of meat wrapped in pita, and then specify the type of meat and method of roasting separately. 

• My plan was to skewer the chicken and throw it on the grill, but given my grill pooped out last weekend, I opted for giving them a nice sear in my cast iron to try to mimic the flavor the grill would have given. If you don’t have a grill or cast iron, you can broil these for about 7-9 minutes 6” under the broiler until you get a nice char.

• I highly recommend marinating the chicken overnight, as it lends to really flavorful chicken throughout and gets nice and tender, but do what you can! Also highly recommend never to use lemon juice in a marinade longer than about 15-20 minutes, as the acid will start to break down the chicken and make it tough.

• I love making my own tzatziki since it’s so simple and only requires a few ingredients. Although you may see a lot of recipes outside of Greece contain dill, it is not traditional, and in my opinion, not needed. In Cyprus, you’ll find a version of tzatziki called Talatouri, which uses fresh mint and lemon juice instead of vinegar. Feel free to give that a try if you want to mix things up! 

• I highly recommend using Persian or English cucumbers for the tzatziki - the darker, larger cucumbers often found in the US tend to have a tougher skin. If you can only find regular cucumbers, peel before grating the cucumber.

Serves 2.

Ingredients:

For the Greek Chicken Souvlaki:

• 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs

• ¼ cup olive oil

• 1 tbsp whole coriander, ground using a coffee grinder or smashed into a powder

• 1 tsp smoked paprika

• 1 tsp dried oregano

• ½ tsp chili flakes

• 1 tsp salt

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tsp lemon zest

• 1 tbsp lemon juice

• 1 tbsp avocado or high smoke point oil

• 2 pita (warmed)*

• Optional toppings: sliced red onion (or marinated onions), sliced cucumbers, fresh tomato, chopped lettuce

*Note: the most common pita found in US grocery stores is Arabic pita, which contains a pocket that you stuff. Greek pita has no pocket, is softer and resembles more of what you may see called “Middle Eastern flatbread”. If your grocery store does not have Greek pita, use either storebought flatbread or make your own!

For the Tzatziki Sauce*:

• 1 persian cucumber, grated (about ½ cup)

• 1 cup plain greek yogurt

• 1 large garlic clove, minced

• Juice from 1 lemon

• 2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil

• Splash of white vinegar

• Salt and pepper to taste

*This will make more than what you need for this recipe, but you can cover and refrigerate the Tzatziki sauce for up to 2 weeks.

Directions:

For the Greek Chicken Souvlaki:

• There are two ways you can make the chicken: cutting into bite sized pieces before adding to the marinade, skewering them and cooking them over a grill, or keep them whole and cook them in a cast iron or broil in the oven and then cut. Use what works best for you! The method below is for the second option, as it’s a bit more convenient.

• Add chicken to a bowl with the olive oil, ground coriander, dried oregano, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, lemon zest, and garlic and mix until well coated. Do not add the lemon juice yet as the acid can break down chicken during a long marinade process. Marinate overnight preferred, or as long as you can. Remove the chicken from the fridge 10 minutes prior to cooking to let it come to room temperature and mix the lemon juice into the marinade.

• Make your tzatziki by adding the shredded cucumber to a bowl and pat dry with paper towels to get rid of excess moisture. Add in the Greek yogurt, grated garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix and taste to adjust seasonings. Set aside (you can also make this ahead when you set the chicken to marinate).

• Get a cast iron nice and hot (it should sizzle when adding in water) and drizzle in avocado oil.

• Add the chicken in a single layer ensuring not to crowd the pan (do this in batches if you need to). Cook for about 5 minutes on one side or until nicely charred, then flip and cook for 3-4 more minutes or until cooked through. Remove and let rest for a few minutes before cutting into bite sized pieces.

• Start assembling your gyro: spread the tzatziki over the warmed pita, then add the chicken, some slices of red onion, cucumbers, tomato, and lettuce. Wrap it up and serve immediately. Enjoy!