The Best Chicken Souvlaki Recipe

How many healthy meals can you say you crave? Well I crave, with every cell in my body, chicken souvlaki.

Souvlaki is generally just marinated and grilled meat, served on a pita with tomato, lettuce and yogurt sauce…

Well that’s how amateurs do it ?

I am always in search of the perfect chicken souvlaki.

Full time creative, part time blogger, moonlighting as a souvlaki hunter.

I’ve had lots of souvlaki, from all over. But nothing compares to the local diner that I had many a dates with my husband, before and after marriage. The Suffolk Diner makes the best ever, most crave-able souvlaki.

It starts with a fluffy pita, with sautéed peppers, onions and tomatoes with marinated chicken with a nice bright tzatziki sauce on the side. Thick and rich.

It’s served with French fries and a Greek salad.

It’s the perfect balance of heathy and decadent.

When the diner was bought by a new owner I was distraught, thinking my perfect souvlaki was gone forever.

I went back recently, for old times sake, and the gods smiled upon me.

My perfect souvlaki was unchanged… So the obsession continues.

I wasn’t a good blogger back then. My culinary skills were in their infancy.

But now, as a blogger, I put matters into my own hands and I’m going to show you how you can make the perfect chicken souvlaki!

I changed things just a bit and roasted the vegetables to make this even more crave-able, because I can’t leave well enough alone.

Here is the magic… the veggie juice and chicken soaked pita. OMG to die for!!

So the best part is last. Now let’s make some souvlaki!

This is the book that I got the recipe from and I was so impressed with the recipe for the chicken and the tztziki!! There are tons more recipes I would love to try next!

The Best Chicken Souvlaki

2016-01-13 08:41:05

Serves 6

Yes, this is the Best Chicken Souvlaki, I assure you, as a souvlaki obsessed half Greek!

Write a review

Save Recipe

Print

Prep Time

1 hr 10 min

Cook Time

25 min

Prep Time

1 hr 10 min

Cook Time

25 min

Ingredients

For the Chicken
3 pounds of chicken, diced into 2 inch pieces
1 tablespoon sea salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon dried oregano
(optional: soaked wooden skewers to grill chicken- in Spring/Summer)
For the Tzatziki (aka yogurt sauce)
1/2 seedless cucumber, peeled and grated
1 tablespoon sea salt
2 cups plain Greek yogurt*
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and mashed into a paste*
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (you can make due with 1/4 cup if you like)
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon minced fresh dill
For the roasted vegetables
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste)
2 orange bell peppers, halved and sliced
1 onion, halved and sliced
2 large tomatoes, halved and sliced

To make the yogurt sauce

Drain the grated cucumber by pressing paper towels over the cucumber pretty damn hard, trying to drain as much water as possible. (Don't skip this step as your yogurt sauce will be runny and watery if you do.)
Mix together the rest of the ingredients into a bowl.
Make sauce 24 hours in advance for the best flavor and result.

To make the chicken

Whisk together all chicken marinade ingredients in a large bowl.
Add chicken, making sure all chicken is coated in marinade.
Marinade for at least an hour or overnight.

2 options for cooking chicken

Grill over medium heat, until cooked through, preferred method (about 5 minutes each side)
Saute' in a skillet on medium heat until cooked through.

To make roasted vegetables

Preheat oven to 450º
In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the roasted vegetables.
Place on a large shallow pan and roast for 15 minutes.
Turn over vegetables and roast another 10-15 minutes, until slightly browned.

To serve

6 large fluffy pitas or naan bread (toasted)
Place roasted vegetables on top
Then a generous amount of yogurt sauce
Devour!

Notes

I used 2% Greek yogurt, nonfat works just as well.
Mortar and Pestal is the best tool for mashing garlic
Don't let chicken marinade over 24 hours as chicken will start to cook chemically and become rubbery.

By Sophia @ NY Foodgasm

Adapted from "It's All Greek to me" By Debbie Metanopolis

NY Foodgasm https://www.nyfoodgasm.com/