Souvlaki is simple food done properly: small pieces of marinated meat, cooked quickly over high heat, wrapped in warm pita with tomato, onion and a lot of tzatziki. The marinade does most of the work, and you can make it the night before.
This recipe uses chicken thighs, which stay juicy even if you overcook them slightly. Breast works too, but watch the timing.
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About this dish
Souvlaki is all about contrast: smoky, lemony chicken, cool and garlicky tzatziki, soft warm pita, and the crunch of raw onion and tomato. The marinade is simple, just olive oil, lemon, garlic and oregano, but it flavors the meat all the way through.
You can eat it the Athens way, wrapped in pita, or serve the skewers over rice with a Greek salad. Another good option is to put everything on the table and let people build their own.
Prep 25 min plus 2 hours marinating · Cook 12 min · Serves 4
Ingredients
Chicken and marinade
- 1.5 lb (680 g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) olive oil
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, optional
Tzatziki
- 1 cup (250 g) full-fat Greek yogurt
- 1/2 English cucumber, grated
- 1 small garlic clove, grated
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh dill
- 1/4 tsp salt
To serve
- 4 to 6 pita breads
- Sliced tomato and thinly sliced red onion
- Lemon wedges
- Fries, optional but traditional in Athens
Method
- Whisk the oil, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper and paprika in a bowl or zip bag. Add the chicken, mix well and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, and no more than 8. After that the lemon starts to change the texture of the meat.
- Make the tzatziki. Toss the grated cucumber with a pinch of salt and let it sit for 10 minutes, then squeeze it very dry in a clean towel. Mix with the yogurt, garlic, oil, lemon juice, dill and salt. Chill until needed. It tastes better after an hour.
- If you’re using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 30 minutes. Thread the chicken on, leaving a little space between pieces so the heat reaches all sides.
- Heat a grill or cast-iron grill pan to high. Cook the skewers for 10 to 12 minutes, turning every 3 minutes, until browned in places and 165°F (74°C) inside. No grill? Use a broiler, with the rack about 6 inches from the heat.
- Rest the skewers for 5 minutes. Warm the pita on the grill for 30 seconds a side.
- Slide the chicken off the skewers into the pita. Add tomato, onion, a big spoonful of tzatziki and a squeeze of lemon.
Tips
- Squeezing the cucumber is the step people skip. Without it the tzatziki turns watery within an hour.
- Thighs are more forgiving than breast. If you use breast, cut it a little larger and pull it off the heat at 160°F, as it will keep rising while it rests.
- Don’t pack the skewers tightly. The pieces steam instead of char.
Storage
Cooked chicken keeps for 3 days in the fridge. The tzatziki keeps for 4 days, though it will release a little liquid, so stir it before serving. Reheat the chicken in a hot pan for a minute or two rather than the microwave.
Variations
- Pork souvlaki: use cubed pork shoulder and marinate overnight. This is the traditional version in Athens.
- Lamb: swap in cubed leg of lamb and add a teaspoon of dried mint to the marinade.
- Vegetarian: thread zucchini, peppers, red onion and halloumi.
A short history of souvlaki
Cooking meat on skewers in Greece goes back a very long way. Ancient Greek texts, including Homer, describe meat roasted on spits. The modern word souvlaki comes from souvla, meaning skewer. In northern Greece the skewers are often called kalamaki, which is the term you’ll hear in Athens too.
As a street food, souvlaki grew through the 20th century into a daily staple, sold in small shops called souvlatzidika. The classic Athens version is pork. Chicken became very common later. It’s easy to mix up with gyros, which is meat cooked on a vertical rotating spit and sliced off, while souvlaki is cooked on skewers. The yogurt, cucumber and garlic sauce has relatives across the region, including cacık in Turkey, and the Greek version is distinguished by its olive oil and dill.
In Greece, a souvlaki wrap is usually made with pita, tomato, onion, tzatziki and often a few fries tucked inside. Versions served abroad sometimes add lettuce or cabbage, which is less common at home. Skewered meat is also found across the neighboring regions, such as Turkish shish kebab, which is one reason food historians treat grilled skewers as a shared tradition of the eastern Mediterranean.
