Chicken Souvlaki with Lemon Mint Tzatziki

Chicken Souvlaki with Lemon Mint Tzatziki. A simple recipe for the marinade, a quick cooking time and a deliciously refreshing tzatziki make this a meal the whole family will love.

Chicken Souvlaki with Lemon Mint Tzatziki

Originally published August of 2011.

Update: I’ve included instructions for cooking this under the broiler for a more winter friendly method. Find them in the recipe notes.

Greek food is a family favourite at our house. This simple but very flavourful meal is yet another way to pull a great meal off the summertime grill.

Chicken Souvlaki with Lemon Mint Tzatziki

This particular souvlaki and tzatziki was definitely one of the best meals I’ve had this summer. I’m already craving more!

The chicken only needs to be marinated for 15-20 minutes to infuse it with intense lemon garlic flavour.

Marinating chicken thighs.

My souvlaki marinade also uses a small splash of balsamic vinegar and some smoked paprika for extra layers of flavour.

Deboning chicken breasts for best value.

Deboned chicken breasts for Chicken Souvlaki.

I like to debone my own chicken breasts so that I can roast the bones and skins for stock later. I freeze them until I have enough to cover a baking sheet.

Then I simply use the instructions in my post on making Chicken Stock here.

Grilling chicken for Chicken Souvlaki.

A versatile marinade.

This marinade also works very well with pork tenderloin or lamb. These meats can be marinated much longer than chicken if you prefer.

Lemon Mint Tzatziki for Souvlaki Chicken

Chicken Souvlaki with Lemon Mint Tzatziki

There are a couple of herbs that work well in a good tzatziki.

Both parsley or dill are great, but my absolute favourite is finely chopped fresh mint. I pluck the mint from a small herb bed in the garden, just a few feet from the kitchen door.

Chicken Souvlaki Salad .

Mint works really well with the tangy zing of lemon and Greek yogurt. I also like the balancing freshness that mint brings to this bright accompaniment to a great souvlaki.

It also makes a fantastic dressing for Greek salad or as a veggie dip.

Serving suggestions.

We served this meal a couple of days ago with a simple Greek salad. Instead of traditional pita bread we used our easy yogurt based flatbread.

They were perfect to round out this amazing meal.

You can find that Flatbread recipe here:

Yogurt Flatbreads

2025 update: New serving suggestion.

Chicken Souvlaki Salad.

In the past couple of years I have become a little obsessed with great dinner salads. There’s nothing, tastier, fresher or healthier than a well constructed, well balanced, delicious hearty salad.

Instead of making skewers, I simple grilled boneless sh]skinless chicken and chopped it into small pieces.

To serve, I like to spread the Tzatziki over half of the plate and serve the chicken on top of it.  The salad then goes n the opposite side of the plate.

This allows me to pick up some chicken, a little of the tzatziki scooped off the bottom, and some salad with every bite. This makes sure every mouthful has a great balance of flavours.

Trust me, this works!

A slice of freshly toasted No-Knead Bread is also perfect on the side. 

Fully baked loaf.

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Chicken Souvlaki with Lemon Mint Tzatziki

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Additional Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 2 minutes

Chicken Souvlaki with Lemon Mint Tzatziki - a simple recipe for the marinade, a quick cooking time and a deliciously refreshing tzatziki make this a meal the whole family will love.

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Ingredients

• 4 large chicken breasts, boneless and skinless

For the Souvlaki Marinade

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• 6 tbsp lemon juice, fresh
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 rounded tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
• 3 cloves garlic, minced

For the Lemon Mint Tzatziki

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• 3 cups Greek yogurt, drained
• 6 inch piece of English cucumber
• 2 tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 3 tbsp lemon juice, fresh
• zest of half a lemon, finely minced, (optional)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• pinch salt and pepper to season

Instructions

1. I like to pound out the chicken breasts to about a quarter inch thickness to provide as much surface space as possible to accept the marinade and increase the flavour. I then cut the thin marinated chicken into about 1 x 3 inch pieces and fold them over before piercing the meat onto a skewer to grill.

To prepare the Souvlaki Marinade

1. Mix all of the ingredients together and pour over the chicken in a Ziploc bag. Toss the chicken around well in the marinade to coat on all sides.
2. Marinate in the fridge for 15 - 20 minutes. While the chicken is marinating, soak 4 long bamboo skewers in water. Pierce the chicken onto the skewers, alternating with pieces of sweet pepper or red onion.
3. Cook on a preheated grill at medium high heat for about 6 minutes before turning over and grilling for an additional 6 minutes on the opposite side or until the chicken is completely cooked through.
4. Serve with a Greek Salad, flatbread and tzatziki.

To prepare the Lemon Mint Tzatziki

1. Draining the yogurt removes much of the liquid and produces an end product about the consistency of thick sour cream. To drain the yogurt, line a colander with several layers of cheesecloth (or in a pinch, several large coffee filters) Pour the yogurt into the colander and place it in a large bowl or in the sink for an hour or two. this should produce about 2 cups of thick yogurt.
2. Peel the piece of cucumber and remove the seeds and pulp at the center with a teaspoon, then dice the outside flesh of the cucumber into small cubes of 1/8 inch or less.
3. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of kosher salt over the diced cucumber and toss together well. Let this rest for about a half hour, stirring occasionally. This process removes some of the liquid from the cucumber so that it will not water down the consistency of your finished tzatziki.
4. Drain all of the liquid off the diced cucumber before adding it to the drained yogurt along with the mint, garlic, lemon juice, zest, olive oil, salt and pepper.
5. Mix well, cover and store in the fridge for at least a half hour before serving. I often make the tzatziki a day ahead to let the flavours develop.

Notes

This recipe can also be done under the broiler and that's how we do it when the back patio is covered in snow. Place the skewers on a wire rack over a cookie sheet under the broiler turning every few minutes until completely cooked. I use a meat thermometer to make sure the chicken hits about 180 degrees F.

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Nutrition Information

Yield

6

Serving Size

serving
Amount Per Serving Calories 323Total Fat 15gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 11gCholesterol 74mgSodium 316mgCarbohydrates 10gFiber 1gSugar 6gProtein 37g

The nutritional information provided is automatically calculated by third party software and is meant as a guideline only. Exact accuracy is not guaranteed. For recipes where all ingredients may not be used entirely, such as those with coatings on meats, or with sauces or dressings for example, calorie & nutritional values per serving will likely be somewhat lower than indicated.

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