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Get the grill fired up this summer for these Greek chicken kebabs with tzatziki sauce! This marinated Greek chicken kebabs recipe pairs wonderfully with a crisp, fresh salad tossed in a Greek yogurt tzatziki sauce!
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Lately I’ve been craving all of the Greek recipes. I’m not sure what it is! I go through phases where I just crave something fierce. This month’s lusting involves ALL of the salty, lemony, oily things. That’s Greek, right!?
These marinated Greek chicken kebabs are SO, SO easy to make, and they’re so flavourful! My favourite part about this recipe is that you only have to marinate the chicken for 1-2 hours; in fact, you don’t want to marinate them any longer or the citrus will start to break down your chicken too much. This is a very big win for someone like me, who is TERRIBLE (I repeat, TERRIBLE at meal planning). It’s usually 1 or 2 in the afternoon that I get that feeling of “oh, crap”! What are we going to eat for dinner!? I keep thinking I’m going to get better about this whole meal planning thing, but it hasn’t happened yet. Plus, we live 1 minute from a pretty great grocery store. ๐
And the SAUCE! The sauce, you guys. I ADORE tzatziki! I hope you do too. It’s so rich and creamy and is wonderful on a sandwich, in a pita or with fresh veggies! We rotate tzatziki on the regular these days, along with my creamy ranch dip. I make this particular Greek yogurt tzatziki sauce all of the time, and I’m still not tired of it. I had to include it with this chicken recipe, because it goes so perfectly well with it!!
What is tzatziki made of?
Traditional Greek tzatziki sauce is made up of plain yogurt, garlic and cucumber. Often, we throw in lemon, fresh parsley and/or dill or even mint. It’s kind of up to you! My recipe has all of the above (except the mint). It’s really great!
How long does homemade tzatziki last?
I typically go by a couple of things for this answer. The expiration date of the yogurt that I’m using, and the moisture content of the sauce once it’s refrigerated. I find that after a few days, the sauce seems to get a bit watery due to the cucumber’s release of juices. So, in short, this homemade tzatziki lasts about 4-5 days in the refrigerator.
A few other notes for these kebabs:
- Be sure to soak your wooden skewers for about 30 minutes prior to throwing them on the grill to avoid them burning too easily. As you can see from the photos, mine burned anyway!
- The recipe makes about 4-5 skewers, so if that doesn’t sound like enough, you can easily double the recipe. Click the ‘2x’ on the recipe card below to see the doubled amounts.
- I like to flatten my breasts before cutting them into pieces, as I find it helps them to cook more evenly over the grill
- The chicken should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 F. To make this easier, check out the fun and fancy Thermopen from my friends at ThermoWorks!
If you’re not into the fresh Greek lettuce salad, these skewers would go VERY well over a bed of rice or roasted potatoes!
Bon appétit!
In the mood for grilling? Check under my Meats and Mains category for more inspiration, including:
Grilled Chicken with Sea Salt Peaches
You’ll also need a drink in hand for such a savory meal. Try my cherry lime whiskey sour, or my friend Annie’s celery mule!
PrintGreek Chicken Kebabs with Tzatziki Sauce
- Total Time: 3 hours
Description
These marinated Greek chicken kebabs pair wonderfully over a fresh, crisp salad tossed in a healthy Greek yogurt tzatziki sauce!
Ingredients
Chicken and Marinade
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts (lightly flattened)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- juice of 1 lemon (~2 tbsp)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Tzatziki Sauce
- 1 cup plain, full-fat Greek yogurt
- 1 medium cucumber, grated*
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped finely (or 1 tsp dried)
- 1 tbsp fresh parsely, chopped finely (or 1 tsp dried)
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- salt and pepper, to taste
Salad
- 1 head fresh romaine lettuce, chopped
- 1/4 cup Kalamata olives
- 1/4 cup feta, full fat
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 medium cucumber, diced
Instructions
- Prepare the marinade. Approximately 1-2 hours prior to grilling, slice the chicken breasts into even cubes, about 2″ each. Combine all of the marinade ingredients in a large resealable bag or container and add the cubed chicken. Toss to coat and place the chicken in the fridge. As per my notes in the blog post above, doย not marinate longer than 2 hours or the chicken will begin to break down due to the citrus!
- About 30 minutes to an hour before grilling, soak your wooden skewers in water. This recipe will require about 4-5 skewers.
- Prepare the tzatziki sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, grated cucumber, garlic, dill, parsley and lemon juice. Taste, and add a dash of salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Prepare the salad.ย In a large bowl, combine the chopped romaine, olives, feta, cherry tomatoes and diced cucumber. Toss together and set aside.
- Grill the chicken. Preheat your grill to medium-high heat. Remove the chicken from the bag, and discard the remaining marinade. Thread the cubed chicken onto the skewers. Brush the grill lightly with oil (I use a soaked paper towel) then place the skewers on the grill, cooking them for about 4-5 minutes on each side (turning once) until browned and cooked through, to 165 F. Remove the skewers to a plate.
- To serve, place a portion of salad on each plate, followed by 1-2 chicken skewers, and drizzle the tzatziki sauce all over. Squeeze some fresh lemon juice all over the dish for added taste!
Leftover chicken and salad can be kept in the fridge for 2-3 days, in an airtight container. The tzatziki sauce will last in the fridge for about 4-5 days.
Notes
*I use the large hole on my box grater to grate my cucumber. There is no need to de-seed your cucumber.
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 15
Oh yum, Katherine! This is exactly what I want for dinner tonight! I can never get enough Greek food either. The flavors are so amazing!
The flavors are AMAZING! Thank you so much Kelly. I hope you get a chance to try it out my friend!
I look so light and delicious!! I love a salad that is fortified with protein, so these kebabs served as a Greek salad sounds perfect to me. I can eat it all summer long!!
Thank you Thao!! Definitely my kind of salad too, full of protein!! It’s perfect for the summer. Cheers my friend!
Is it crazy that I am salivating as I stare at this dish?! It looks so amazing. I am a HUGE fan of greek chicken kebabs and even better if it has tzatziki on it!
I love Greek chicken too, Christie! We’ve been eating a lot of tzatziki these days!!