We live about five or six blocks from the neighborhood Greek restaurant, and I’d say we are pretty regular customers. But sometimes I’m in the mood to eat Greek food, but I’m not interested in dining in a restaurant or even carryout.
So I guess that means that if my wife and I want to eat chicken souvlaki without going out then it’s well past time that I learn how to make it myself.
**Don’t care about story time? Go straight to the Chicken Souvlaki recipe here!**
Obviously there are tons of chicken souvlaki recipes online, the only challenge is trying to pick through a few that look easy enough for a week night dinner and that also aligns well with my views of real food and healthy meals.
And I found just such a start at The Mediterranean Dish, also out of the Atlanta area, where she lays out her version of how to make this very well known Greek dish.
But, as always, there were some changes that I wanted to make.
Most recipes I found online used chicken breasts, which I’m not a huge fan of. Simply too dry when cooked through and not a lot of flavor to work with. So my first change was to start using thighs instead.
Second, do I really want to work with skewers? Chicken souvlaki is traditionally served skewered, which I can enjoy as much as anyone, but sometimes simple stovetop preparation and cooking can be preferred. Yes, I know about grill pans and have even tried out a few, but that work-around is not what I’m talking about.
The hardest part of this recipe is making sure you get the chicken cut up and mixed up with all of the seasoning well in advance of dinner time. The longer the better. But I would suggest the very minimum should be four hours.
My usual plan is simply to mix up all the ingredients first thing in the morning. Or second thing, right after my coffee letting all of the flavors blend together all day.
As far as actually cooking the chicken, also super easy. Simply toss in a pan over medium heat for about 15 minutes, give or take, stirring frequently and serve with a Greek salad that you chopped up while cooking the souvlaki.
Chicken Souvlaki
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken thighs, boneless, skinless cut into small bite-sized pieces
- 1 head garlic, peeled and chopped or pressed
- 2 tbsp oregano
- 1 tsp rosemary
- 1 tsp paprika
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar could use white wine or even pickle brine
Instructions
- cut chicken thighs into small bite-sized pieces and place into a medium bowl
- add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl with the chicken and mix well
- place in the refrigerator for at least a few hours, all day would be better, overnight would be even better
- about 30-60 minutes before you want to eat, remove the chicken from the refrigerator to come to room temperature before cooking
- when ready to cook preheat pan on stovetop over medium heat, and when hot add chicken with a slotted spoon so you don't end up with all of the liquid in the pan
- toss every few minutes so that chicken and herbs brown evenly on all sides
- You'll know when the chicken is done, but if you are worried you can always take the internal temperature of a larger piece and once it says 165 degrees you are done
- We normally serve this hot from the pan with a cold Greek salad and a large dollop of yogurt
Leave a Reply