Grilled Chicken Souvlaki Recipe
A meal for sunlit evenings, best eaten with fingers, chased by laughter.
There’s something unbeatably honest about skewered chicken kissed by the flame. It doesn’t pretend to be anything but what it is—simple, aromatic, good. You don’t need much. Just a bit of time, a handful of herbs, and a willingness to get your hands involved.
For the chicken:
- 4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (or breasts, if you insist, but thighs stay juicier)
- 3 tbsp olive oil, the good kind, green and peppery
- Juice of a lemon, freshly squeezed
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed to a paste with salt
- A heaped tsp dried oregano (rubbed between your palms to wake it up)
- A pinch of chilli flakes (only if you want a little hum)
- Sea salt and black pepper
To serve:
- Warm flatbreads or pita
- A bowl of tzatziki (yogurt, cucumber, mint, garlic—easy, forgiving)
- A tangle of red onion, parsley, and sumac
- A handful of cherry tomatoes, halved and sweet
Method:
Cut the chicken into chunks—not too dainty. You want them to feel generous on the skewer. In a shallow dish, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, chilli, salt, and pepper. Tumble the chicken in. Turn it over with your hands. Let it sit—at least an hour, longer if the day allows.
Thread the marinated chicken onto skewers. If they’re wooden, soak them in water first so they don’t char to nothing.
Grill the chicken over high heat—on the barbecue, ideally, but a hot griddle pan will do in a pinch. You want golden edges, a touch of char, the scent of summer rising up in curls of smoke.
Serve straight from the grill. Lay the skewers on a board, scatter herbs, lemon wedges alongside. Let everyone build their own—flatbread, chicken, a dollop of cool tzatziki, maybe a little pickled red onion. It should be messy. It should feel like a meal that doesn’t mind if you spill some on your shirt.
Eat outside if you can.
And now… Let’s keep the soul of it intact—even without the smoky grill. Here’s how to do Chicken Souvlaki in the oven or air fryer: warm, fragrant, and beautifully unfussy.
Oven-Roasted or Air-Fried Chicken Souvlaki
A meal for when the weather forgets itself but you still want the taste of the Aegean.
The marinade remains the same. The lemon, garlic, and oregano still do the heavy lifting. The heat source changes, yes—but the result should still make your kitchen smell like somewhere far sunnier.
For the chicken:
(same as before)
- 4 chicken thighs, cut into large bite-sized chunks
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- A pinch of chilli flakes (optional)
- Salt and black pepper
Let the chicken lounge in the marinade—an hour minimum, longer if your patience allows.
To cook in the oven:
Preheat to 220°C (200°C fan). Lay the marinated chicken on a baking tray lined with foil or baking parchment—ideally on a wire rack above the tray if you have one, so the hot air gets around the meat.
Roast for 20–25 minutes, turning once, until golden and just catching at the edges. A final minute under the grill (broiler) can mimic the flame-licked char.
To cook in the air fryer:
Set it to 200°C. Arrange the chicken in a single layer in the basket (you might need to do this in batches). Cook for 10–12 minutes, shaking halfway through, until bronzed and juicy.
To serve:
- Stack warm flatbreads in a tea towel to keep them pliant
- Spoon tzatziki into a shallow bowl, swirl with olive oil
- Red onion, thinly sliced and tossed with a pinch of salt, sumac, and parsley
- Tomatoes, halved, maybe a little vinegar if they need a kick
Invite hands to build. Let the table get loud. It’s not meant to be neat. It’s meant to taste like you’ve escaped to somewhere you’ve never been, but always dreamt of.