Greek Chicken Skewers (Tzatziki Sauce Marinade)

Greek Chicken Skewers are juicy chicken that is marinated in Greek yogurt, lemon zest, juice, lots of garlic, and seasoning. The entire family will love the Greek flavors! This pairs well with a giant Greek Salad Platter and Tzatziki Sauce.

If you’re looking for grilled Greek chicken pieces, this is the easy recipe you’ve got to try!

​The marinade ingredients are the same as this Tzatziki Sauce with Sour Cream, with a little extra olive oil added to it.

It’s best if you marinate the chicken in the morning, and string it onto metal skewers or wooden skewers before you grill later in the day!

Serve this Greek chicken with lots of pita bread, feta cheese, and some sliced red onion, and dinner is served!

These delicious Greek chicken kabobs are a great main course for a dinner party, and the perfect summer recipe to grill up outdoors.

How to Make Greek Chicken Marinade

First, let’s talk about the ingredients you’ll need.

For the marinade, you’ll need either Greek yogurt or sour cream. 

You might know that Greek yogurt can be used in place of sour cream if you’re trying to use a healthier option. Greek yogurt has less fat and calories than sour cream. Personally, I like using sour cream in this recipe. I don’t keep Greek yogurt in my fridge and don’t use it often enough to use up a big container of it. So, this recipe uses sour cream!

​Of course, you can use Greek yogurt, if you have it, and like it better!

You’ll need lots of chopped fresh garlic. I strip the garlic cloves off the head, then pop them into a mason jar with a lid. Give it a REALLY good shake, the skins will pop right off. 

Fresh Lemon zest and juice are used in the marinade, and in the tzatziki, so make sure you have a bunch on hand.

Olive Oil. Choose a fruity-tasting olive oil, I personally LOVE Graza Olive Oil. 

Years ago, I went to an olive farm in Texas and learned all about the harvesting and pressing of the oil. Since then, I’ve been pretty choosy about my olive oil.

While I love high-grade olive oil, I use too much of it to justify spending top dollar on it all the time. Graza fills in that gap! It tastes like a luxury olive oil, but the price is just right. Use code SWEETPEALIFESTYLE for $5 off your first “Drizzle and Sizzle” set!

​While most recipes call for fresh dill, I found using dried dill is just fine! It still packs in the flavor, and you don’t have to buy it in such a large quantity. 

Dried Oregano is what really brings this marinade recipe all together. Oregano is so good in Greek dishes and is a highly used herb. If you can find fresh oregano, use it! It’s got so much flavor, and it’s slightly different than the dried variation. You definitely don’t need to use as much fresh oregano!

Red wine vinegar is great for thinning this out and adding a bright flavor profile to the marinade.

Tips for Making Greek Chicken Skewers for the First Time

Both the sour cream and/or Greek yogurt are acidic. They help break down the chicken so it becomes super tender. While you could marinate this overnight, I would caution against it.

Chicken can be over marinated, and cause it to become mealy and mushy when cooked. 

When you have a highly acidic marinade like this one, or this Grilled Vidalia Pickle Chicken, you don’t need to marinade for more than an hour.

The fresh flavor will be there, and the texture of the chicken will remain intact.

Speaking of the texture of chicken, when you slice your chicken to add to the marinade, slice with the grain. I know that’s not what people tell you! But, when you strong the chicken onto the skewers, it’s best to use long, thinner pieces, creating an “s” shape with each slice. When you bite into these grilled pieces of chicken, that will help give them the best mouth feel and texture! No one wants to eat rubbery chicken, and cutting the chicken into larger, thinner pieces before you skewer helps tremendously!

Most people cut their chicken up into 1-inch pieces, but for the best results do it like I said above.

Let the sliced chicken marinate in the mixture before adding to the skewers. This helps keep a clean skewer that looks better for presentation.

If you’re using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 15 minutes before adding your chicken.

Sometimes, when you’re grilling kebabs, the skewers move, without the food turning with it. If that has happened to you, you can run two bamboo skewers (or metal ones!) through your food, so it’s easier to turn over.

Discard any marinade after you’ve made your Greek chicken kebabs.

When you place your flavorful chicken kabobs on the grill, whether you’re using an indoor grill or an outdoor grill, lay them down, then DO NOT touch them. Let the first side cook until it gently releases.

Once your chicken is cooked through to an internal temperature of 165 degrees, and it’s deliciously golden brown on top, remove it from the grill.

Serving Greek Lemon Chicken Skewers

After you’ve grilled your chicken, let it rest on a platter before serving. 

I love to serve these with a Greek Salad Platter, freshly grilled warm pita bread (or naan! I personally love naan bread better!), and homemade tzatziki sauce. Place this all in the middle of the table, and let people make their own plates with whatever they want. 

You can have fresh lemons on the side to squeeze over the chicken if someone wants that. 

​The best part of this whole meal is watching the people around your table make their own creations. Some people make a salad and toss everything together. Some people string the chicken off the skewer and onto their pita with salad on the side. Others, just eat the kebab with one hand, laid back, enjoying the whole process. 

This main course is great for an easy Greek Dinner Party, too! Ask someone to pick up some baklava on their way, and your dinner party is complete. So simple, yet scrumptious.

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