Chicken Souvlaki with Tzatziki
Inspired by techniques from Serious Eats and NYT Cooking.
Lemon and oregano-marinated chicken thigh skewers are grilled until charred, served with a thick, garlicky cucumber tzatziki and warm pitta.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Marinate the chicken. Mix the oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper, then toss with the chicken and refrigerate for 1-8 hours. Marinating much longer than 8 hours lets the lemon juice start to break down the surface of the meat, turning it mushy rather than tender.
- 2
Make the tzatziki. Toss the grated cucumber with the salt in a sieve and leave for 15 minutes, then squeeze it firmly in a tea towel to remove excess water - this step stops the finished tzatziki turning watery. Mix the drained cucumber with the yoghurt, garlic, dill or mint, olive oil and lemon juice, then chill.
- 3
Thread the skewers. Thread the marinated chicken onto the skewers with the pieces just touching.
- 4
Grill until charred. Heat a barbecue or griddle pan until very hot, or heat the grill (broiler) on high. Cook the skewers for 10-12 minutes, turning every 2-3 minutes, until charred at the edges and the chicken reaches 74°C.
- 5
Warm the pittas and serve. Warm the pittas on the grill for 30 seconds a side. Serve the skewers with the warm pitta, tzatziki, tomato wedges and sliced red onion.
Storage
Keep cooked chicken and tzatziki separately in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat chicken until piping hot (74°C); tzatziki is best served cold rather than reheated. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
Why this label?
46.8 g protein for 566 kcal = 8.3 g per 100 kcal, so protein gives about 33% of the energy. High Protein needs at least 20% (5 g per 100 kcal), the condition in the Annex to EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. How we decide
Free sugars
1.1 g per serving
2.2 % of the 50 g daily maximum · 4.4 % of the ideal 25 g
Free sugars under 50 g a day, ideally about 25 g, based on WHO free-sugar guidance (not endorsed by WHO). The share shown is the share of one serving. WHO
Equipment
- 8 metal or soaked bamboo skewers
- barbecue, griddle pan or grill (broiler)
- sieve or clean tea towel
- large bowl
- instant-read thermometer
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 566 kcal |
| Protein | 46.8 g |
| Carbohydrate | 43.5 g |
| of which sugars | 6.5 g |
| of which free sugars | 1.1 g |
| Fat | 22.2 g |
| of which saturates | 5.1 g |
| Fibre | 2.9 g |
| Salt | 2.5 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
8.3 g meets High Protein (≥ 5 g, 20% of energy)
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
