If you love the flavors of the Mediterranean, these grilled chicken souvlaki pitas are a must-try! Tender, juicy chicken marinated in fresh, bright lemon, garlic, and herbs, goes perfectly with soft, fluffy pita and creamy tzatziki. These souvlaki pitas will change the way you eat wraps!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Great make-ahead meal: All of the elements in these pitas get better with time. The chicken can be marinated up to 24 hours in advance, and the flavors in the tzatziki will meld together as it sits in the fridge.
Different cooking methods: This chicken is delicious on the barbecue, but you can also make it in the air fryer (like my pork souvlaki recipe), on a grill pan, or in the oven.
Store-bought shortcuts are welcome: Wrap this chicken souvlaki recipe with store-bought pita or naan to keep this meal quick and easy. You can always make homemade naan if you have the time, but you don't need to!
Ingredient Notes
- Boneless, skinless chicken breast: Chicken breast works best for chicken souvlaki. Chicken breasts are thicker and meatier than chicken thighs, which makes it easier to cut into cubes and thread onto skewers.
- Fresh garlic: Avoid using jarred minced garlic for this chicken marinade. The simple ingredients shine through, and jarred garlic can sometimes have a different taste to it.
- Dried spices: You will need dried oregano, dried thyme, and smoked paprika to season the chicken.
A full list of ingredients with measurements is located on the recipe card, below.
Substitutions
- Chicken breasts: Chicken thighs will work if you are in a pinch, or prefer dark meat. You will need more chicken thighs than breasts as they are thinner and less meaty.
- Fresh garlic: In a pinch you can use minced garlic, just as long as you enjoy the flavor of it. You can also use a combination of jarred garlic and garlic powder.
- Fresh lemon: Substitute fresh lemon juice with red or white wine vinegar. You can also use bottled lemon juice if that is all you have, but fresh lemon has a brighter flavor.
- Smoked paprika: Regular paprika can be used instead.
- Dried oregano and thyme: Substitute with dried Italian seasoning.
Variations
- Different proteins: This marinade works well with shrimp, pork, or beef.
- Unskewered: Use this marinade on whole chicken breasts or chicken breast cutlets instead of skewers.
- Yogurt: Add a spoon of Greek yogurt into the marinade for extra tang and juicy chicken.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Prep Work Before Cooking
Collecting all ingredients: This will make cooking so much easier. Gather all the spices you will need, and keep them nearby.
Prep the chicken: Cut the chicken breasts into cubes.
Season the Chicken
Add the cubed chicken, oil, lemon juice, and remaining seasonings to a large mixing bowl.
Mix & Refrigerate
Using tongs, mix the chicken with the marinade ingredients until all pieces of chicken are coated.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate the chicken for up to 12 hours.
Skewer the Chicken
Thread the pieces of chicken onto metal skewers.
Grill the Chicken
Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Once the grill pan is hot, spray liberally with avocado oil cooking spray.
Grill the chicken skewers for 7-8 minutes on each side until the chicken is charred and cooked through.
Assemble the Pitas
Place the cooked chicken souvlaki into a warmed pita, or homemade naan.
Dress the pitas with homemade sour cream tzatziki, and thinly sliced red onions.
Expert Tips
Wooden skewers: If you use wooden skewers, soak the skewers in water for 30 minutes to 1 hour before grilling the souvlaki. This will prevent the skewers from burning.
Uniform chicken pieces: Cut the chicken into uniform-sized pieces. This will ensure that all the pieces cook at the same time, and will prevent the chicken from drying out.
Remove extra marinade: If you use an indoor grill pan, remove some extra marinade from the chicken so it does not burn. This will keep your kitchen smoke-free.
Make Ahead & Storage
- The chicken souvlaki can be marinated up to 24 hours in advance. Do not leave the chicken in the marinade for more than 24 hours, as the citrus will start to change the chicken's texture.
- Refrigerate leftover chicken in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Reheat leftover chicken in the air fryer or the oven. Wrap the chicken in foil to keep it moist.
Serving Suggestions
- Sides: Serve these chicken souvlaki pitas with homemade Greek potatoes in tomato sauce, air fryer hasselback potatoes, or a classic village Greek salad.
- Condiments: Aside from tzatziki, these souvlaki pitas are amazing with Cava copycat crazy feta, toum garlic sauce, baba ganoush dip, or Cava's spicy hummus.
More Grilled Recipes
This is one of many easy weeknight meals that come together quickly with minimal prep, perfect for busy nights when you still want big flavor!
Grilled Chicken Souvlaki Pitas
Ingredients
- 1 lb Chicken breasts - boneless, skinless, cubed in even-sized pieces
- 8 cloves Garlic - finely minced
- ¼ cup Olive oil
- 1 Lemon - juiced
- 1 teaspoon Dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon Dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon Smoked paprika
- ½ tablespoon Kosher salt
For the Pitas
- 4 Tandoori naans
- 4 Greek pitas - optional if using store-bought
- Sour cream tzatziki
- Red onion - thinly sliced
Instructions
- Add the cubed chicken, oil, lemon juice, and remaining seasonings to a large mixing bowl.1 lb Chicken breasts, 8 cloves Garlic, ¼ cup Olive oil, 1 Lemon, 1 teaspoon Dried oregano, ½ teaspoon Dried thyme, ¼ teaspoon Smoked paprika, ½ tablespoon Kosher salt
- Using tongs, mix the chicken with the marinade ingredients until all pieces of chicken are coated.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate the chicken for up to 12 hours.
- Thread the pieces of chicken onto metal skewers.
- Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Once the grill pan is hot, spray liberally with avocado oil cooking spray.
- Grill the chicken skewers for 7-8 minutes on each side until the chicken is charred and cooked through.
- Place the cooked chicken souvlaki into a warmed pita, or homemade naan.4 Tandoori naans
- Dress the pitas with homemade sour cream tzatziki, and thinly sliced red onions.Sour cream tzatziki, Red onion
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