Greek Chicken Kabobs
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Super juicy, tender kabobs made with the best marinade ever! Olive oil, lemon juice, paprika, oregano, basil, thyme, garlic. SO BOMB.
How badly do you want to faceplant yourself into this platter? I mean, I basically did that all. summer. long.
Because here’s what’s involved: grilled pita bread, English cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, red onion, cubed feta, kalamata olives, and tzatziki sauce paired with the best Greek chicken kabobs I have ever had.
Now the kabobs get the most amazing marinade makeover – olive oil, lemon juice/zest, paprika, oregano, basil, thyme, garlic and shallot. From there you can let the chicken thighs swim in this for a bit before throwing these bad boys onto the grill for that smoky, charred flavor.
It is so simple, yet so so good.
I should mention that a platter is absolutely not required, but it is pretty great for summer entertaining (and it’s easy to whip up too!).
However, if it’s just you and your baby corgis like I am 99% of the time, the kabobs paired with some beers/wine should be absolutely perfect.
Tools For This Recipe
Metal skewers or wooden skewers
Greek Chicken Kabobs: Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, chicken breasts can absolutely be used here but chicken thighs have more dark meat and a higher fat content which will yield juicier, more flavorful chicken when thrown on the grill.
Metal skewers are sturdy and reusable but note that they will retain heat so please be careful when serving. Wooden skewers can also be used but can burn over a hot grill. I recommend soaking them overnight in water (or at least 30 minutes) prior to using.
Absolutely! You can substitute rosemary (dried or fresh!) or any other herb of your choosing. And because dried herbs are often more potent/concentrated than fresh herbs, you need less when using dry. The correct ratio is 1 tablespoon fresh herbs to 1 teaspoon dried herbs.
No grill, no problem. A cast iron grill pan or a large cast iron skillet will work beautifully here, especially during those winter months when it’s too cold to grill out!
Greek Chicken Kabobs
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 shallot, diced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks
Equipment
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine 2 tablespoons olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, paprika, oregano, basil, thyme, garlic, shallot, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt and 1 1/4 teaspoons pepper.
- Stir in chicken until well combined; marinate for at least 2 hours to overnight, turning occasionally. Drain the chicken from the marinade.
- Thread chicken onto skewers. Brush with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Preheat grill to medium heat.
- Add skewers to grill, and cook, turning occasionally, until the chicken is completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 10 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
Did you make this recipe?
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I’m going to make this for my boss, who is coming over for dinner next week. Quick question, do you toss your fresh veggies and feta in a bit of the marinade as well? If so, I’ll resever a bit. Or are they just sprinkled with salt/pepper? Thank you!
I’d give it 100 stars if possible!!! So easy so flavorful and a new favorite!!! Thank you for putting flavor into clean eating!!! The longer you marinate the better the flavor. Yum!!!
I used chicken breasts since that was what I had on hand for dinner and just grilled them whole instead of making kabob. It was more of a paste when I mixed everything and ended up adding some extra EVOO, didn’t have two hours, so it only marinated for 1 hour but was still delicious!
Super tasty. I used skin on chicken thighs and griddled them so we had lovely crispy bits. Even our little picky eater scoffed these down. Served with homemade tzatziki, salad veg and flatbread. Will be making again.
I use this recipe at least once every two weeks! It’s so good and flavorful with chicken thighs. I end up just baking them and get great results!
What did u out on those cucumbers ? they look delicious
Omg this is the best chicken i have ever had in my life and i didn’t even bbq it yet. I couldnt wait till tomorow so I pan fried a few pieces in the skillet with some rice and a little butter. Topped it off with slivers of red onion and some pickeled mango and its up there with the best meat I ever put in my mouth…Lmao. Tomorow when i grill this up they are going to cream themselves. I will probably use this recipe 2 times a month. I put extra lemon and used smoked paprika.
Was thinking about making this chicken for dinner tomorrow, along with lemon rice pilaf and the Flat bread recipe, Love this Chef! After reading this comment, I am now most Definitely making this Chicken! LMAO
Hi, I followed your recipe and my family loved it. The flavor of the chicken is deliciously good.
Totally delicious chicken but what’s the yellow and white yogurt looking bowel and how can I make it?
I have weird hours with my job/passion project, and will often have meetings after dinnertime with my team around the world.
I make this in the oven and throw a thing of prepped broccoli/mixed veggies and brown rice/quinoa bags in the microwave (you can use quart size ziplocks with little slashes in them for make your own steamer bags) and make meal bowls in under 15 minutes. The family loves it, I don’t have to trust my SO to cook, and its so healthy and easy.
Prep the chicken no more than 2 days ahead or else the lemon juice will over tenderize the chicken and it’ll taste funky. Learned that the hard way.
Do not microwave anything in plastic. Very bad for your family.
What temperature do you put your oven on and how long to cook?
Absolutely delicious. We enjoy these Kabobs regularly
It was really good. I loved it. My husband had issues with th rosemary but I said it was just right.
Absolutely delicious. Was very thick and paste-like, so added another TBSP of olive oil.
I found that the marinade was more of a paste, and needed additional olive oil and lemon juice for all the spices that are mixed in. I would say I roughly doubled it. 2 tablespoons of each was not enough.
Brilliant.
Gave me some great ideas.
Loved it.
Many thanks
This was so good! I copied the idea to make a platter. My family loved it. The flavor of the chicken is very good.
This was so good! I copied the idea to make a platter. My family loved it.
Absolutely delicious! My entire family, including my two young sons, loved this chicken. To save some prep time I threw the marinade ingredients into my mini food processor to combine. Marinated it for six hours and the chicken thighs were so tender and tasty. Grilled them on my indoor grill pan and they were absolute perfection, just like every one of your recipes that I’ve tried. We’ll make these again many times in the future. Thanks so much for yet another winning recipe!
oh my god! Best recipe!!!! Made it on my ninja grill.
Oh, a great recipe, thank your for share it, I’m gonna try it this weekend
OMG! So good, delicious I doubled the recipe for my family and it was gone ALL gone! Got fresh pia bread from the bakery and we made wraps with all the ingredients. The killer was a homemade greek dressing I put on the side for drizzling of lemon, oregano, shaved garlic, oregano salt and pepper!!!! OH this is so going into the rotation!