Greek Chicken Kabobs
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Super juicy, tender Greek chicken kabobs made with the most flavor-packed marinade! Prep and make ahead of time for an easy weeknight dinner!
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why you’ll love these Greek Chicken Kabobs
- Make-ahead recipe. These chicken kabobs is one of those recipes that you can easily make ahead of time, marinating overnight and cooking (or grilling) right before serving.
- Go-to easy weeknight dinner. With it’s easy prep, you can skip the takeout and drive-thru lines! This recipe is here to save your hectic weeknights and lazy weekends. It’s a simple no-fuss dish, yet so so good.
- Best marinade. Olive oil, lemon juice + zest, paprika, oregano, basil, thyme, garlic, and shallot come together for the most flavorful marinade for the chicken.
- Perfect on the grill. Throw these bad boys on a hot grill for extra, smoky charred flavors during the warmer months.
- Great for entertaining. This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled as needed, dressing it up as a platter. The platter is also incredibly easy to whip up, and so darn impressive.
What are Greek chicken kabobs?
These kabobs feature bite-sized pieces of marinated chicken, threaded onto skewers and then charred and grilled, typically served with tzatziki sauce and warm pita. The marinade consists of classic Mediterranean staples such as olive oil, lemon, garlic, and oregano.
Key Ingredients
- Marinade: olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, paprika, oregano, basil, thyme, garlic, shallot, salt, and pepper
- Chicken: boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts cut into 1-inch chunks
- Vegetables (optional): bell peppers, zucchini, tomatoes, or mushrooms
- Sauce: tzatziki sauce
How to make greek chicken kabobs
- Marinate. Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, paprika, oregano, basil, thyme, garlic, shallot, salt, and pepper. Stir in the chicken and marinate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
- Thread. Thread the chicken onto the skewers, discarding the leftover marinade. Brush with oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Prep the grill. Preheat the grill to medium heat (325-375°F) and scrape the grill grates clean to prevent sticking and to guarantee those perfect sear marks on the kabobs.
- Grill. Grill the skewers (or cook on a cast iron grill pan indoors) until charred and fully cooked through (165°F), about 10 minutes.
- Serve. Let the chicken rest for at least 5 minutes before serving warm with tzatziki sauce.
how to serve greek chicken kabobs
- Platter: serve the kabobs on a platter with warmed (or grilled) pita bread, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, kalamata olives, feta cheese, and homemade tzatziki sauce for dipping
- Pita sandwiches: fill warmed pitas with chicken (removed from the skewers), romaine lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, feta, and tzatziki sauce
- Grain bowls: place the skewers over cooked grains (ex. lemon rice, quinoa, farro, or couscous) topped with tomatoes, cucumbers, feta, and tzatziki sauce
more favorited kabob recipes
Tools For This Recipe
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.
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!
To ensure juicy, moist chicken, marinate the chicken for at least 1 hour, avoid overcooking (use an instant-read thermometer) and let it rest prior to serving.
Yes! The chicken can be marinated overnight and placed in the fridge.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, reheating in the oven at 350°F, covered in aluminum foil until warmed through.
Greek Chicken Kabobs
Video
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
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.
Equipment
Notes
- An outdoor grill is not necessary. Too cold to grill outside? A cast iron grill pan can be used to get those favorited grill marks and charred flavor.
- Use freshly squeezed lemon juice. While bottled lemon juice can work in a pinch, freshly squeezed is ideal here for its vibrant, stronger flavors.
- Mix it up. Thread bell peppers, zucchini, tomatoes or mushrooms to the kabobs for added veggies.
- Work in batches. An overcrowded grill or pan can lead to uneven cooking and poor browning. Work in batches to maintain high heat for a good sear and crispy crust on each chicken skewer.
- Use an instant-read thermometer for the most accurate results. The internal temperature should reach 165°F.
- Let your meat rest. Let your chicken kabob rest for at least 5 minutes prior to serving, allowing the juices to redistribute – this will allow for maximum flavor and juiciness.
- Reheat in the oven. Leftover chicken can be rubbery when reheated. For best results with leftovers, reheat in the oven at 350°F, covered in aluminum foil until warmed through.
Did you make this recipe?
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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!
Can you use pork also or just chicken?
Delicious! Everything about this recipe is perfect! Served with yogurt sauce, pita, and a Greek salad!
Your recipes are second to none. This is an amazing recipe! It tastes exactly like the chicken shishkabob at our favorite local Greek restaurant! We love it!
Haven’t made this yet, but it sounds delicious.
my question is when you call for a shallot, is that a clove or the whole bulb.
thanks
Shallots are very similar to an onion, not garlic. I’d guess that she means an average sized shallot that you can easily contain in a cupped hand.
can I put the chicken skewers in the oven? for how long ? temp?