Greek Chicken Kabobs

Greek Chicken Kabobs are loaded with juicy chicken, tender-crisp veggies, herbs and garlic, olives, tomatoes, and delicious char. With a 30 quick flavorful marinade and finished with a brush of garlic oil, healthy chicken souvlaki never tasted so good! Serve as a grilled main with a side dish, in a pita, or with a dip. Either way, there is something for everyone!

Grilling chicken in the summer is our favorite way to prepare meat. We usually rotate between grilled lemon rosemary chicken, coconut lime grilled chicken thighs, and cajun chicken. Adding these kabobs to the mix just means we’ll never run out of ways to enjoy the grill!

Greek Chicken Kabobs with a Herb-Infused Marinade

These Greek chicken kabobs are made with the Greek chicken recipe I’ve been making for years. The flavorful marinade is bright and zesty, yet so simple and who doesn’t love food on a stick?! They’re a summer staple around here and the perfect hand-held food for any BBQ, potluck, or family gathering.

I marinate the meat in a generous amount of dried herbs which imparts a ton of flavor in as little as 30 minutes. The kabob seasoning results in juicy, succulent pieces of chicken that are placed on a skewer alongside tender zucchini, crunchy bell peppers, red onions, fresh cherry tomatoes, and Kalamata olives. The kabobs are grilled to a perfectly delicious char, then brushed with garlic-infused oil.

The best part is, this Greek chicken shish kebab recipe is super healthy! They’re not heavy, but they are filling and versatile. They can be eaten on the skewer as a grab-n-go handheld appetizer, which my kids love, or you can serve them on a plate with a couple of side dishes. Either way, they’re so fun to eat. So much flavor and so tender! Good luck stopping at just one skewer!

Why This Greek Kabobs Recipe Works?

• Easy and flavorful marinade which makes tender juicy greek chicken kabobs loaded with bright flavors.
• Minimal marinating time makes it perfect for a quick dinner on any weeknight.
• Delicious grilled char brings out even more flavor.
• Easy handheld food perfect for parties and BBQs and really any time!
• Simple summer dining means it’s nice and light and can be eaten on its own or with a light side salad.
• Healthy grilling with homemade marinades, fresh veggies, and lots of protein.
• Kid-friendly food on a stick makes healthy eating fun.
• Versatile Greek chicken shish kebab can be taken off the skewer and used in salads, as leftovers for lunch, or added to a pita as a wrap.

Ingredients for Greek Style Chicken Skewers

• For the skewers: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs cut into 2” pieces. Zucchini cut into 1/2” rounds. Bell peppers cut into 2” pieces, cherry tomatoes, pitted kalamata olives, red or white onion.
• For the marinade: Lemon juice and zest, extra virgin olive oil, dried oregano, salt & pepper.
• Cooking spray: I use Misto to prevent kebabs from sticking to the grill.
• Skewers: 14 short skewers or 7 long ones.

How to Make Greek Chicken Shish Kebabs

This is the kind of healthy chicken kebabs dish you grill and have the whole neighbourhood with their noses in the air trying to figure out which house they wish they were eating at!

• Marinate the chicken: In a large bowl add chicken, olives, onion, 1 garlic clove, lemon juice + zest, basil or oregano, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat and marinate for 30 minutes – 24 hours. The longer meat marinates, the more flavourful it is and the faster it cooks.
• Make garlic oil: Combine olive oil and 1 garlic clove in a small bowl and set aside. Toss zucchini and bell peppers with remaining salt and pepper. If marinating the meat overnight, you can do this step right before grilling.
• Assembly: Skewer the meat alternating with olives, red onion, and vegetables onto each skewer. I ended up using 5 – 6 pieces of chicken, 2 zucchini slices, and 3 – 4 bell pepper slices on each out of 10 long metal skewers. Discard remaining marinade.
• Grill: Grill skewers on a hot grill with the lid closed. Turn every 2 – 3 minutes for even grilling. Kebabs are ready when chicken is cooked through, about 8 minutes. Finish them off with a brush of the garlic-infused oil you made earlier. So good!

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Tips for Grilling Success

• Cut each piece into uniform sizes that way it grills evenly. The chicken, zucchini, and peppers should all be about the same size.
• Pitted olives work best, otherwise, you’ll be spending your time taking out the pits before placing them on the skewer.
• No need to soak metal skewers, just in case you were wondering.
• Grills vary by age, make, and model. You know your grill best so use your best judgment with cook time.
• Brushing with garlic oil at the end takes it over the top, so don’t skip this step!
• Add skewers to a preheated grill on high heat for that initial sear and grill marks.

• If eating off the stick DO NOT eat straight off the grill. Allow cooling first.
• Load up the skewer and pack everything tightly. The contents will shrink when cooked, so packing them together will still allow it to look nice and full.

Add ins & Variations

• Use marinade for pork kabobs or a flavor twist on these grilled shrimp skewers.
• If you like nothing but meat on your skewer feel free to omit the rest of the items from the skewer and serve separately on a beautifully presented platter.
• Not a fan of grilled tomatoes? Skip them and add more peppers instead.
• Crumble feta over top of the garlic oil for an extra salty finish.

FAQs

Serving Recommendations

• With a side: Kebabs are best served right away while warm. Remove from the grill and brush each skewer with garlic oil. Serve hot with rice, quinoa, pasta, and/or salad like Mediterranean quinoa salad, tomato pasta salad, or Greek salad.
• In a wrap: Remove the chicken and veggies from the skewers and pack them in a delicious warm pita. Top with crumbled feta, and a drizzle of tzatziki sauce.
• With a dip: All the dips! Think tzatziki, yogurt, and cucumber, garlic hummus, olive oil dip, you name it!
• On a platter: Place skewers on a giant platter and have an assortment of various marinated extra grilled items available like zucchini, peppers, olives, and tomatoes. Add some feta and grilled lemon slices for a beautiful colourful platter for everyone to pick from.

Making This Recipe in Advance

Make ahead: Chicken is able to be prepped ahead and marinated for up to 24 hours. Alternately, you could prep and marinate the chicken in a sealed freezer bag/container (do not freeze vegetables). Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and chicken will marinate while thawing.

Storing: I recommend removing the meat and veggies from the skewers and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. This way you will be able to preserve more freshness than if you kept them wrapped with plastic on a dish. Not to mention space in the fridge.

Reheating: I would recommend to just microwave the leftovers as a quick and easy way to not dry out the meat and have limpy veggies.

More Grilled Chicken Recipes

• Grilled chicken salad
• Cilantro lime chicken
• Chili lime chicken
• Chimichurri chicken