Grilled chicken breast skewers, marinated in a yogurt lemon marinade, grilled with lemon slices, served with cucumber yogurt tzatziki sauce
I love grilled chicken, but chicken breasts can be a little problematic. They can easily get dry and overcooked, especially on the grill.
A great solution?
Chicken breast skewers!
If you grill chicken breasts that have been cut into chunks and threaded on skewers, there will be more surface area exposed to the heat of the grill.
As long as you grill them quickly on high direct heat, the inside will be done when the outside has lovely grill marks.
It also helps to marinate the chicken chunks first. Some salt in the marinade will help the chicken hold on to moisture, and acid from yogurt or lemon juice will tenderize the meat.
This is a Greek inspired lemon chicken skewer recipe, with a lemon garlic yogurt oregano marinade, and thin slices of lemon threaded between the chicken pieces.
Serve it with a simple cucumber yogurt tzatziki dipping sauce. So good!
Greek Lemon Chicken Skewers with Tzatziki Sauce Recipe
- Prep time: 25 minutes
- Cook time: 7 minutes
- Marinating time: 30 minutes
- Yield: Serves 3 to 4
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of excess fat
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons plain yogurt
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano (or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano)
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil plus more for the grill
- 2 lemons, thinly sliced
Tzatziki:
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 cucumber, peeled
Method
1 Soak the skewers: If using bamboo or wooden skewers, place them in water to soak while you prepare the recipe. You’ll need either 4 flat skewers or 8 regular round skewers.
2 Cut chicken breasts, marinate: Cut the chicken breasts into 1 1/2 to 2 inch chunks. Place in a bowl and sprinkle with salt. Add the yogurt, minced garlic, oregano, pepper, lemon juice, and olive oil to the bowl with the chicken, stir to combine. Marinate for 30 minutes to an hour.
3 Make yogurt tzatziki sauce: While the chicken is marinating, make the tzatziki. In a medium bowl stir to combine the yogurt, minced garlic, salt, pepper, and lemon juice.
Grate the cucumber with the large holes of a box grater. Place in a strainer and press with your hands to squeeze out excess moisture. Add the grated cucumber to the yogurt mixture.
4 Thread skewers with chicken and lemon slices: Prepare your grill for direct high heat. While the grill is heating, prepare the skewers. Use either flat bamboo or metal skewers or double up regular bamboo skewers so that the chicken is easier to turn on the grill. Thread the chicken pieces onto the skewers with a lemon slice folded over like a taco between each piece of chicken.
5 Grill: When the grill is ready brush the grill grates with a little olive oil (use a paper towel folded over several times and dipped in olive oil, hold with tongs). Brush some olive oil over the chicken skewers as well. Place the chicken skewers directly over the hottest part of the grill and cover the grill.
Allow to sear on one side (about 2 to 3 minutes), then turn the chicken skewers over to the other side, cover and cook 2 to 3 minutes more, until the chicken is browned and just cooked through.
Remove from grill and serve immediately with tzatziki sauce.
