These delicious Greek chicken kabobs are marinated in a herbaceous and lemony yogurt-based marinade, then skewered and grilled until tender and juicy. They’re easy and taste amazing!
I don’t know about you, but I think I could always eat Greek food! I adore Greek food’s bright, fresh flavors and how it all comes together.
This recipe is simple: cut, marinate, skewer, and grill (or broil)!
Did I mention this recipe is healthy too?
The marinating takes the longest amount of time in this recipe. Greek chicken kabobs grill quickly, making them great for entertaining, or fire up the grill for an easy weeknight meal.
I like this Greek Chicken Kabob recipe because I adore Greek food, and it’s a deliciously healthy recipe that David and I can enjoy during the workweek. David likes this recipe because he just needs an excuse to fire up his grill. Well, that and that fact, grilled flatbread is usually involved, which he adores as much as I do.
We know you will love this recipe too.
Let’s grill come, kabobs!
The Greek Chicken Marinade
The chicken is marinated in a yogurt-based marinade with lemon, herbs, and spices. Yogurt and lemon have natural acidity, which helps tenderize meat, which speeds up the cooking process. In addition, the thick yogurt acts as a binder that makes the marinade adhere to the meat, seasoning it very well.
Ingredients Needed for the Greek Marinade
The recipe card at the end of this post provides a detailed list of ingredients.
Chicken: You’ll need about two pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts. If you prefer dark meat, use boneless skinless chicken thighs instead.
Greek Yogurt: Make sure you use Greek yogurt and not regular. While regular yogurt usually has fewer calories, Greek yogurt has more protein and less sugar with a much thicker consistency, perfect for marinating this chicken.
Oil: extra-virgin olive oil not only helps thin out the marinade, but the olive oil is unique in that it helps to pull fat-soluble flavors out of the ingredients and helps impart them into the chicken.
Lemon: lemon zest and lemon juice are both used. Lemon zest (the yellow part of the peel without the bitter white part) provides pure lemon flavor, while the juice is used for its acid and provides more of a tart taste than the zest.
Greek Seasoning: Greek seasoning is aromatic and savory and provides tons of flavor to this chicken. If you don’t already have Greek seasoning in your pantry, try MY RECIPE.
Heat: If you like adding a little spice to your food, add some red crushed pepper flakes to spice this chicken up a bit. About ¼ teaspoon will do or to your taste.
How To Make Greek Chicken Kabobs
See the recipe card at the end of this post for detailed instructions.
Cut the Chicken
Begin by cutting the chicken into 1 ½ to 2-inch cubes. Use the following instructions to make this easy!
- Slit a whole boneless skinless breast in half.
- Cut the chicken breast in half vertically (lengthwise).
- Cut the halved breast into chunks.
- Season the chicken cubes with salt and pepper to taste.
Marinate the Chicken
Combine the marinade ingredients and marinate the chicken for at least two hours, but no more than four. Keep reading to find out why!
Skewer the Chicken
Soak wooden skewers for 30 minutes before grilling, then skewer the chicken.
Grilling Chicken Kabobs
Preheat the grill to 350 to 400 degrees F setup for indirect heat. Grill the Kabobs over medium-high heat, covered. Turn each kabob a quarter turn every 2 minutes. Cook the kabobs for 10 to 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
The chicken kabobs are done when they read 165 degrees F with an instant-read thermometer. If the kabobs start to scorch before they are ready, move them over onto the cooler side of the grill.
Rest & Serve
Allow the chicken to rest for 3 to 5 minutes after taking it off the grill. Serve with the skewers removed with the suggested list of sides below.
Recipe FAQs
Marinate the chicken for at least two hours but no more than four hours. The acidity of the lemon juice and yogurt tenderizes the chicken and breaks down the protein. If you marinate the chicken longer, it can become mushy and unsuitable for skewering on the grill.
ABSOLUTELY! Skewer any veggies you want with the chicken. We suggest onions, bell peppers, and mushrooms. If you do, cut the vegetables all the same size.
You may need more room on the skewer, so you may also need more skewers. That’s something to keep in mind when soaking wooden skewers.
To prevent unwanted scorching, set up the grill using a two-zone method in which the lit coals are piled up on one side of the charcoal grate, leaving the other side empty. Setting up the grill this way allows you to move a skewer that is darkening too much over to indirect heat, slowing down cooking to prevent it from scorching.
Yep! You can cook the kabobs under the oven broiler using the following steps:
Preheat the broiler on HIGH.
Place the chicken kabobs on a broiler-safe sheet pan and broil for 5 minutes. Take them out, give them a flip, and then broil them for an additional 5 minutes or until cooked through and juices run clear. Use an instant-read thermometer to ensure doneness (165 degrees F)
Another alternative to grilling the kabobs outside is to use an indoor griddle pan.
Serving Greek Chicken Kabobs
David and I served these chicken kabobs pulled off the skewers and nestled them on some grilled flatbread with hummus and tzatziki sauce (recipe to come). We also threw some potatoes and olives (still testing that recipe) on a grill pan and grilled them along with the chicken.
Other Recipes to Serve With This Chicken:
- GREEK CHICKPEA SALAD WITH GREEK DRESSING
- GREEK SALAD
- SKILLET SPINACH PIE
- ROASTED RED PEPPER HUMMUS
- PARMESAN SMASHED POTATOES
- 5-MINUTE CHICKPEA AVOCADO SALAD
- MEDITERRANEAN COUSCOUS
You won’t believe how well these simple ingredients come together. Try these kabobs tonight!
Greek Chicken Kabobs
Useful Equipment:
- 4 to 6 12-inch skewers (wooden skewers need to be soaked in water for at least 30 minutes before grilling)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken breast cut into 1 ½ to 2-inch cubes
- ½ cup Greek Yogurt
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest equivalent to one lemon
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Greek Seasoning
- Red crushed pepper flakes about ¼ teaspoon or to taste (optional)
Instructions
Marinate the Chicken:
- In a medium bowl, combine the yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice and zest, Greek seasoning, and pepper flakes (if using).
- Season the cubed chicken with salt and pepper to taste, then place it inside a zip-top bag and pour over the marinade. Seal the bag with air inside. Toss the chicken inside the bag until well coated, open a small hole and squeeze out as much air as possible. Place the bag of chicken in the refrigerator for 4 hours.
Skewer the Chicken & Preheat the Grill:
- Thread the chicken divided evenly onto four skewers. Place them on a platter while preheating the grill.
- Light a chimney full of charcoal. When the coals are lit and gray with ash, pour out the coal into the grill and set up the coals for a two-zone method for indirect heat.
- Preheat the grill to 350 to 400 degrees F. Grease the grill grates: Dip a wad of paper towels into some oil (canola); using tongs, carefully wipe the grate of the grill.
Grill the Chicken Kabobs:
- Place the kabobs on the preheated grill. Grill the kabobs, over medium-high heat, covered. Turn each kabob a quarter turn every 2 minutes. Cook the kabobs for 10 to 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. The chicken kabobs are done when they read 165 degrees F with an instant-read thermometer. If the kabobs start to scorch before they are ready, move them over onto the cooler side of the grill.
Rest & Serve:
- Remove the kabobs from the grill. Allow the kabobs to cool for about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the skewers and divide among serving dishes. Serve warm.
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