Taste Tested Tuesday: Chicken Souvlaki
Posted by Andrea
My best friend, Valerie, and I were roommates for several years after we graduated from college. Since we were single ladies, cooking wasn’t always high on our list of priorities and many times Valerie and I would head over to the local diner for a meal.
Valerie and I usually ordered the same thing each time we visited the diner. No matter what the time of day, Valerie often opted for a short stack of pancakes while I preferred Chicken Souvlaki, a popular Greek dish consisting of grilled and sliced meat placed inside a pita along with vegetables and a yogurt cucumber sauce.
These days, I can’t slip away to the diner as often as I’d like to, so I’ve learned how to create Chicken Souvlaki at home. It is a fresh and healthy dish that almost always satisfies my diner craving.
When preparing the sauce, be sure to use Greek yogurt as it’s thick consistency will ensure a creamy sauce. To save calories use low fat Greek yogurt (it’s still thick) and low fat sour cream. Neither JT nor I find the sauce’s taste to be compromised by the low fat substitutions. The traditional way to serve Chicken Souvlaki is on pita bread, but I’ve found that it tastes just as great when served inside a flour tortilla.
Chicken Marinade
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
Tszatziki Sauce (yields about 1 1/4 cups)
1/2 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
8 ounces plain Greek yogurt
2 ounces sour cream
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon dried dill
Assembly
4 large pita bread rounds
1 heart of romaine lettuce, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 tomato, halved and sliced
1/2 cup kalamata olives
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
Prepare the chicken marinade by combining the lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic in a small bowl. Place chicken in a large Ziploc bag. Pour the marinade over the chicken, seal, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Remove chicken from marinade and place in grill pan. Discard remaining marinade. Cook chicken until juices run clear, about 8 minutes on each side. Remove chicken from heat, and allow it to rest about 10 minutes before slicing into thin strips.
Prepare the Tzaztiki sauce. Toss the cucumber with kosher salt, and allow to sit at least 5 minutes. In a medium bowl, mix the yogurt, sour cream, olive oil, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, and dill. Place the cucumber in a clean towel and squeeze the cucumber to remove any excess water. Stir cucumber into sauce. Season to taste with kosher salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Place pita rounds on the grill pan, and cook for about 2 minutes, until warm, turning frequently to avoid burning. Arrange warmed pita, sliced chicken, lettuce, onion, tomato, and olives on a serving platter. Serve tzatziki sauce and feta cheese in separate bowls on the side. Stuff pita pockets with chicken and toppings to serve.
Photo: Courtesy of zorbs (Flickr)
We have a greek spot across the street from my job and I love the chicken. I don’t do gyros as I am not sure of the sauce but this I will try. Thanks much if you find a recipe for falafel let me know.
Hey girl! It’s good to *see* you! I’m pretty sure the gyro sauce is the same as what I listed. I’m not a big fan of cucumbers so I split the sauce in half and add the cucumbers to JT’s part. Even without the cucumbers, the sauce still ROCKS!
As far a falafel, I’m sorry to say I don’t have a recipe. If memory serves me well, they’re made with chickpeas and I’m not a fan. However, visit allrecipes.com or recipezaar.com. I’m nearly positive you’ll find a recipe there.
Not to many diners near me these days! You could always count on some good food! This looks like a recipe that I could put into the rotation.
I would imagine not:( You can still get that diner experience in the comfort of your own southern home.
We had neighbors who ran a Greek restaurant in our local village. Every year, they brought over fresh baklava for Christmas. Sorry we moved away!
This recipe looks wonderful! I especially love cool cucumber tszatziki sauce. :~D