Greek Yogurt Chicken Skewers

Two grilled chicken skewers served over orzo pasta with a side of cucumber-tomato salad, lemon wedge, and pita bread on a plate.

5 from 1 vote

Greek Yogurt Chicken Skewers

🇬🇷🍋🍗 Packed with bright Mediterranean flavor from lemon, garlic, and oregano. The Greek yogurt marinade is the secret to incredibly moist and juicy chicken every time! Both outdoor grilling and indoor grill pan instructions provided for this EASY chicken recipe!

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Marinating Time2

Course: 30-Minute Meals, Chicken, Dinner, Grill

Cuisine: Chicken, Greek, Mediterranean

Diet: Gluten Free

Keyword: Greek chicken kabobs, Greek chicken skewers, Greek yogurt chicken, Greek yogurt marinated chicken

Servings:

Calories: 190cal

Equipment

Ingredients

Marinade

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ cup plain Greek yogurt 0% fat, 2% fat or 5% fat; I use most of a 5.3-ounce container of 2% Fage Greek Yogurt which is a bit more than 1/2 cup but I use 2 lbs chicken
¼ cup lemon juice (freshly squeezed is preferred)
3-4 cloves garlic cloves finely minced (or use about 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
1½ teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste

Chicken

1 1/2-2 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts diced into 1-inch pieces (boneless skinless chicken thighs may be substituted)

Garnishing, optional

finely minced fresh herbs, as desired (basil, mint, dill, parsley, etc.)
lemon wedges

Instructions

Marinade: To a large bowl, add all ingredients, and whisk to combine to create the chicken marinade.
Tips – Make any desired flavor adjustments such as more garlic, salt, more of a certain seasoning, etc. This is a very flexible recipe. If you're using closer to 2 pounds of chicken rather than 1.5, go heavier handed or add a bit more of everything.
Chicken: Add the diced chicken pieces to the bowl, toss well, cover tightly with foil or plastic wrap, and place bowl in the fridge to marinate for a minimum of 60 minutes, up to 8 hours.
Marinating Tips - I aim for 2-4 hours. The longer you marinate, the juicier and more flavorful your chicken will be. If you're using wooden skewers, soak them in water for at least 30 minutes while the chicken marinates. Wooden skewers, especially on an outdoor grill, add an extra layer of smoky flavor.
Preheat: Preheat your outdoor grill to medium or medium-high heat and preheat your indoor grill pan over high heat on your stove's burner.
Threading: After marinating, thread the chicken on approximately 5 to 8 skewers, depending on how much chicken you're using and the exact length of your skewers. Discard the marinade.
Tips - Don't compress or overly compact/squish the chicken onto a skewer. If you're running out of space, start a new skewer. Otherwise the chicken steams, rather than sears.
Grilling (outdoors) – Grill for approximately 3-4 minutes with the lid closed, open the lid, flip the chicken using tongs, and cook for another 2-4 minutes, or until the chicken is done.
Grilling Tips – Because most grills are at least 500-600F and these pieces of chicken are small, it's going to cook very quickly. Use common sense and lower the heat if it's burning, flip and turn as much as necessary, and if it's not done after 8 minutes total, keep grilling until it's done. If it sticks when you are trying to flip it, let it cook for another minute before trying to flip it.
Grill Pan (indoors on stove burner) – Place the skewers on the grill pan, and cook for approximately 5 minutes, flip the chicken using tongs, and cook for another 3-5 minutes, or until the chicken is done.
Cooking Tips – It'll likely take a bit longer indoors than on an outdoor grill, but it varies and is also dependent on the size of your pieces of chicken. In general small pieces of chicken cook very quickly but all grill pans vary in their thickness, composition, the size of the chicken pieces varies, etc. so use common sense and keep cooking until it's done. If it sticks when you are trying to flip it, let it cook for another minute before trying to flip it.
Garnishing: Optionally garnish with fresh herbs as desired.
Serving: Serve the chicken right on the skewers with tzatziki sauce, or with pita bread, flat bread, black olives, etc. Remove the chicken from the skewers and serve over a salad such as my Greek Gyro Salad, this Greek Lemon Chicken and Orzo Salad, Lemon Basil Orzo Salad, or a simple fresh tomato and cucumber salad, are also fantastic.

Notes

Storage: Remove the chicken from the skewers for easier and more space-saving storage. Leftovers will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat in the microwave for about 30 seconds, or as desired.

Grilled chicken skewers with a golden-brown crust served on metal sticks, arranged on a white plate with a lemon wedge.

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