Chicken Souvlaki Pitas with Tzatziki Sauce

This Chicken Souvlaki is packed full of flavor, loaded on pita bread and smothered in delicious, tangy tzatziki sauce! It will easily become your go-to meal!

This recipe was originally published in June 2018, I have since updated the photos and added more succinct recipe instructions!

Here in Burlington, NC, we have many many chain restaurants. Everything from an Olive Garden to Outback Steakhouse…you name it. However, here and there, you’ll find some hidden gems that are locally owned small business restaurants! 

One of my absolute favorites is called Mykonos. It’s a local Greek restaurant that is always packed full of people! You always know that’s a good sign when there is a line out the door! 

I’ve been there several times and always love going in and smelling alll the smells. The grilled meats, the fresh pita bread, and of course they always have several different types of in-house cakes baked. Yes, it’s wonderful. It was there that I first tried Chicken Souvlaki.

What is Chicken Souvlaki?

Not sure what Chicken Souvlaki is? Or how to pronounce it? Let me give you a quick tutorial! It’s basically bite size chicken pieces, usually grilled, covered in this finger licking delicious marinade. You can eat it from a skewer, spread it over a salad, or just shove it in your mouth at an alarming rate like I do. It’s so delicious.

Okay, that might not be the most “technical” definition…but you get the point! 

The chicken is always juicy, citrus-y, and herb-y. It’s so fresh. Then when you load it on a warm slice of fresh pita bread, smother it in homemade tzatziki sauce and top with crunchy red onions….oh, and how could I forget the tangy feta cheese?! Combine all of these amazing foods together and you have one of the best meals ever!

So how do you make this, you ask?! Let’s get into it! To make it this amazingly delicious, you’re going to need the following:

Ingredients You Need: 

• minced garlic (and lots of it)
• olive oil
• spices like oregano, black pepper, salt 
• juice of lemon
• chicken breast 
• pita bread 
• feta cheese 
• red onion 
• fresh dill 
• tzatziki sauce (see link above for my own recipe!) 

How to Make Chicken Souvlaki Pitas with Tzatziki Sauce 

Okay – so, begin by dicing up the chicken into bite size pieces and marinating it in the most wonderful marinade ever! 

I think the key to this marinade is to really let the chicken sit in it for a long time – potentially even overnight! The more the spices, oils and herbs have time to soak into the chicken, the better flavor you will have!

I think I ended up letting my chicken marinate for about 4-5 hours in the fridge, however, I also have tested it for just 1 hour and it was still very tasty! 

Once the chicken is done marinating, it’s time to cook it!

Let’s talk cooking techniques. I tried two different ways: baking it and sautéing it.

While both turned out delicious, I preferred the baking method. It kept the chicken much more tender and juicy, whereas the sautéed version was much more caramelized and not as tender. You can also grill the chicken!

I used skewers in the oven to cook my chicken with.

Pro-tip: If you are using WOODEN SKEWERS, SOAK YOUR SKEWERS IN WATER BEFOREHAND! This helps prevent burning and/or disintegration of the wood.

Another pro-tip? Place foil on your baking sheet prior to baking your chicken skewers! Not only will this help your clean up process, it will also ensure that your chicken does NOT stick to the pan.

I actually ended up using some metal skewers I had from another recipe – obviously you don’t have to soak those! Ha! 

The chicken comes out with great color, perfectly juicy and tender, bursting with flavor. I literally think I ate an entire skewer of chicken before I even began to fill up my pita bread to make the actual dish. #noregrets

Speaking of pita, let’s talk about building the sandwich! You’re going to want to load up the bread with homemade tzatziki sauce.

I recommend using my recipe that’s SUPER easy and yummy. I linked it above. It’s cool, tangy, refreshing and super simple to make! However, you can definitely use a store-bought version if you want. 

Step 1: Warm up pita bread and put it on a plate. 

Step 2: Schmear tzatziki sauce on top. 

Step 3: Top with mixed greens, red onion and chicken. 

Step 4: Garnish with feta cheese and fresh dill and even more tzatziki sauce because you love yourself. 

Some other great adds would be cucumber, olives or even pickling the onions! 

Want to make this dish low carb? Skip the pita bread and put the chicken on top of greens and have a chicken souvlaki salad bowl! 

Whatever way you eat it, just make sure to load up on the chicken and proceed to stuff your face full. Yup. It’s a vibe.

Hope you enjoy these my friends! Xo.

Did you like this recipe? Here are a few more you might like: 

Spicy Grilled Chicken Kabobs 

Buffalo Chicken Superbowls 

Chicken Pesto Quinoa Bowl