This is one of the recipes I get asked for most frequently, it is as authentically Greek as you’re going to get so if you want real Greek flavors that are well balanced and delicious, here it is.

As I say all the time, my handsome husband is Greek, he is first generation Canadian born to Greek parents. When we first met he was still living at home, the oldest of four boys with big appetites and a mother who feeds everyone, like literally will follow you with a spoonful of food if you say you’re not hungry… At the time, Nick’s grandparents were still alive and I had the amazing gift of learning to cook like a Greek from my Mother in law and my Grandmother’s in law. Greeks are simple and not fussy, it’s so much more about the togetherness and the company than the food but the food is abundant, delicious and never ending.

This chicken souvlaki is something I make often, it’s a great meal for the whole family, kids love it as much as the adults. I make homemade pita and tzatziki (I will post those recipes at some point too) and then set it up like a taco stand with pita, tzatziki, chicken, diced red onion, diced tomato, crumbled feta, shredded lettuce and diced cucumber and then I let everyone just assemble their own. This is perfect for dinner parties because people love to participate in their meals and they love customizing their food the way they like it. Below is the recipe for the chicken in the marinade and I marinade potatoes at the same time, this is a great way to do it for a quick family meal, you can package the potatoes and start them on the grill first and then grill the chicken and veg. last.  You can use any chicken you like here, I like chicken thighs, if you are making it with potatoes you can use the skin on, bone in chicken but if you are making souvlaki, you want to buy the meat with no skin or bones.

I buy the chicken in bulk and then make several bags of this as meal kits and freeze them (without potatoes), it makes for a very quick meal when you need one and the chicken marinates as it defrosts. This is also a great marinade for pork or lamb.

Greek Chicken (for Souvlaki)

Serves 4-6

2/3 cup Olive Oil

¼ cup Lemon Juice

½ Tbsp Garlic, minced

1 Tbsp Dried Oregano

½ tbsp. Dijon mustard

3 Tsp Kosher Salt (Windsor)

3 Tsp. Honey

2 Lbs. Chicken thighs or breasts

1 Lb. Red potatoes, washed and cut into large pieces (1/4 or 1/6)

Vegetables for grilling,  big chunks of peppers, cauliflower, lightly blanched carrots, zucchini, red onion wedges…

In a large zip top or vacuum seal bag, combine oil, lemon juice, garlic, mustard, oregano, salt and honey, seal the bag and squish the ingredients with your hands to break everything up and mix it together. You want to make sure the salt and garlic etc… aren’t concentrated all in one place. Add the chicken and potatoes to the bag, seal it again removing any extra air from the zip top bag or vacuum seal it if you have the machine. Squish it around to distribute the marinade and either freeze it or put it in the fridge for atleast 4 hours.

Preheat grill on medium/high heat. To cook the potatoes make a packet for the grill by taking a big piece of aluminum foil and lining it with a slightly smaller piece of parchment paper, place potatoes with some marinade in the center, gather up the side of the tin foil and completely enclose the potatoes in the packet, place on a preheated grill approximately 25-30 minutes before the chicken. Grill chicken on the other part of the grill on medium high heat until cooked through, this will depend on the size of the chicken pieces but you need to reach an internal temp of 165°F.  Toss the veg in a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper and place on the grill in the last 5-10 minutes of cooking.