Lemon Garlic Chicken with Homemade Tzatziki (Chicken Souvlaki)

So, I looked all over the internet for recipes, which is my norm, and came up with this one.  I get a hankering for this every now and then and because we move so often, it is not easy to find the best Greek place in town.  I finally found one here in Charlottesville about a month before we are moving.  Oh well! 

This was sooo  good!  I love Chicken Souvlaki and I am pretty picky when it comes to the taste.  This delivered!  The kids all ate this up quickly and really enjoyed the meal.  It has the veggies right on it, so it is a meal in a sandwich or flat bread form.  The chicken on its own was divine and I would eat it in a second without anything on the side.  I will be using the marinade again and again for grilling chicken.  Oh, and even if you don't like cucumbers (which I don't), don't be afraid. . .  they are really hidden in the sauce/dip.  Enjoy!





LEMON GARLIC CHICKEN 



INGREDIENTS:

• 1-1.5 lbs chicken cut into 1" chunks
• 1 lemon zested and juiced
• 1/4 cup good olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic crushed
• 1-2 tsp salt
• 2 TBSP chopped parsley
• 1 tsp. oregano
• fresh ground pepper (about 5-7 grinds or 1/2 tsp.)
• skewers

DIRECTIONS:
In a small bowl, place zest and juice of lemon, crushed garlic, parsley, oregano and 1 tsp of salt and  the pepper.  Drizzle in olive oil while whisking ingredients to make marinade.  Taste for salt and add more if needed.  You want it a little on the salty side for the chicken.  Set aside. 

Cut chicken into 1" pieces and place in gallon ziplock bag.  Whisk marinade and pour over chicken into bag.  Seal bag and mush marinade throughout chicken.  Let marinate at least 2 hours (I did mine for 6, it was awesome!) and whenever you open the fridge to get something, mush the marinade around a bit (I did this 3-4 times throughout the day.)  Soak wooden skewers for at least 30 minutes in water to avoid burning, or use metal ones.  Place chicken on skewers (I used about 12 wooden skewers) and cook on a hot grill for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through.  My kids loved eating the meat off the skewers as well as in the flat bread.


TZATZIKI

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups of nonfat greek yogurt
• 1 cucumber peeled and seeded (or 1/2 seedless as they are bigger)
• 1 TBSP fresh dill
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp salt for cucumbers
• 1-2 cloves garlic (More brings heat to it)
• 1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil (evoo)
• salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Grate cucumber with fine grater and place in strainer over bowl.  Salt the cucumber (1-2 tsp) and let sit for about 30 minutes to drain (I ended up squeezing mine dry over the colander).  Place yogurt in bowl.  Add all but cucumber and whisk together.  Add cucumber and mix well.  Let sit in fridge for about 1/2 hour to let flavors meld.  If using as a dip, drizzle evoo over top before serving.  Makes a great veggie dip!

CHICKEN SOUVLAKI

INGREDIENTS:

• feta cheese
• red onion
• ice berg lettuce
• tomato sliced or diced
• flat bread
• lemon chicken
• tzatziki

DIRECTIONS:

Warm flat bread in oven.  Place chicken in bread.  Top with iceberg lettuce, tomato, red onion and about 1/4 cup tzatziki, then feta.  Wrap half in foil to hold together.  This worked great for the kids.