Chicken Souvlakia Recipe - Food & Drink Recipes

¾ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
¼ teaspoon chopped fresh oregano, or ½ teaspoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf, crumbled
½ medium yellow onion, thinly sliced (½ cup)
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thigh meat, cut into 1½-inch cubes
1 large red onion
½ pound whole button mushrooms
2 small bell peppers (try a combination of red, green, yellow, or orange)
½ pint cherry tomatoes
1 tablespoon kosher salt
½ tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
½ cucumber (preferably English) peeled, seeded, and diced (about 1 cup; see Love Notes)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice (about ¼ lemon)
Pinch freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon chopped fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
8 ounces (1 cup) plain Greek whole-milk yogurt (see Love Notes)

To make the marinade:
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl or zip-top bag.
To make the skewers:
Add the chicken cubes to the marinade and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours, or overnight.
When ready to cook, peel the onion, cut it in half widthwise, and then cut each half into thirds or quarters, depending on how big it is (you want big onion squares); set aside.
Slice the ends off the mushroom stems; set aside.
Cut around the stems of the bell peppers and remove. Cut the peppers in half lengthwise and remove the ribs and seeds. Cut into 1-inch squares; set aside.
Heat the grill to medium-high (you should be able to hold your hand just above the cooking grate for 3 seconds before it gets too uncomfortable). Brush the grill with vegetable oil or spray with nonstick cooking spray (if using spray, take the grate off the fire so you don’t end up spraying oil at the flames).
Remove the chicken from the marinade and place on a plate. Thread the chicken and vegetables on metal skewers or (10-inch) wooden skewers that have been soaked for at least 30 minutes in cold water (Love Note). Alternate the ingredients, adding a piece of chicken after every two or three pieces of vegetable (my preferred arrangement is pepper, chicken, onion, chicken, pepper, mushroom, onion, chicken, pepper, chicken, onion, chicken, pepper, cherry tomato-that way there’s an aromatic vegetable next to each piece of chicken for flavor). You should have 8 to 10 skewers (how many skewers you end up with depends on how big you cut the chicken and vegetables). Arrange the skewers in an even layer on a baking sheet and sprinkle generously on all sides with the salt and pepper.
Grill for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, or until the vegetables soften and the chicken is no longer pink in the middle (which you can see where the skewer pierces the chicken). Serve with Tzatziki sauce for dipping and rice pilaf.
To make the Tzatziki:
Place the diced cucumbers in a colander set over a bowl, sprinkle with the salt, and toss (Love Note 3). Refrigerate for 3 hours to drain.
Grabbing a handful of cucumbers at a time, squeeze out the liquid and place them in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse a few times to chop up the cucumber, but don’t let it turn to mush. Add the garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, pepper, and parsley and pulse once or twice. Pour the yogurt into the bowl and pulse a few times. (Alternatively, chop the squeezed cucumbers a little smaller by hand and place in a medium bowl; add the rest of the ingredients and whisk well to combine.)
Serve immediately, or refrigerate for a few hours to let the flavors develop. Tzatziki can be served cold or at room temperature.