Chicken Souvlaki Pita

Who doesn't love a delicious chicken pita wrap with fresh salad and creamy sauce? These Greek Chicken Souvlaki Pita wraps are a must-to-try. Indeed, these are some of the most mouthwatering finger foods you can have for lunch, dinner, and barbeque parties.

This recipe might need to be more authentic (Debatable!), but it has four basic elements to prepare: The Chicken, The Tzatziki Sauce, the Tomato onion salad, and the and soft pita. The star of the dish is Marinated Chicken skewers, which can be the most delicious and easy thing to make, and with the creamy Tzatziki Sauce, it's heavenly. You can also serve all the elements of the wrap separately at the party so people can get creative with it. Indeed, this pita will be a show-stopper, and you will be coming for more!

For a creative twist on using pita bread, try our easy and customizable pita bread pizza, ideal for quick lunches or dinners. After enjoying this savory Greek-inspired meal, satisfy your sweet tooth with a slice of our buttery yogurt banana bread.

What is Souvlaki Pita?

The word "Souvlaki" literally means "Marinated Meat grilled on Skewers. It is one of the most loved Greek fast foods that can be made with boneless, skinless chicken, lamb, pork, and beef. While Souvlaki Pita makes the meat wrapped in the pita. The convenience of eating the wrap makes it a perfect street food.

Many people will compare it with Middle Eastern Shawarma wraps, but the difference is in the sauce and how the boneless chicken is served. Shawarma has thin slices of meat, but Souvlaki has a whole piece of boneless meat on the skewer. You can have the Souvlaki alone without the pita, too.

Chicken Souvlaki Pita Ingredients

Chicken Souvlaki

• Extra virgin Olive oil: To add zingy flavour and fat to the chicken.
• Seasonings: Salt, black pepper, chilli flakes, paprika and garlic are the basic ingredients that have complex and bold flavours.
• Lemon juice: To tenderize meat and give zesty tangy flavour.
• Herbs: Thyme, marjoram, and oregano. You might have heard Marjoram first time but these are a few authentic flavours used in Souvlaki

Tzatziki Sauce

• Greek yogurt: It is the main base of the sauce
• Shredded cucumber: Another important element that adds crunch and consistency to the sauce.
• Extra virgin Olive oil: for zesty olive flavour.
• Seasonings: Garlic, Lemon juice and salt.
• Herbs: Oregano is preferred but you can experiment to your taste.

Tomato-Onion Salad

• Tomatoes or cherry tomatoes: The juicy and sweet tomatoes go perfectly with grilled chicken Souvlaki.
• Onion: I preferred Red onion cut thin slices 
• Seasonings: Red wine vinegar or lemon juice, Salt, Black pepper, Oregano
• Garnish: Feta cheese (optional)

Pita

You can either use homemade or store-bought just like me.

How to make Chicken Souvlaki Pitas?

1. Cut the chicken into cubes evenly.
2. In a bowl mix extra virgin Olive oil, Lemon juice, Salt and Black pepper, Thyme, marjoram, oregano, Chili flakes and Paprika. Add chicken, mix well and place it in refrigerator to marinate for at least 3 hours (preferably overnight).
3. Once ready to cook, take out the chicken from refrigerator and let it reach room temperature. Skewer the chicken onto pre-soaked wooden skewers.
4. Heat the BBQ grill and place the chicken skewers over it and Grill each side for 4 to 5 mins at 400℉ or till cooked through.

For Tzatziki Sauce: In a bowl, add Greek yogurt, Shredded cucumber, Extra virgin Olive oil, Garlic, Fresh Lemon juice, Salt and Herbs. Mix well and refrigerate it to cool.

For the salad: In a bowl, add sliced tomatoes, onions, Red wine vinegar, Salt, Black pepper, Oregano, and Feta cheese. Toss the salad.

How to Assemble the Wrap?

• Heat Pita in a hot pan with some Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
• Remove the chicken from the skewers and place on the wrap. 
• Put the tzatziki sauce on it with the tomato-onion salad mix. 
• You can sprinkle some fresh parsley or feta cheese on it.

Cooking Tips

• Cut your chicken in Equal sizes: Whether using half-boneless chicken breasts or boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut in lengthwise or into small pieces, make sure they are of the same size. In this way, spices can easily penetrate, and chicken will be cooked evenly without overcooking or under.
• Marination Time: Chicken should be marinated for at least 3 hours to overnight maximum.
• Avoid Wooden skewers from burning: The secret is to soak the wooden skewer in water for at least 1 hour to prevent burning. This is the most common issue why people avoid using skewers.
• Avoid Tzatziki from being too runny: Make sure to draw water from shredded cucumber by placing it in a clean cloth and squeezing the water. Now, add the squeezed cucumber to the yogurt.
• Season the salad at the last minute: My salad just has tomatoes and onion, and both are high in water content. Thus, it is recommended to season the salad right before serving or add salt from the season to draw out the water from the onions and make the tomato soft and tangy.
• Herbs are MUST: The key ingredient here is oregano, which gives this meal an ideal flavor. You can also use other herbs like basil for your spin. So, feel free to use Fresh or dried herbs.
• Cover your Pitas: If you are serving your pitas right off the grill to eat, then it's fine. But with you preparing them like an hour ahead of them, make sure to cover them with clean cloth. Otherwise, your pita will dry out and become hard and crumbly.
• How to heat the Pitas: Heat the pita in a medium-hot pan. If the pan is too hot, it will burn the pita and make it hard. You can also heat the pan on high and turn off the heat. Then, heat the pita over the residual heat.
• If you are using an air fryer, make sure that you let it rest for 10 minutes between batches. It will help it reheat properly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I cut the pita bread before heating or after?
First of all, I am not cuting the pita bread but you can cut the pita bread and fill inside it. Secondly, when to heat it, I will suggest before filling it up with the ingredient. But make sure you are using puffed up one otherwise you will have a pita sandwich instead of a wrap.

Can I use more vegetables for the salad?
Yes course you can but it should not overpower the flavor of Souvlaki and Tzatziki. That's why I made a simple two-ingredient salad that creates great blend with other elements and makes them stand out too.

How to store homemade Tzatziki sauce?
Pour the Tzatziki sauce in an airtight clean jar and refrigerate it up to 4 days. You can eat it will crackers, veggie sticks or with chips too, it an amazing dipping sauce. Some people will say freeze it but I will never recommend that. It will ruin the texture and the consistency upon thawing.

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Juicy Chipotle Grilled Chicken

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Southern Fried Chicken

One Pot Jamaican Jerk Chicken with Rice and Peas