In October (it feels like a lifetime already) my husband and I spent a week in Rhodes, Greece. It was our first trip to Greece, a place I have always wanted to visit. Now, living in Israel, Rhodes is a mere hour flight away and more accessible than I ever imagined. I must admit that I knew next to nothing about Rhodes before we landed, and I’ll go a little more in depth about the wonderful island in my upcoming post on where to eat in Rhodes. What I will tell you is that I fell head over heels in love with Greek food. The simple, clean flavors haunt my taste buds and the pit of my stomach calls out and grumbles for more. I have nothing short of a full blown tzatziki addiction and I can’t stop putting feta in everything.
Of course I had eaten Greek food before, and it was fine, but nothing revelatory. So I was blown away when we sat down for our first meal in Rhodes to a huge platter of mezze, various dips and spreads similar to what we find in Israel but distinct. The thick, creamy, tangy tzatziki was unlike anything I have ever eaten. Gyros wrapped in pillowy Greek pita put Israeli shawarma to shame (sorry), chicken souvlaki platters made me swoon, eggplant and beef moussaka warmed my belly, and the feta – oh the feta! On salad or deep fried with honey, I just couldn’t get enough.
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And my trip there taught me a few things about how to properly prepare it at home. In the past when I made tzatziki I just sliced up some cucumber and threw it in with yogurt. But I have three easy tricks that will make the best tzatziki you’ve ever tasted. As good as in Greece. First, strain your yogurt through coffee filters or cheesecloth, even if it is already thick. Make it thicker. Second, don’t chop your cucumber. Shred it with a box grater. This is how it was served at every restaurant we ate (and we had tzatziki at every single meal), and trust me, it makes a difference. Finally, dill is the secret ingredient. It’s not an overpowering dill flavor, so dill haters never fear, it just adds a little something that pushes it from good to amazing.
And chicken souvlaki-style Greek chicken could not be any easier. It’s a simple marinade of olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, and herbs. I’ve made this a number of times since we’ve been home (I have some in the fridge marinating as we speak to serve to company tonight) and it’s been delicious each and every time. I’ve marinated it for as little as 30 minutes and as long as overnight and the results are all excellent.
You may have noticed that this week I skipped the shout-out aspect of my usual Friday post in exchange for a recipe of my own. I just really wanted to share this with you today. And one of the most common comments I see is that people can always use more chicken recipes. Which is why the theme of today’s blog hop is chicken. Grilled, roasted, poached, or fried, appetizer or entree, what are your favorite chicken recipes? I do hope you’ll share the links below.
- ½ cup olive oil
- ⅓ cup lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Greek salad seasoning (or 2 teaspoons each dried oregano, thyme, and mint)
- 2 pounds chicken breast (I like to slice it into tenders but they can be kept whole as well)
- 2 cups plain yogurt
- 1 cucumber, grated on medium side of box grater and strained of extra liquid
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped dill
- 1 teaspoon tzatziki seasoning or garlic powder (optional)
- Salt and pepper
- Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, and herbs together in a large bowl.
- Add the chicken and toss to coat. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate, at least 30 minutes or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Put the chicken on a baking sheet and transfer to the oven (discard extra marinade).
- Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, flipping halfway, until cooked through (time will be shorter for tenders than for whole chicken breast).
- Remove from the oven and serve with tzatziki.
- Strain yogurt through two coffee filters or cheesecloth for at least 1 hour, or until desired thickness is reached.
- Transfer to a bowl and mix with the cucumber, dill, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- Serve immediately or transfer to a closed glass jar and store in the fridge for up to a week (if using fresh yogurt).
I linked this recipe up at theΒ Flu Fighting Foods blog hop! Head on over for more great yogurt recipes.
Very tasty and beautiful! π
Thank you Eva!! So happy to find your website – it’s gorgeous!
Great post Katherine. Youe site looks always fresh and clean. Looking forward to the next recap of Rhodes dining.
Thank you so much Shulie! I’m hoping to post the Rhodes recap soon, while it’s still fresh in my mind π
I love Greek food too! Thank you for the lovely Chicken Souvlaki recipe. Sounds delicious π
Thank you Ann!! I am seriously obsessed with Greek food. It’s nothing short of an addiction at this point ;-D
i, too, was blown away by greek cuisine when i was there. every morning fresh frutis & greek yogurt, every night, we also started our meal w/ tzatiki. and i learned to love feta there. it isn’t as aggressive. yum. i want to go back.
Ah, yes, the yogurt!! Our meh hotel had an unappetizing breakfast buffet every morning but they had amazing yogurt and honey so I was more than happy. I also learned to really, really love feta there. Let’s go!
I love Greek food, and I loved Rhodes. I think I was 12 on my first trip, so I grew up with it and there just is nothing that quite compares to the real thing. I’ll never forget my first moussaka… mmm.
Wow, that is incredible that you went to Rhodes so young and grew up with Greek food. I definitely need to make moussaka soon!
This chicken souvlaki looks amazing, Katherine! π
I added my sticky lemon chicken, too …
Oooooh, and I posted my 7 links, thanks to you!
Thank you Giulia!! Can’t wait to go check out your sticky lemon chicken and 7 links π
This is by far my favorite of the Greek food I have tried. My husband loves to go to Sunday brunch at the Greek restaurant. That is a rare occasion, so I have saved your recipe to make at home. The chicken looks so flavorful and tzatziki is always delicious. Have a great weekend!
Me too! I really hope you and your husband like this souvlaki at home. It could not be easier to make. And I swear I’ve eaten it once a week since we got back from Rhodes! I can’t get enough! Enjoy your weekend as well π
Katherine thank you for the tzatziki tips! I am jealous of your trip to Rhodes, that is for sure. I linked up a great chicken soup I just posted on my blog- really healthy and delicious π
No problem, I’m so glad they are helpful! I’m so happy you linked up your chicken soup recipe, I can’t wait to check it out!
I absolutely adore authentic souvlaki and this is definitely the real deal. It looks fantastic. I’ve visited Greece once and also fell in love with it (and the food). It’s an amazing, wonderful country. Thanks for bringing back memories with this dish.
I am so happy to have brought back memories with this dish π It really is an incredible country. The food is so simple and flavorful! Hopefully their economy will be on the up and up soon…
There’s a great Greek restaurant in my area that serves a great souvlaki but it’s hard to get in because it’s always so crowded. Now I can make it at home! WooHoo! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Haha so glad to share this recipe! That’s amazing that the restaurant is so popular, it must be really good. Luckily Souvlaki is so easy to make at home. I made this for company last night and everyone went nuts for it π
I haven’t had chicken souvlaki but sounds like I should definitely try it! I’m always looking for different ways to cook chicken since it is a lower fat meat! Thanks for the blog hop!
I hope you give this a try! It’s so simple to prepare and very moist and flavorful. A little like chicken oreganato if you’ve had that. I’m always looking for chicken recipes too, which is why I’m so excited to check out all the recipes on this blog hop! π
Mmmmm….so great to have your hints on how to make these two wonderful dishes! And a fabulous blog hop theme this week. Have a wonderful weekend, Katherine~
Thank you Liz! So happy my hints are helpful π Have a great weekend as well!
Hi there!
Your recipe is really close to the real deal.
Just a hint: Add some vinegar to your tzatziki and use real crushed garlic. You ‘ll love it.
Cheers!
Wow, thanks! I never thought to add vinegar to the tzatziki – I will definitely try that, and the garlic, next time!!
Found you through SRC!
Love the recipes…I feel the same way right now about Indian flavors so I shared my Chicken Vindaloo in the link section.
Yay! Love SRC π Thanks so much. I also love love love Indian food so am so excited to check out your vindaloo recipe!! Thanks!
Hello Katherine,
You have an amazingly beautiful blog and how beautifully you write about food!You are amazingly gifted!I have virtually bombarded your Blog Hop event with five favorite chicken recipes of mine from my blog – just hope you enjoy them:)So nice meeting you!!
Wit,wok&wisdom
Aw thank you so much Sudha!! I am so happy that you shared all your favorite chicken recipes. I can’t wait to check them out!
CONGRATS on the Top 9!!!!
Thanks!!!!
Katherine, it’s fun to share the Top 9 spot with you today! I just visited Greee (from the US) last month, too, and really enjoyed the food. Your chicken will bring back those memories here at home.
My best,
Pam
Likewise Pam! We might have been in Greece at the same time! This chicken definitely brings back memories of Greece for me, I hope it does the same for you π
Yummy recipes, thanks for sharing! I’ve also found some great new recipes and blogs from the hop.
Oh I am so happy that you were able to find some great recipes from the blog hop – I know I have!
looks delicious !!!!
Thanks Angie!!
Yum! I love chicken souvlaki and tzatziki too! I have never been to Greece myself… what a shame! For an Italian who loves history is very bad!!! And now it is so far :-((((
I have a few recipes for chicken… let me see what I can link! π
Oh Manu I know you would love Greece! I hope you get to go someday. Thanks for linking up your recipes π
I’ve not tried souvlaki or tzatziki before, they seems quick & easy recipe – my favourite kind of recipes. bookmarking to try. i’ve added 2 chicken recipes, it’s so great of you to do the links. thanks!
Souvlaki and Tzatziki are delicious! I hope you try them – definitely quick and delicious! Thanks for adding your links!
As usual, your chicken souvlaki looks divine. I’ve already “pinned” it in my to-make list, but I’m thinking it may actually have to be dinner tonight.
Thanks so much! I really hope you like it, do let me know! I swear we’ve eaten this at least once a week for the past two months (including last night!)
Enjoyed this recipe and your interview at Cooking Manager. I left a comment there about this delicious-sounding recipe.
Thank you so much Faye!! I really appreciate your comment, and enjoyed chatting with you via Twitter earlier π
Hi there,
Just found you through Cooking Manager’s interview!
I’ve pinned your Souvlaki recipe on Pinterest – can’t wait to try it.
I’m your newest blog follower, T, and FB liker.
~ Dana
Cooking at Cafe D
Thanks so much for stopping by Dana! I’m so happy to have discovered your blog as well π
You make me look good in front of my husband π I just made the chicken yesterday and used it in a Green salad. It was sooo good! I can’t wait to try more of your recipes!!!!
I was looking for a good chicken souvlaki recipe that I could do in the oven, and this was perfect! So yummy and tender. Thank you!
So happy you enjoyed it! This is one of my favorite recipes.