Air Fryer Chicken Souvlaki

Here I’ll show you how to make the most delicious chicken souvlaki in the air fryer!

You won’t believe how simple this recipe is! The chicken comes out so juicy and flavoursome too. You’re going to love it 😋 Follow me…

Marinated Chicken Souvlaki

To inject some flavour into the chicken we’ll be combining it with a simple marinade. The base is Greek Yoghurt, which alongside the lemon juice, will also help tenderise the meat. The result is super-soft chicken!

Chicken Thighs

Thighs are perfect for this recipe because they’re much fattier than breast, meaning they’re much more difficult to overcook. This will allow you to get a light char on the outside (i.e. extra flavour) without drying out the chicken.

How long should I marinate the chicken?

I typically go for 4 hours, with 2 hours being the minimum and overnight being the maximum. If you’re pushed for time just do as long as you can. Even 30 minutes will help!

Process shots: add marinade ingredients to bowl (photo 1), mix (photo 2), add chicken (photo 3), mix (photo 4).

Air Fryer Chicken Souvlaki

You’d typically grill the skewers/cook them over flame, but you can get really awesome results in the air fryer! Depending on how thick the chunks are they cook in around 15 minutes too.

What kind of skewers should I use?

I use bamboo skewers and have never had an issue with them burning. You could use metal skewers, just be aware they’ll be piping hot! I snap the skewers to 20cm/8″ which I find fit perfectly in the air fryer. I recommend packing the chunks quite compactly too, just to keep them nice and juicy!

I also like to add chips to the basket too (we’ll get to that in a sec). But the only other thing you’ll need is a little bit of oil spray.

Can I make these if I don’t have an air fryer?

I recommend doing on the grill in a pan. Just gradually rotate them now and then until lightly charred and cooked through the centre. Depending on how big the pieces are, you’re looking at around 8-10 minutes total in a pan.

Process shots: add skewers to air fryer (photo 1), add chips (photo 2), spray and cook (photo 3).

Greek Salad

To go alongside the souvlaki, I love whipping up a fresh and delicious Greek-style salad. You can prep this as the chicken is cooking, so no added time.

This salad is adapted from my Greek Chicken Salad! The dressing is just a simple concoction of extra virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar, seasoned with salt and pepper. You’d typically add oregano to a traditional Greek salad, but the chicken is quite oregano-heavy, so I opt for dill in this recipe.

Do I have to finely chop the salad?

I like to have everything finely diced so it’s almost verging on a salsa. I love that you get a bite of everything this way. It also packs into the flatbread much easier. Having said that, you can absolutely keep it more on the chunky side if you’d prefer.

Process shots: add ingredients to bowl (photo 1), toss to combine (photo 2).

Chicken Gyros

From what I’ve researched and experienced, chicken souvlaki is diced chicken cooked on skewers, whereas Chicken Gyros are shaved kebab-style chicken. Souvlaki seems to be served as more of a spread, but sometimes in a flatbread. Gyros always seem to be served in a flatbread, sometimes with chips. As such, I guess this recipe is a kind of gyro-style souvlaki (somebody please correct me if I’m wrong!).

As such, I load up some flatbreads with tzatziki, chips and the salad.

Process shots: spread tzatziki over flatbread (photo 1), add chips and salt (photo 2), add chicken (photo 3), add salad (photo 4).

Serving Chicken Souvlaki

As I mentioned, you could serve these as more of a spread, in which case you could keep the salad a bit chunkier. I just like it more finely diced to top the flatbread more easily.

For another delicious air fryer skewer chicken recipe check out my Garlic Parmesan Chicken Skewers!

Alrighty, let’s tuck into these air fryer chicken souvlaki shall we?!

How to make Air Fryer Chicken Souvlaki (Full Recipe & Video)

Air Fryer Chicken Souvlaki

Here I'll show you how to make the most delicious chicken souvlaki in the air fryer!

5 from 2 votes

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Servings (click & slide): 4

Course: Dinner / Main Course

Cuisine: Greek

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Marinating Time: 2 hours hours

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Calories per serving: 507kcal

Author: Chris Collins

Cost per serving: £4 / $5

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Equipment:

• 2x Medium-Sized Bowls (one chicken one for salad)
• Tongs
• Cling Film
• Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
• 4x 20cm / 8" Skewers (see notes)
• Brush

Ingredients (check list):

Chicken

• ▢ 60g / 1/4 cup full-fat Greek Yoghurt
• ▢ 1 1/2 tbsp EACH: Lemon Juice, Olive Oil
• ▢ 3 cloves of Garlic, minced/finely grated
• ▢ 2 1/2 tsp Dried Oregano
• ▢ 2 tsp Smoked Paprika
• ▢ 1 tsp Ground Coriander
• ▢ 3/4 tsp Salt
• ▢ 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
• ▢ 640g / 1.4lb boneless skinless Chicken Thighs, sliced into bite-sized pieces
• ▢ Oil Spray, as needed

Salad

• ▢ 200g / 7oz Tomatoes (2 medium)
• ▢ 100g / 3.5oz Cucumber
• ▢ 100g / 3.5oz Feta
• ▢ 75g / 2.6oz Green Pepper (1/2 large)
• ▢ 75g / 2.6oz pitted Kalamata Olives
• ▢ 1/2 small Red Onion
• ▢ 2 tbsp chopped Fresh Dill
• ▢ 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• ▢ 1 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
• ▢ 1/8 tsp EACH: Salt, Black Pepper (or to taste)
• ▢ squeeze of Lemon Juice, to taste

To serve

• ▢ 4 Flatbreads
• ▢ Tzatziki, as needed (homemade or store-bought)
• ▢ Frozen Chips/Fries, as needed

Instructions:

• In a medium-sized bowl combine the marinade, then stir in the chicken until completely coated. Tightly cover and marinate in the fridge. I recommend 4 hours (up to overnight), with a minimum of 2 hours. Take out the fridge around 30mins before needed, just so you're not cooking cold chicken.
• Thread the chicken onto 4 skewers, ensuring you leave a gap at both ends. Make sure the pieces are nice and compact so they stay nice and juicy.
• Place in the air fryer, brush over any excess marinade and add the chips in between each skewer. Lightly spray with oil and cook at 200C/400F for 15 minutes, turning once, or until the chicken is lightly charred on the outside and piping hot right through the centre (timings may depend on the size of chicken pieces - safe internal temp for chicken is 165F/74C).
• During this, finely dice everything for the salad. In a medium-sized bowl whisk together the extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar and salt & pepper. Toss everything in then stir in a squeeze of lemon juice (to taste).
• Brush the chicken with the excess oil in the air fryer, then serve in flatbreads with tzatziki, chips and salad. Enjoy!

Quick 1 min demo!

Notes:

a) Skewers - I use wooden skewers and have never had a problem with them burning. You can use metal, just be aware they'll be piping hot! I find 20cm/8" works great and they slot into the air fryer perfectly. Just cut/snap the skewers to fit the size as needed.

b) Chicken Thigh - I highly recommend using thigh as it's much fattier and is more difficult to overcook. You could try breast, but just be aware it'll likely cook through quicker. The safe internal temp for chicken is 74C/165F.

c) Marinating - This is a 30 minute dinner that takes place in two slots (chicken prep/chicken cook - salad prep is during cooking). If you need to make the dish without the breakup, just simply continue on with the recipe. Marinating is highly recommended, but they'll still be delicious.

d) Serving - I love serving the souvlaki like a gyro, but you can serve it as more of a spread if you wish. In which case you can keep the salad a little chunkier if you'd prefer. Chips are optional but recommended.

e) Calories - Per wrap without chips assuming 2 tbsp tzatziki per wrap.

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Nutrition:

Nutrition Facts

Air Fryer Chicken Souvlaki

Amount Per Serving

Calories 507 Calories from Fat 263

% Daily Value*

Fat 29.21g45%

Saturated Fat 8.72g44%

Trans Fat 0.038g

Polyunsaturated Fat 3.636g

Monounsaturated Fat 14.918g

Cholesterol 179mg60%

Sodium 1336mg56%

Potassium 774mg22%

Carbohydrates 21.74g7%

Fiber 3.2g13%

Sugar 6.59g7%

Protein 39.88g80%

Vitamin A 1361IU27%

Vitamin C 31.1mg38%

Calcium 248mg25%

Iron 3.11mg17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition is based on the absence of salt unless stated as a measurement in the ingredients. Cost is worked out based on ingredients bought from UK supermarkets, then divided by the number of servings. In both instances these values are just for guidance. Please check out my FAQ Page for more info.

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Looking for more?You'll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook 'Comfy'