Grilled Chicken Souvlaki

Chicken souvlaki is almost always made with chunks of boneless skinless breasts, which have a marked tendency to dry out when grilled. To prevent this, we swap the traditional overnight soak in an acidic marinade for a quick 30-minute brine while the grill heats. We then toss the chunks of chicken in a flavorful mixture of lemon, olive oil, herbs, and honey right before grilling. To prevent the end pieces from overcooking, we protect the chicken by threading pepper and onion pieces on the ends. Once cooked, the chicken is tossed with reserved sauce to ensure that the exterior is brightly flavored and just as tender and moist as the interior.

This tzatziki is fairly mild; if you like a more assertive flavor, double the garlic. A rasp-style grater makes quick work of turning the garlic into a paste. We like the chicken as a wrap, but you may skip the pita and serve the chicken, vegetables, and tzatziki with rice. You will need four 12-inch metal skewers. For tips on wrapping the sandwich in foil, see related content.

Tzatziki Sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 small garlic clove, minced to paste
3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
½ cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and diced fine (about ½ cup)
3 tablespoons minced fresh mint
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
3/8 teaspoon salt

Chicken
1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest plus 4 tablespoons juice
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 small red onion, ends trimmed, peeled, halved lengthwise, each half cut into 4 chunks
1 red bell pepper, halved, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
4 (8-inch) pita breads

1. For the Tzatziki Sauce: Whisk lemon juice and garlic together in small bowl. Let stand 10 minutes. Stir in yogurt, cucumber, mint, parsley, and salt. Cover and set aside.

2. For the Chicken: Dissolve 2 tablespoons salt in 1 quart cold water. Submerge chicken in brine, cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. While chicken is brining, combine olive oil, lemon zest and juice, parsley, honey, oregano, and ½ teaspoon pepper in medium bowl. Transfer 4 tablespoons oil mixture to large bowl and set aside.

3. Remove chicken from brine and pat dry with paper towels. Toss chicken with remaining oil mixture. Thread 4 pieces of pepper, curved side up, onto skewer. Thread ¼ of chicken onto skewer. Thread 2 chunks of onion onto skewer, and place skewer on plate. Repeat skewering remaining chicken and vegetables on three more skewers. Lightly moisten 2 pita breads with water. Sandwich two un-moistened pita breads between moistened pita breads and wrap stack tightly in lightly greased heavy-duty foil.

4A. FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter mounded with charcoal briquettes (7 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.

4B. FOR A GAS GRILL: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave primary burner on high and turn off other burner(s).

5. Clean and oil cooking grate. Place skewers over hot side, and cook, turning occasionally, until chicken and vegetables are well browned on all sides and chicken registers 160 degrees, 15 to 20 minutes. Using fork, push meat and vegetables off skewers into bowl of reserved olive oil mixture. Stir gently, breaking up onion chunks; cover with foil and set aside 5 minutes.

6. While chicken rests, place packet of pitas on cool side of grill. Flip occasionally to heat through, about 5 minutes.  

7. Lay warm pitas on work surface. Spread each with 2 tablespoons tzatziki. Place ¼ of chicken and vegetables in middle of each pita. Roll each pita into cylindrical shape, wrap individually in foil, and serve.