Chicken Souvlaki

Greek food is really good, I’ve decided, and anytime I can find a use for feta cheese is a plus, if you ask me. This is also a great addition to your standard meat on a stick shish kabob night, since it adds more flavor and dimension to the meat. 

It’s one of those mysterious examples of layering some seemingly unexciting flavors together and coming out with a really tasty result.  When I was stirring up the plain yogurt and cucumbers, I wasn’t thinking, “wow, I can’t wait to eat this,” but once the whole thing was assembled, I couldn’t stop raving about it.  It’s just plain yummy.

Chicken Souvlaki
*Ingredients are in bold

Dressing:

2 ½ t red wine vinegar
1 T lemon juice
1 ½ t dried oregano
1 ½ T fresh thyme or 1 ½ t dried
¼ t pepper
¼ c Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Combine ingredients and whisk in oil in a steady stream
Reserve 2 ½ T for salad and pour the rest over the chicken.

Salad:

3 tomatoes, diced
½ red onion, sliced
¾ C feta

Let this marinate in the dressing while you grill the chicken

Chicken:

4 chicken breasts, boneless

Whenever you use a marinade with vinegar, make sure that you pour it over your meat 15 minutes before you cook.  Vinegar starts to cook the meat the minute it touches it, making your meat tough and dry. 

You can grill the chicken whole and slice after it rests for a few minutes, or you can skewer it.

Yogurt:

½ C plain yogurt (Greek style is best, but more expensive)
1 small cucumber
1 ½ T fresh dill or dried dill to taste (the dried has a slightly different taste, so use it
sparingly)

Assembly:

4 Pitas

Stack pita, salad, chicken, and top with yogurt.