Greek Souvlaki Marinade for Lamb, Pork and Chicken
Greek souvlaki is one of those meals I could easily eat every week without ever complaining. It does not matter if it is lamb, chicken or pork souvlaki either, I will eat it all!
There is an awesome Greek restaurant near our house that makes the most amazing lamb souvlaki. I often get a craving for it and we need to head over there for my souvlaki fix.
But, you do not need to go to a restaurant, because making souvlaki at home is very easy. I love to prepare a full Greek feast including different types of souvlaki, Greek salad, souvlaki and pita bread. This is one outstanding dinner.
If this is something that sounds good to you, then I will help you get it all set up. Below are instructions for making some of the most incredible grilled souvlaki ever and there are even links for my recipes of Greek salad and tzatziki!
Before you get started, you will need to cut up the meat into 1 inch cubes.
- For chicken, I use boneless skinless chicken breasts.
- For pork, the tenderloin it the best choice as the meat comes out super tender!
- For lamb, use a boneless leg or shoulder. Trim it of excess fat and then cut into cubes.
One of the most important aspects of Greek souvlaki is the marinade. The combination of flavours in the marinade work together to give the meat a flavour and tenderness that is amazing.
Once the marinade is mixed, toss it with the cubed meat until well coated. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge. You want the meat to marinate for at least 2-3 hours, but you can leave them in the fridge for longer.
I sometimes let them marinate overnight and it is nice to get that part of the food prep done well in advance. It is especially helpful if you are having people over for a dinner party.
Once they have marinated for a while, thread them on wooden skewers. They can then go straight to the grill or placed in the fridge a bit longer, while you prep other parts of the dinner.
Preheat the grill for direct grilling and set to a medium high heat.
I like to coat the grill grates with oil so that the meat does not stick. You can do that a couple of different ways.
- There are special cans of grill spray oil that is great because it is super quick.
- Another way is to put a little oil on a folded paper towel and use tongs to hold the paper towel and brush the oil on the grates.
I love lamb, while others in my family are not huge fans, preferring chicken or pork instead. This means that I often prepare and grill different meat souvlaki for the same meal.
Since the cooking time varies for each type of meat, it is important to stagger when the meat skewers are added to the grill.
- Chicken takes the longest, so I throw that on the grill first.
- After a few minutes of the chicken being on the grill, the pork skewers are added.
- Finally, after a couple minutes of the pork souvlaki on the grill, I add the lamb.
Continue to grill, flipping every few minutes until the meat reaches their target internal temperature.
Here are the temperatures for each type of meat:
- Chicken should be cooked until the internal temperature is 165F.
- Pork should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145F.
- Lamb should be cooked to desired doneness (140F for medium rare, 150F for medium, and 160F for well done).
With a minute or two left for the meat to finish, I like to throw some Greek pita bread on the grill as well. This toasts the pita bread and gives it a far superior taste and texture.
Make sure you watch the pita bread as they can char and burn quickly on the grill.
Squeeze some more lemon juice on the grilled souvlaki. You are almost ready for a big feast!
To go alongside the souvlaki, I love to serve these skewers of meat with some Homemade Greek Salad with Dressing and some Greek Tzatziki for dipping.
Greek Souvlaki Marinade for Grilled Lamb, Chicken or Pork
Ingredients
- 1 pound cubed lamb , chicken or pork works great as well
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp oregano
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp black pepper , freshly ground
- 1 tsp paprika (only use paprika for chicken or lamb marinade)
Instructions
- Make the marinade by mixing together all the ingredients, except the meat. Pour over the cubed meat and toss until all the meat is coated in the marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 2-3 hours.
- Set grill to medium high heat.
- Thread the meat onto wooden skewers.
- Place the skewers on the grill and cook a couple minutes and then flip.
- Chicken should be cooked until the internal temperature is 165F. Pork should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145F. Lamb should be cooked to desired doneness (140F for medium rare, 150F for medium, and 160F for well done)
- Serve with Greek salad, tzatiki and pita bread.
Nutrition
Per serving:
