Whether you are cooking over a campfire or just grilling in the backyard, these Chicken Tzatziki Skewers are a great recipe to try out. The bright and tangy tzatziki sauce can be made ahead of time, the quick marinade for the chicken really makes the flavor pop, and the skewers can get assembled in virtually no time.
Get the fire ready. Especially at a campsite, you will want to get your campfire going an hour before starting so it has a chance to burn down to embers. You don’t want to cook over open flames.
Making the Tzatziki Sauce
To make the tzatziki sauce, combine Greek yogurt, minced mint, garlic, and cucumber. Add in some lemon juice and salt and it’s done. You can either do this well in advance or you can do it while the chicken is marinating.
Building the Marinade
Mix the olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, garlic powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt together in a bowl or resealable baggie. Cut your chicken into bite-sizes, add to the marinade, and toss to coat. Set aside for 30 minutes (minimum) and up to 2 hours (maximum)
Assemble the Skewers
Chop up your assorted vegetables into small grilled size bites. We really recommend grouping like ingredients together on the same stick. It might look prettier to alternate, but each ingredient might have different cooking times. So put all the zucchini together and all the tomatoes together. That way as each fully cooks, you can take them off one by one.
For the vegetables, we like to brush them lightly with olive oil. The marinated chicken is already covered in oil, they can just go right on the stick.
Grill!
From here, it’s all about grilling the skewers over direct/indirect heat. Once you place the skewers, try to leave them in position until they form a light char and naturally “release” from the grill. If you get flare-ups, move the pieces around to avoid coming in direct contact with a flame.
Ingredients
- ▢2 tablespoons olive oil
- ▢1 lemon, juiced
- ▢1 tablespoon dried oregano
- ▢1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- ▢1/2 teaspoon salt
- ▢4 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1” pieces
- ▢1 small zucchini, sliced into 1/4” moons
- ▢1 red onion, chopped
- ▢14 cherry tomatoes
- ▢1/2 cup prepared tzatziki, store-bought or recipe as follows
Tzatziki Sauce
- ▢1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- ▢1/4 cucumber, seeds removed & chopped fine
- ▢1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
- ▢2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- ▢1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Mix the olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, garlic powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt together in a bowl. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Set aside for 30 minutes (up to 2 hours) to marinate, tossing occasionally.
- To make the tzatziki (can be made ahead):
- Remove excess moisture from the chopped cucumber by blotting with a towel. Place the cucumber, Greek yogurt, mint, garlic, and salt in a small bowl and mix to combine.
- Cover & store in your cooler if making ahead of time.
- Prepare a grill or campfire for grilling.
- Thread the chicken and vegetables onto skewers.
- Once the grill is ready, place the skewers on the grill grate and grill, turning every few minutes so all sides cook evenly. The chicken will need to cook 3-5 minutes per side, and the veggies will need roughly 10-12 minutes.
- Remove skewers. Serve with tzatziki for dipping. Enjoy!
