Souvlaki recipe at home. Chicken souvlaki skewers recipe. Authentic Greek souvlaki

In situations where it is not possible to cook barbecue over an open fire, you can use an ordinary oven.

In Greece there is an analogue of kebab called souvlaki. Souvlaki is prepared from pork or chicken.

Meat is most often alternated with vegetables, threaded onto small skewers.

In Greece, souvlaki is often put into pita bread and sold as fast food.

In a home kitchen, making souvlaki is not very difficult.

Moreover, for this dish it is not at all necessary to select products from Greece.

For 5 servings of homemade souvlaki you will need:

• 1 kg pork;
• 1 kg chicken fillet.

For the marinade:

• lemon;
• herbs to choose from;
• salt;
• pepper;
• 50 ml oil.

For the sauce:

• 150 g yogurt;
• 2 garlic cloves;
• 100 g cucumber;
• 10 g parsley.

For vegetable side dish:

• 200 g pepper;
• a head of young garlic;
• 200 g onion;
• 200 g cherry tomatoes.

1. Cut the meat and chicken fillet into pieces weighing about 30 - 35 g;

2. Transfer them to a suitable container, pour in a liter of water in which 40 g of salt have been dissolved. Leave everything for half an hour or an hour.

3. Drain the water from the meat. Prepare a marinade from oil, juice of 1-2 lemons, pepper.

4. Pour it into the meat and mix well. If desired, you can add dry herbs, in this case thyme is used.

5. Then thread the meat onto skewers, which were kept in water for 10 minutes.

6. Place the skewers with meat on a baking sheet covered with foil.

7. Place the baking sheet on which the souvlaki is placed in the center of the oven. Set the temperature in it to + 180 degrees.

8. Cook kebabs for 35 - 40 minutes.

9. While the Greek souvlaki is frying, wash, peel and chop the vegetables into large pieces. Leave the cherry whole.

10. Heat a little oil in a frying pan, fry the vegetables for 10 - 12 minutes, salt and pepper them to taste.

In Greek cuisine, vegetables are either skewered mixed with meat or grilled. At home, they turn out tastier in a frying pan with oil.

11. All that remains is to prepare the tzatziki sauce. Cut the peeled cucumber lengthwise; if the variety has well-formed seeds, remove them with a spoon.

The cucumber is cut into very small cubes. Chop the parsley and garlic with a knife. Combine everything with yogurt.

Add salt to taste. If the store does not have yogurt from Greece, you can take yogurt from a local manufacturer or sour cream.

Bon appetit!

If you love Greek cuisine and meat, be sure to try making souvlaki! But first, find out what it is!

What is this?

Souvlaki is a national Greek dish, which consists of small kebabs on wooden skewers. Most often, pork is used for preparation, but lamb, chicken and even fish are also suitable (fish souvlaki is prepared almost exclusively for tourists).

The preparation is quite simple and does not require special skills. The meat is cut into small pieces, then marinated in a mixture of olive oil, lemon juice and spices, before being threaded onto small wooden skewers and either grilled over coals or roasted on a baking sheet placed over coals. Today, souvlaki is considered something of a Greek fast food and is served in almost all restaurants, cafes and bistros.

How to cook?

How to make Greek souvlaki? We offer several options.

Pork souvlaki

This recipe can be called classic. To prepare you will need:

• 1 kg pork;
• 1 lemon;
• 5 tablespoons of olive oil;
• 1 teaspoon of dried oregano;
• pepper and salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. In a small bowl, mix olive oil with freshly squeezed lemon juice, pepper and salt, mix well again.
2. Wash the pork and cut it into small cubes, pour the marinade over them and leave for three hours.
3. Now take skewers, thread the pork onto them and fry over coals until fully cooked. This usually takes about 15-20 minutes since the pieces are small.

Chicken

No less tasty souvlaki can be made from chicken. By the way, such a dish will turn out to be practically dietary.

Ingredients needed for cooking:

• about 1 kg of chicken fillet or breasts;
• 50 ml white wine;
• 100 ml olive oil;
• 50 ml lemon juice;
• 3 cloves of garlic;
• ½ teaspoon oregano;
• ½ teaspoon thyme;
• pepper and salt to taste.

Cooking method:

1. Cut the chicken fillet into small cubes approximately 2x2 centimeters in size.
2. Peel and chop the garlic using a knife, garlic press or blender.
3. Prepare the marinade by mixing olive oil, wine, lemon juice, minced garlic, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper.
4. Pour the marinade over the sliced ​​fillet and refrigerate for a couple of hours.
5. Thread the cubes onto wooden skewers and grill the souvlaki.

Fish

Fish souvlaki is also a tasty, light and healthy dish. To prepare it you will need:

• 500 grams of fish fillet;
• 1 clove of garlic;
• zest of one lemon;
• 4-5 tablespoons of olive oil;
• a tablespoon of lemon juice;
• ground pepper;
• half a teaspoon of dry oregano;
• sea ​​salt to taste.

How to cook? It's simple:

1. Separately, it is worth writing about fish. In general, in Greece they traditionally use swordfish, but you can replace it with some other fish, but certainly sea fish (river fish does not have the most pleasant smell and taste), white and fatty fish (low-fat fish can become very dry when fried). So, the fillet needs to be cut into small cubes.
2. Now prepare the marinade. Peel and chop the garlic in any convenient way. Next, mix it with lemon zest (it should be finely grated), lemon juice, oregano, olive oil, sea salt and pepper.
3. Immerse the sliced ​​fish in the marinade and leave for about 20 minutes (if marinated for longer, the fish may become dry).
4. Now thread the pieces onto skewers and fry the souvlaki over charcoal or on the grill.

How to submit?

Souvlaki is usually served either directly on skewers with slices of lemon and white bread (sometimes the appetizer is combined with salads or other dishes) or in pita bread along with a filling, which can be tomatoes, onions, potatoes, sweet peppers, and lettuce. A sauce, such as ketchup, tzatziki or mustard, is also included.

• Souvlaki can also be cooked on the grill, but then it can turn out quite dry. You can also use the oven, in which the meat will retain its juiciness and aroma, but will not smell like coals.
• It is quite difficult to cut meat so finely, so take a sharp knife, it will be much more convenient and easier to work with.
• Use tender meat, as stringy meat will turn out dry and tough.
• Olive oil can be replaced with regular sunflower oil or some other oil, but in Greece they use olive oil, and its aroma is unique.
• Remember to turn the kebabs regularly so they cook evenly.
• Some cooks soak the skewers in water for five or ten minutes, which makes them more slippery and also allows the meat or fish to be lightly steamed from the inside during cooking (due to evaporating moisture). But if you are using lean meat, then instead of water you can use olive oil, then the pieces will quickly be removed from the skewers and soaked in oil from the inside.
• You can also put onions or vegetables on skewers along with fish or meat, for example, tomato slices, eggplant rings, bell peppers.

Be sure to try making this amazing Greek dish, it's so easy!

For me, souvlaki, for all its simplicity, is one of the few dishes that I truly liked in Greece. I have already written more than once about the quality of Greek dishes in Greece itself. But I have never come across tasteless souvlaki, toli made from pork, or chicken, or lamb. I haven’t tried beef and fish souvlaki in Greece, but I know for sure that they also exist.

The marinade in all souvlakis is as simple as possible. Almost the same as in the recipe, inspired by souvlaki. Some souvlaki recipes indicate a marinating time of even 8-10 hours, and sometimes longer. I don't recommend it! Since the marinade contains lemon juice as one of the key elements, long-term marinating of small pieces of meat will simply “corrode” it. I think 2 hours is enough. Souvlaki turns out very tender and juicy.

A characteristic feature of souvlaki is its small size and the fact that it is almost always baked on wooden skewers. Also, dried oregano is used for the marinade, which has a specific aroma. It is better not to replace it with fresh, the aroma will be strong.

If you need more souvlaki, increase the amount of marinade in proportion to the amount of meat.

4 servings:

For the souvlaki:

• 800 grams pork (preferably neck), cut into small portions
• 50 ml olive oil
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 2 prongs garlic, squeeze
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• A pinch of sugar
• Salt to taste

Besides:

• 1/2 lemon, cut into 4 segments

1) Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Leave to marinate for 2 hours. Place the bowl of meat, covered, in the refrigerator and remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking.

2) If you bake on wooden skewers, soak them in cold water for 1-2 hours.

3) Place the marinated meat on soaked skewers. Dry the souvlaki on all sides with a paper towel so that the meat browns better and the smoke settles better on the surface.

As has been noted more than once, a trip to Greece is not only sea, sun and beach, but also delicious food. Therefore, today we continue our acquaintance with the culinary traditions of the Mediterranean, and next we have the most popular dish of Greek cuisine - Souvlaki. And if Greek salad and Moussaka are mainly restaurant dishes, then finely chopped Greek kebab is sold at any street trading point and is considered national fast food. It is noteworthy that the competition of Souvlaki in Greece was lost to the products of such food industry giants as McDonald's, KFC and Burgerking. So what kind of delicacy is this? Let's find out right now!

What is real Greek Souvlaki?

So, the Greek dish called Souvlaki is very finely chopped kebab and strung on wooden skewers. Traditionally, Souvlaki is made from pork, but sometimes chefs use other meat products for cooking. Therefore, there are Souvlaki made from chicken, turkey, lamb or beef. Before sending the dish to the fire, it is kept in a special marinade made from olive oil, lemon juice and spices. Then the “infused” meat is threaded onto skewers and cooked on the grill’s coals, or placed in a frying pan/baking tray and fried.

Story

Greek cuisine does not remember exactly where and when Souvlaki appeared in Greece. And even for many years there was a culinary dispute between Turkey and Greece for the right to be called the birthplace of kebab on skewers. But in 2011, an unexpected discovery put an end to this competition. During excavations in the city of Fira ( O. Santorini, Greece) a stone brazier with stands for skewers and special slots for air was discovered. Thus, back in 1500 BC. the Greeks feasted on Souvlaki cooked over coals!

A little about the name

If we talk about why Greek kebab is called Souvlaki, then it’s worth paying attention to the “core” of the dish. The meat is cooked in Greek not on long steel skewers, but on small wooden sticks called “Σούβλα” (Suvla). From these skewers came the name of the dish itself, and then the designation of street cafes. Today, a snack bar with a sign Σουβλατζίδικо (Suvladzidiko) can be found literally on every corner. By the way, if you remake it in the Russian style, the expression will be something like this - “Souvlachnaya”.

By the way, kebabs in Greek were cooked on special reed sticks called Καλαμι (Kalami). Since then, this dish has retained its second name - Kalamaki. However, in modern Greece the term Souvlaki is used much more often.

Methods of serving the dish

Greek kebab is served in two ways. The classic version: skewers with meat are placed on a plate, and they are served as a side dish with french fries, sauces or vegetable salads. This is how you will be served Souvlaki in a restaurant or large cafe.

The street version of serving is as follows: meat with the addition of various sauces and vegetables is served wrapped in Greek flatbreads “Pitah”. The exact composition of the ingredients is not constant, because... customized according to the client's taste. Most often, Souvlaki is ordered with Tzadiki sauce, ketchup, sliced ​​sweet onions and tomatoes, and a small portion of French fries. All this is wrapped in Pita (like pita bread) and you get a delicious roll reminiscent of shawarma.

By the way, because of this similarity, Souvlaki is sometimes confused with the Greek dish Gyros, which is considered a direct analogue of shawarma. However, the composition of the products and the technology for preparing Gyros are different from Souvlaki, and accordingly the taste of the food is completely different.

Read also: Greek Filo Dough, what it is, how it is prepared and in what dishes it is used

How to make Greek Souvlaki

A hearty and tasty Greek kebab will not be difficult to prepare outside of sunny Greece. At the same time, you can add spices to the recipe to your taste or reduce the calorie content of the dish by getting rid of the flatbread and sauces, and instead of pork, for example, prepare Souvlaki with chicken or turkey.

And we will definitely tell you about the secrets of making Souvlaki at home using different recipes, but a little later. Now let’s dwell on the traditional method of preparing this dish, which has come down to us since Ancient Greece.

Ingredients

To begin with, we note that since Since we cook Souvlaki at home and Greek Pita can hardly be bought close to home, the recipe for Greek kebabs also includes ingredients for baking flatbreads. Agree, since the method of preparing Souvlaki is classic, then all the ingredients, if possible, should be as Greek as possible. Although, if you don’t want to bother with flatbreads, you can simply cook kebabs and serve them with a vegetable side dish. But Souvlaki in Pita will amaze invited guests more with its appetizing and unusual appearance.

So, let's move on to the list of basic products that will be required to prepare Greek kebab. For convenience, we will divide it into 2 parts: ingredients for the meat component, and products for the Greek Pita.

We have decided on the list of products - all that remains is to find out how to prepare Greek Souvlaki at home.

Classic recipe

The technology for preparing Greek kebab contains several stages. Let's start preparing our Pork Souvlaki by marinating the meat.

Marinade and meat

1. Squeeze lemon juice into a deep bowl. Add olive oil, soy sauce and white wine to it, stir.
2. Prepare the spices. Press or finely chop the garlic, chop the parsley, and pass the onion through a blender. Measure out a teaspoon each of oregano and rosemary. Pour all the spices into the marinade, add salt and ground pepper to taste, mix.
3. We wash the meat, cut it into small pieces (2x2 cubes), actually “ one bite».
4. Place the meat in a vacuum bag, pour in the prepared marinade and place in the refrigerator overnight. ( If you don't have a bag, you can leave the meat in a bowl, covering it with a lid.).

We carry out the next stages of preparation the very next day.

Pita dough

1. Dissolve yeast in warm water ( half a glass), after adding tsp. Sahara.
2. Sift the flour, add salt. We make a hole in the flour mound, where we pour the dissolved yeast, olive oil and the remaining warm water. Knead the dough until it stops sticking too much to your hands. If necessary, add a little more water.
3. Place the prepared dough in a greased bowl, cover with a towel and leave to settle for 1.5-2 hours.

While the dough is infusing, let's return to our marinated meat.

Roasting kebabs

1. Prepare the skewers by soaking them in water for 15-30 minutes.
2. Thread the meat onto skewers.
3. We send our kebab to the grill, or fry it in a regular frying pan.

The meat is cooked, time to return to the dough.

We bake flatbreads (pitas)

1. Knead the settled dough, form balls from it, and roll them into round cakes (1 cm thick and 15 cm in diameter).
2. Bake the pitas in the oven (5-7 minutes at 230-260 degrees). The main thing is not to overcook the cakes, otherwise they will turn into crackers.
3. Hot pitas are served to the table, and the cooled ones can be carefully frozen until next time. Then it will be enough to fry them in a frying pan or grill, after greasing them with oil and seasoning them with salt and oregano for taste.

All that remains is to remove the meat from the skewers and wrap it in tortillas, adding sauce and garnish. By the way, you can prepare real Greek Tzatziki, which will take literally 15 minutes. The detailed recipe is given on the next page. Also goes well with Souvlaki: coleslaw, French fries, mustard, ketchup, green salad, etc.

You need to wrap the filling in hot flatbreads (when they are just cooked), otherwise the pita will cool down and begin to crumble. Also, for convenience, we recommend tightly wrapping the bottom of the “envelope” with paper, then the cake will hold the filling tightly.

Several popular Souvlaki recipes

It has already been noted that in addition to the classic Greek pork Souvlaki, this dish is also prepared with other ingredients. Let's look at several variations of the classic recipe.

Beef souvlaki in the oven

Souvlaki with vegetables

Due to the taste compatibility, meat is often complemented with vegetables, so in this recipe both components are combined into one dish.

Ingredients: pork 800 gr., zucchini 1 pc., Cherry tomatoes 300 gr., lemon 1 pc. For the marinade: 2 cloves garlic, 1 tbsp dried mint, oregano and thyme. spoon; 1 tbsp. wine vinegar, 100 ml olive oil, salt, pepper.

Recipe:

1. Prepare the marinade. In a bowl, mix oil, vinegar and all spices. Squeeze in the lemon juice last. Stir until smooth.
2. Cut the meat into small cubes, cut the zucchini into 1.5 cm thick circles, leave the cherry tomatoes whole. Put everything in a deep bowl and pour in the marinade, stir. Place the finished mixture in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
3. Thread meat and vegetables onto skewers.
4. Fry on hot coals until cooked (10 minutes).

The food turns out very appetizing, juicy and rich. So we recommend that you get to know this tasty and quick snack, which you can treat to guests at your dacha or picnic in the summer.

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Classmates

A fairly popular Greek dish called souvlaki, very well known in our country as homemade chicken skewers, is very easy to prepare, spending a minimum amount of time and ingredients.

To prepare the classic souvlaki dish you will need the following ingredients:

• Chicken breast, which should be peeled and thoroughly washed under running water. For a serving for 3-4 people, you can use 2 large or 3 medium breasts, the total weight of which is 1 kg.
• Garlic is usually added to taste, but even for those who do not like its taste, we recommend using at least 1 clove to give the dish a piquant aroma.
• Lemon juice must be freshly squeezed, 2 large spoons are enough.

In addition, you will need dried herbs, which everyone uses according to their own taste, in our case these would be:

• Basil with rosemary 1 small spoon.
• Marjoram and oregano 0.5 small spoons each.
• Parsley can be used either dry or fresh; if you use the first type, then add it in the same amount as basil and rosemary.

Also, for dressing you will need a few tablespoons of olive oil and common spices like salt and pepper, which are added to taste.

If you want to serve chicken souvlaki beautifully, then you should purchase additional pita bread.

Cooking process

Cleaned and washed chicken breast must be cut into small uniform pieces of approximately 2x2 cm, try to keep the cubes the same size so that they can bake equally.

Next, you should prepare the marinade; to do this, combine all the herbs you have chosen or recommended by us, season them with olive oil and fresh lemon juice. You also need to add salt and pepper, then place the chopped chicken breast cubes in a bowl with the sauce, mix everything thoroughly and leave for a while. If you want to cook souvlaki quickly, then marinating for 1-2 hours is enough, but truly delicious kebabs are obtained when the breast is in the sauce for at least 12 hours. During prolonged marinating, the breast is completely saturated with the prepared sauce and becomes not only aromatic and tasty, but also juicy. After you have waited the specified time, the chicken cubes should be put on skewers, the length of which you can choose in accordance with the method of preparing this amazing dish. The most correct way to cook mini kebabs is to fry them over coals, but you can also use a regular grill pan for these purposes.

ATTENTION!

If you are preparing souvlaki over charcoal, then before threading the meat onto skewers, the latter should be soaked in water for at least 20-30 minutes, and if you are using a grill, no preliminary preparation of the skewers is necessary.

After everything is prepared, you can begin the main cooking procedure, place the skewers on the grill with coals and make sure that the breast is evenly fried on all sides.

If you decide to use a grill pan for frying, then you should not lubricate it with oil, since you have already used it in the previously prepared marinade, do not worry, the pieces of meat will not burn if you constantly turn them, on the contrary, the souvlaki will acquire a uniform, crispy , golden crust.

This amazingly tasty and easy-to-prepare dish can be served with any sauce, but the most suitable is tzatziki.