Years ago we lived in Winston-Salem, NC and frequented a small, local Greek owned restaurant where we enjoyed souvlaki on a regular basis. It became a regular craving for us. What was always surprising was how the simple tzatziki sauce impressed the taste buds. Fresh and tangy. It never failed to hit the spot.

While perusing Tasty Kitchen recipes a few weeks back, I was excited to find a recipe for Chicken Souvlaki with Tzatziki from Tasty Kitchen member Birdie. I didn’t hesitate to print it out and give it a go. Birdie’s recipe didn’t disappoint. The chicken was as tasty as it gets and the tzatziki was perfect.

Wanna make some too? Well then, let’s get started.

Get your ingredients prepped. You’ll need chicken, olive oil, yogurt (I used Greek yogurt), cucumber, onion, lemon juice, salt and pepper. (The link to the full recipe in its printable form is at the end of this post.)

You’ll also need some of this: Cavender’s All Purpose Greek Seasoning. See where it says “Tantalizing.” They’re not kidding. Good stuff y’all. Get you some. I found it at my local grocer.

Pita or flat bread can be used to hold all the goodness. I used basic flatbread.

You’ll begin by marinating the chicken. I like to use zip top plastic bags for marinating. It makes for easy clean up. Pour in the olive oil, then the Cavender’s seasoning.

Squish it all around to coat the chicken well. Marinate in the refrigerator for several hours.

While the chicken is marinating, you can go ahead and get the tzatziki sauce ready. Please note, I used Greek yogurt, but if you use plain yogurt, you’ll need to follow Birdie’s directions and let the yogurt drain. Tzatziki sauce is simple stuff. Combine the yogurt, chopped onion, cucumber, and lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate the tzatziki until ready to use.

When ready to eat, grill chicken over medium heat until done. Let rest a few minutes, then slice into strips.

Build your souvlaki in a pita bread or flat bread, with the grilled chicken and tzatziki. I began with a layer of tzatziki, then the sliced chicken.

Then another layer of tzatziki. You can never have too much tzatziki.

Fold in half and enjoy! Pretty simple, huh? And mighty tasty folks. Mighty tasty indeed.

 
Enjoy! A big high five to Birdie for bringing Souvlaki back into my life.

Printable Recipe

Chicken Souvlaki Pita with Tzatziki

by Birdie on July 27, 2009 in Main Courses, Poultry July 27, 2009 Main CoursesPoultry

4.63 Mitt(s) 11 Rating(s)

Prep Time: 12 hrs

Cook Time: 15 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 6

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Yummy, dinner size, pita sandwiches with a homemade thick tzatziki. Family favorite and a weekday go to meal.

Ingredients

• 1 pound Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
• 4 teaspoons Cavender's All Purpose Greek Seasoning
• 4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 12 ounces, weight Drained, Non-fat Plain Yogurt
• 1 whole Cucumber, Chopped
• ½ whole Yellow Onion, Chopped
• 2 teaspoons Lemon Juice
• Salt
• Pepper

Preparation Instructions

Most of this recipe is in the prep. You marinate the chicken for several hours before you grill. I do it before I leave the house in the morning.

Pound out the chicken breast until they are about 1/2 inch thick.

Rub down with olive oil then season both sides generously with the Cavender’s Greek Seasoning Salt. I live on the East Coast and have found it in most big grocery chains.

Wrap the chicken in cling wrap and refrigerate for several hours.

Grill on a counter top grill or outside grill for that matter about 3 minutes. Let sit for a minute or two then slice into strips.

The night before, place 12 oz of plain non-fat yogurt in a coffee filter then set in a mesh colander set over a bowl and drain it in the fridge overnight. I do this because I like the Tzatziki thicker so it stays on the sandwich. But if you forgot to drain the yogurt the night before you can use Greek yogurt. Greek yogurt is just a tad more expensive than regular yogurt.

While chicken is grilling, chop up the cucumber and the onion. Mix the cucumber, onion with the drained yogurt, add the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.

I also chop these up before I leave for work in the morning and stow them in the fridge. Just one less step in the evenings when my boys are melting from hunger and I need to feed them within the first 30 minutes of hitting the door.

Place grilled chicken strips and tzatziki into warmed pitas folded in half and enjoy.

I serve it with roasted potatoes. My kids dip the potatoes in the tzatziki.

 
 
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Amy Johnson is a blogger who writes about food, travel, the home (both inside and out), and various observations and random musings about anything and everything. Visit her blog She Wears Many Hats for a dose of deliciousness, practicality, hilarity, or just plain fun. She lives in South Carolina with her husband and two children.

We’re so happy to welcome Calli to the Tasty Kitchen Blog. We love her and her blog Make it Do. It’s pretty, it’s yummy, and it has so many handy tips for making things around the house a little bit easier. (I’m waiting for her to invent automated laundry.) And what a gorgeous salad to start us off with, courtesy of TK member courtneyjoy. Take it away, Calli!

 
Let’s face it, it’s really easy to get into a recipe rut.

I knew I was in one when my 10 year old son walked into the kitchen and said in a ho-hum voice, “It’s Tuesday so I bet we’re having spaghetti for dinner.” The meat for Spaghetti and Meatballs was being thawed at that moment. Uggh! Was I really that predictable? His question needled at me to shake things up and try new things.

It was in this spirit of culinary adventure that the recipe for Grilled Salad with Strawberry Balsamic Reduction from TK member courtneyjoy caught my eye.

Lettuce on the grill? For REAL? The recipe looked easy enough, plus it included two of my latest favorite salad ingredients: strawberries and gorgonzola. Why not!

In less than 30 minutes I was drizzling my balsamic reduction over warm grilled romaine. It looked gorgeous and smelled even better. After a run to the silverware drawer for a fork and a knife, I dug in. Oh my! Totally unique and delicious.

Grilling really enhances the lettuce flavor and gives it a lovely smokiness, which is nicely balanced by the sweetness of the strawberries. Add to that the creamy goodness of gorgonzola and the balsamic reduction … well, it takes this salad over the top.

Are you sold? Are you ready for an adventure? Let’s make a salad.

I just love seeing those ingredients. So nice and simple.

Start by firing up the grill.

While it’s heating, make the reduction. In a small sauce pan, measure a cup of good balsamic vinegar.

Add in the sugar and strawberries. The recipe calls for sliced strawberries, but I decided to chop mine. It just seemed like the right thing to do.

Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer until reduced by about 1/3. The reduction is syrupy and delicious.

Drizzle your washed and dried lettuce with olive oil. The first time I made this recipe I used the whole heads of romaine. The next time I removed the tougher outer leaves and got closer to the heart where the leaves are more tender. This was a good improvement to the recipe. (And yes, I used the outer leaves on sandwiches. Waste not!)

Before grilling, chop the rest of the strawberries. Crumble the gorgonzola too, so it’s all ready to go.

By now your grill should be nice and hot (mine was at 500ºF) and ready for the lettuce. It cooks really fast, so this is no time to switch the laundry! I basically stood next to the grill with the lid open and tongs in hand. Turn when the lettuce has nice charred grill marks. The recipe warns not to cook your lettuce too long or it will be limp, and who wants to eat limp lettuce! Not me.

Assembling the salad was a snap. Toss on the strawberries.

A generous sprinkling of gorgonzola cheese …

Add a drizzle of the balsamic reduction.

Make sure to serve while it’s still warm if you really want to be impressed.

Go ahead. Surprise your family and make this salad for dinner tonight. You’ll be glad you did.  

And a big thank you to courtneyjoy for sharing a new and adventurous side to salad!

Printable Recipe

Grilled Salad with Strawberry Balsamic Reduction

by courtneyjoy on May 5, 2010 in Salads May 5, 2010 Salads

5.00 Mitt(s) 8 Rating(s)

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 30 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 4

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A refreshing grilled salad that is perfect by itself or with a meal.

Ingredients

• 2 heads Romaine Lettuce
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1-½ cup Sliced Strawberries
• 1 cup Balasamic Vinegar
• ¼ cups Sugar
• ½ cups Crumbled Gorgonzola Cheese

Preparation Instructions

Light your grill and set to high. While the grill is warming, drizzle the lettuce with the olive oil and set aside. Slice your strawberries.

For the dressing, in a small pot, boil the vinegar, sugar and 1/2 cup of the strawberries. Once boiling, turn heat to medium and let it reduce by 1/3 so that it gets slightly thick.

To grill the lettuce, using tongs, place the lettuce on the hot spots of the grill so that it gets warmed and slightly charred but not limp. We don’t want limp lettuce! Keep turning it so that it’s evenly charred. Not burnt! This only takes a few minutes tops.

To serve, place whole heads of lettuce on a platter, drizzle with the dressing, the remaining strawberries and the gorgonzola cheese.

Yum!

 
 
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Calli is truly a woman of many talents, from cooking, sewing, crafts, beautiful photography and gardening. Her blog, Make it Do is a treasure trove of recipes, household tips, crafts projects, sewing patterns … you name it. It’s also peppered with photos of her beautiful kids. Go visit her site, and visit it often. There’s always something new to learn there!

  Two weeks ago my husband and I moved into a new apartment in Manhattan. We love everything about our new place, but (there’s always a “but”) the kitchen is tiny. I mean really tiny. I have about two square feet of counter space and I can’t open my oven and dishwasher at the same […]

  I have a thing for hot sauce. At one point I thought I had tried all of the bottles in the store. Then wonderful people started bringing them back for me from exotic places (thanks Amy!). And then Dax Phillips came along one fine day with this Habanero Hot Sauce on Tasty Kitchen and […]