My grill has been getting a workout this last couple of weeks, because the oven in the house we are renting leaks heat out of it like a sieve. It’s going to be problematic this summer when it really starts getting hot outside, and I’ll have to be really strategic with my baking times for low carb blog recipes over the next few months.
The good news is, this means tons of low carb grilling recipes coming your way – and probably a LOT of low carb ice cream and no bake dessert recipes as well. I’m pretty sure I won’t get any hostile emails complaining about this – but then again you never know.
First up in the IBIH Summer Grilling Series (I figure if I name it something official sounding it makes it more legit) is this delicious Grilled Chicken Souvlaki recipe.
It’s Greek in origin and flavored with lots of lemon, garlic, and fresh oregano. You don’t have to grill it (it can be baked or seared in a hot cast iron pan) but I love the complexity and layer of flavor that the slight char from grilling adds to it.
And of course you can impress your friends and family with gorgeous grill marks for the win.
This low carb Chicken Souvlaki recipe is really easy to make, but loaded with flavor from the marinating time. It’s perfect to throw together in the morning before work or school, then when you get home just toss it on the grill for a few minutes each side and dinner is served.
The yogurt sauce takes literally a minute or two to make and complements the chicken perfectly – but honestly if even that feels like too much work, the chicken is delicious on it’s own.
I don’t know about you guys, but I’m all about keeping it simple and fast in the Summertime especially, because it leaves more time for us to spend relaxing and hanging out with friends on the dock.
Also it leaves us time to go fishing after dinner, because the Hungry Dudes and I have a fierce competition raging over who can catch the biggest fish this Summer. So far Hungry Jr. is winning with a nice small mouth bass. I just spend an ungodly amount of money beefing up my tackle box with some fancy new lures though, so I’m optimistic that the title will be mine. I’ll keep you posted.
As a side note, if we catch some decent panfish I’ll post some recipes here for my fellow angling enthusiasts. And yes, they will probably be grilled. :/
Grilled Chicken Souvlaki with Yogurt Sauce
This Grilled Chicken Souvlaki with Yogurt Sauce is not only delicious – it’s also fast and easy to make, leaving you lots of time to spend outdoors relaxing this Summer! Low carb, keto, Paleo, and Atkins diet friendly.
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Low Carb Main Dish
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 1 lb chicken breast cut into strips
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 3 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 Tbsp fresh oregano, chopped (or 1 tsp dried)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
For the yogurt sauce:
- 3/4 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp fresh oregano, chopped
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp granulated sugar substitute
Instructions
To make the chicken:
- Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, oregano, garlic, salt, pepper, and dried thyme in a shallow, non-reactive dish.
- Add your chicken strips to the marinade and mix to coat well.
- Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours or more.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade and thread onto skewers (if using.)
- Preheat the grill and grill the chicken for about 2 minutes per side or until cooked through. Thicker pieces may take longer.
To make the yogurt sauce:
- Combine all of the yogurt sauce ingredients and stir well.
- Taste and adjust seasoning to your preference.
- Serve with the warm grilled chicken.
Notes
Approximate nutrition information per serving:
2 skewers of chicken: 157 calories, 5g fat, .5g net carbs, 26g protein
2 Tablespoons of yogurt sauce: 35 calories, 2g fat, 2g net carbs, 1g protein
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 skewers + 2 Tbsp sauce
- Calories: 192
- Fat: 7g
- Carbohydrates: 2.5g net
- Protein: 27g
Finally, I’ve got lots of great low carb and gluten free e-cookbooks out, and I’m currently running a special where you can get all five of them (over 150 recipes) for just $19.99! Get more information over on the Cookbooks page!
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My sister’s recipe has you brine first. Add 2T sea salt to 1 qt cold water, add chicken, brine for 30min, drain, pat dry . Then marinate… so tender and delicious!
I love the Grilled Chicken Souvlaki with Yogurt Sauce, but because our BBQ time is short in the Midwest, I use Kathie Lee’s Food Network Chicken Souvlaki Cheat Sheet Recipe during the winter months.
I substituting sour cream for the yogurt
Hoping it will work.
I just made these again tonight. Had forgotten about them and was looking for something that said “Springtime light” dinner. This really fit the bill. These are just so good! You really don’t need the sauce, but it does add that extra “wow” of flavor. I do have a question, though. Are you erring on the side of caution for the carbs on the marinated chicken? I was just wondering since it seems that most of the marinade is left in the container.
Yes Tere, I included the almost all the carbs in the marinade just to be on the safe side! I love this recipe even though it never really took off in popularity – it’s easy and so tasty too! Glad you liked it!
Hi Melissa!
I made this yesterday for dinner! So economical and it turned out beautifully! I didn’t make ours with yogurt, but I saved some of the marinade before it went onto the chicken so I’d have some to drizzle over the fresh grilled chicken. So yummy and juicy! Thank you for an AWESOME recipe!
★★★★★
Thanks Alexia, so glad you liked it! Great idea to use the marinade before AND after to increase the flavor!
I made these a few weeks ago and they were totally yummy – and everyone liked them enough for me to be making them again tonight, which is pretty rare for my low carb things! :-)
★★★★★
We made this a few nights ago. =) I thought it was the best chicken we had had in a very long time!! Thank you for the recipe!!
★★★★★
I don’t have a grill so I’ll be pan-frying these babies and I’ll let you know how it goes. :)
Can’t wait to hear back Stefanie – make sure you get it nice and hot first so you get a good sear on them!
Grilled this on Sunday, served it tonight with the sauce, and a greek variation on the beet green salad (lemon juice, red wine and feta cheese) Amazingly good. The tzaziki sauce was simply perfect. Thanks again.
★★★★★
Thanks for letting me know Brenda – your version of the salad sounds delicious!!!!
Yay this looks awesome! I have a ton of chicken breast in my freezer too- definitely making this weekend! Thanks for the timely post!