Greek Chicken Skewers

* This is a sponsored post for The Olive Oil Initiative *
Transport yourself to a beautiful Greek island with these really simple Greek Chicken Skewers. Bursting with lemon, garlic and oregano flavours, yet low in calories, they are a real crowd pleaser!

Greek Chicken

You will always find skewers at a BBQ, well at our BBQs you will anyway, but that doesn’t mean they should only be made in the summer. When we have people over for dinner and we don’t have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen, we make some kind of skewer and these Greek Chicken Skewers have become a favourite.

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Our 3 week island hopping trip around Greece last year was a bit of a culinary adventure. We ate so much incredible food and as often as we could we would try to get the recipe out of them and they were usually willing to share.

In a lovely little harbour-side restaurant in Mykonos, with a spectacular sunset view, we ordered some Greek chicken skewers. Initially, when they were served, we were a little bit disappointed because they didn’t look very special, but after one bite everything changed.

Greek Chicken Marinade

They didn’t need to look very special, because it was all in the marinade. A generous amount of olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and oregano brought these little chicken chunks to life. We have added some veggies to ours, just because any extra vegetables in our diet is a good things. We used bell peppers, red onion and cherry tomatoes, but many other veg work well, as does halloumi cheese.

One thing that was consistent in all the recipes that we brought back with us from our favourite restaurants was the liberal use of olive oil. It is key in a Mediterranean diet and despite it being high in fat, they are some of the healthiest people in the world. Here at Hungry Healthy Happy we definitely don’t fear healthy fats; rather we encourage people to include them in their diets.

Olive oil is high in monounsaturated fatty acids, which is considered healthier than trans-fats and saturated fats. Greek people consume the highest amounts of olive oil per capita and due to this they are some of the healthiest people in the world with one of the longest life expectancies. Even more reason to make sure it is part of your diet! It can also reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes, can prevent strokes, keep your heart young and reduce depression. 

“This January, 31 London restaurants will participate in the European extra virgin olive oil weeks initiative: an event to be savoured, which aims to whet the appetite of British consumers. There will be no lack of gastronomic ideas: each participating restaurant will recommend a dish for enhancing the product and will have dedicated personnel on hand for information on the theme.” You can see the participating restaurants below.

Whilst we love cooking with olive oil and drizzling it over salads for a dressing, there is so much that you can do with it. You can use it as a conditioner, on your skin, and even as furniture polish. Do you have a wooden chopping board? Rub olive oil into it every few months and it will last you a lifetime.

If we had to list one thing that was essential in our kitchen, it would be olive oil. So expect to see lots more olive oil based recipes, because not only is it versatile, but it has so many health benefits and not to mention it is delicious too. With olive oil, I really do think you get what you pay for and it’s worth buying the good stuff because you will instantly notice the difference in taste. Stock up on European olive oil and your meals will never be bland! “Smile at taste, smile at well being!”. For more information visit http://www.theperfectfood.eu/

Think of some of the best cuisine in the world, Greek, Spanish, Italian, French – they all use a lot of olive oil. That has to say something! We are big on making our own marinades in our house, as they are so easy to make and they don’t have all the sugar and salt added to them that store bought ones seem to. Just smell this marinade when you’ve made it – it is wonderful!

I think I have made myself miss Greece even more than I already do with this post and reminiscing about Mykonos. If you haven’t been, then put it on your wish-list. It’s much nicer, and quieter than Santorini in my opinion (even though it has a party reputation). I might have to make us a bit of a Greek feast this weekend to reminisce even more, so expect some more Greek recipes on the blog soon. 

We served these Greek Chicken Skewers with some homemade tzatziki (the recipe for that is coming soon) and some homemade pita breads (recipe for that also coming soon). We also baked some potato wedges as we are a little bit obsessed with homemade wedges at the moment and experimenting with different seasonings – more on that soon!

You can also leave the chicken out and replace it with chunks of mushroom and keep the skewers vegan, which is what Dannii did. There is enough flavour from the olive oil, lemon, garlic and oregano so that they aren’t missing the meat. These will definitely be going on the BBQ when the weather heats up too. Come on summer, we are ready for you!

Ingredients – Serves 4 (3 Greek chicken skewers each) :

Greek Chicken Skewers

Bursting with lemon, garlic and oregano flavours, yet low in calories, these Greek Chicken Skewers are a real crowd pleaser!

5 from 22 votes

Print

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Greek, Mediterranean

Keyword: chicken skewer, greek kabob, greek kebab, greek recipe

Prep Time: 35 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Skewer soak time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 334kcal

Author: Dave Martin

Ingredients

UK measures - US measures

Marinade:

• 60 ml Olive oil
• 1 Lemon (juice only)
• 2 tbsp Red wine vinegar
• 2 Cloves of garlic, minced
• 0.5 tsp Dried thyme
• 2 tsp Dried oregano
• 0.5 tsp Ground coriander
• 1 pinch Sea salt and black pepper

Skewers:

• 500 g Chicken breast, diced into 2cm chunks
• 2 Bell peppers, cut into 2cm chunks
• 1 Large red onion, cut into 2cm chunks
• 24 Cherry tomatoes

Instructions

• If using wooden skewers, soak in water for at least 30 minutes before using.
• Put all of the marinade ingredients into a bowl and whisk together.
• Put the diced chicken and vegetables into a sealable bag and pour in the marinade. Seal the bag and mix it all together. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
• Thread the skewers with the chicken, tomato, pepper and onion.
• Cook the skewers, turning occasionally, in a preheated oven at 200°C for 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Notes

Weight Watchers Points: 6

Nutrition Facts

Greek Chicken Skewers

Amount Per Serving (3 skewers)

Calories 334 Calories from Fat 153

% Daily Value*

Fat 17g26%

Saturated Fat 3g15%

Polyunsaturated Fat 1g

Monounsaturated Fat 10g

Sodium 180mg8%

Potassium 197mg6%

Carbohydrates 11g4%

Fiber 3g12%

Sugar 6g7%

Protein 41g82%

Vitamin A 2350IU47%

Vitamin C 152.6mg185%

Calcium 30mg3%

Iron 1.1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Have you tried this recipe?Mention @hungryhealthyhappy on Instagram and tag #hungryhealthyhappy!

DisclaimerThe nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.

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**This Greek chicken skewer recipe was commissioned by The Olive Oil Initiative, however, all opinions are my own**