Whose up for indulging in the best kebobs, Greek rice and tzatziki? If you have a grill, the probability is that you have made some version of chicken kabobs. I really enjoy the flavors of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines. If you are trying to eat healthier, this is a great direction to go. How about going Greek this year for Superbowl? Nothing better than skewers of some tasty grilled chicken and a flavor-filled dip like tzatziki! If BBQ is your deal for Superbowl; check out my blog post here!

My version of these Greek kabobs (Souvlaki) was inspired by some very good Greek restaurants where I have previously visited. The fresh herbs and the taste of lemon represented in Greek cuisine seem to make a perfect combination.

The grill always produces crunchy bits that bring such tasty smoky flavor to the chicken pieces. We marinate the chicken for about 2 hours. You don’t want to go much beyond 2 hours because the chicken might get a little mushy from the acid in the marinade.

Indulging in the various dips and sauces of Greek / Mediterranean cuisine always leaves me happy at the end of my meal. This style of cusine is much healthier than what you would find in the chips and dips aisle at your local market. Some of the more well-known dishes you may have run across are hummus and tzatziki.

WHAT IS TZATZIKI?

Today I decided to make some tzatziki. It is a very easy dish to make with only 6 ingredients. Yogurt, cucumber, and dill are the main ingredients. Buy either Persian or English (hothouse) when looking for cucumbers. You do not have to scrape out the seeds since they are seedless. You still need to salt the cucumbers and let them sit in order to remove as much water as you can. You do not want watery tzatziki. I like to use grated cucumber and diced cucumber to add a little texture to the dish.

Do I need Rice?

If you are going to have chicken kabobs and tzatziki, you absolutely should have some version of Mediterranean / Greek rice to go with your dinner. This recipe is lemon-forward in taste, has some onions and shallots for a savory note, and some dill and oregano to bring some freshness to the dish.

Now that we have all our dishes figured out, it’s time to grab a glass of ouzo and make a toast to good friends and good food! Opa!!! As always, thanks for Spending Time In My Kitchen!

Chicken Kabobs, Greek Rice, and Tzaztki!

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Recipe by David Frank – Spending Time In My Kitchen Course: MainCuisine: Greek / MediterraneanDifficulty: Medium

Servings

4-6

servings

Prep time rice

minutes

Cooking time rice

minutes

Prep time tzatziki

minutes

Prep time kabobs

hours

minutes

Ingredients

2 lbs 2 Chicken breasts, cut into cubes
Chicken Marinade
5 Tbl 5 Olive oil
5 Tbl 5 Red wine vinegar
1/2 Cup 1/2 Lemon juice, fresh
3 Tbl 3 Oregano, fresh
2 Tbl 2 Garlic
1 Tbl 1 Paprika
2 tsp 2 Salt
2 tsp 2 White pepper
Greek Rice
2 Cups 2 Basmati rice
2 Tbl 2 Olive oil
1 1 Onion, chopped
1 1 Shallot, minced
1 Tbl 1 Garlic, minced
3/4 Cup 3/4 Orzo
Lemons (Juice from 2 lemons and zest from 1 lemon)
2 1/2 Cups 2 1/2 Chicken broth, low sodium
1 Tbl 1 Dill, fresh and chopped
Tzatziki Sauce
3 3 Persian cucumber (or 1 1/2 English)
2 Cups 2 Greek yogurt
1/2 tsp 1/2 Salt
1 Tbl 1 Garlic, minced
2 Tbl 2 Dill, fresh and chopped
1 1 Lemons (Juice from 1 lemon and zest from 1 lemon)
Garnish
2 2 Lemons, cut in half (grilled)
Dill, fresh
Oregano, fresh
Pita bread toasted and cut into triangles

Directions

Tzatziki Sauce
Cut 1 Persian cucumbers into 1/4 cubes. Place into large bowl.
Take 2 Persian cucumbers and grate them and place them into the same bowl.
Salt and toss the cucumbers in the bowl. Remove and place the cucumbers in a strainer. Let them sit in the strainer for 30 minutes to draw out excess water.
Gently squeeze out excess water. Place cucumbers back into a large bowl.
Add remaining ingredients into the bowl. Combine and place into refrigerator until service.
Chicken Kabobs
Cut the chicken into 1 inch to 1 1/2 inch cubes.
Add chicken to a large zip lock bag.
Add all the ingredients for the marinade into a bowl. Whisk well.
Pour marinade ingredients into the bag with the chicken. Make sure the chicken and marinade are well combined. Place the bag in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
Pull chicken out of the refrigerator and place chicken chunks on your skewers. If skewers are wooden, you may want to place them in water 1/2 hour before you grill the chicken to keep the skewers from burning.
Make sure your chicken comes to room temperature before you place it on the grill.
Set your grill to high. Place skewers of chicken on the grill. Don’t walk away.
Turn skewers every couple of minutes until you get a crispy brown to the chicken. The chicken will cook fast. You want the internal temp of the chicken to be 160°, so pull your skewers off the grill when the chicken is 155°. Place skewers on a tray. The chicken will continue to cook as it sits.
Cover the skewers with foil and hold until service.
Greek Rice
Place rice into a bowl of cold water; wash and rinse the rice in the cold water; repeat the process and let the rice sit in the cold water for at least 30 minutes. We want the water as clear as possible.
This process is to remove as much starch as you can from the rice so it is not so sticky.
Add oil to your large sauce pan. Turn heat to medium-high.
Add onions to the pan and cook until translucent.
Add minced shallots, garlic, and orzo to the pan. Stir to combine all. When orzo is starting to get some color, add the rice.
When all ingredients have been combined, add the broth and the lemon juice. Turn the heat up so that the liquid starts to boil.
Scrape the bottom of the pan to make sure the rice is not sticking. Reduce heat to low. Put the lid on your pan and cook until the liquid has been absorbed. Should take 20 to 30 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and let the rice sit for about 15 minutes.
Add lemon zest and the fresh dill to your rice; stir to combine.
Garnish Your Meal
Top off your rice with fresh dill and fresh oregano.
Top off your tzatziki with fresh dill.
As an option, grill some lemon slices and add to the rice.
Toast some pita bread on the grill and cut into small triangles.
You are now ready to serve an awesome Greek dinner!
Enjoy!