Grilled Chicken Souvlaki with Dairy-Free Tzatziki

This moist and flavorful grilled chicken souvlaki recipe is paired with a dairy-free tzatziki that’s out-of-this-world delicious.

Grilled chicken souvlaki (lemon garlic chicken skewers) with dairy-free tzatziki. Gluten-free and paleo.

Ahh, souvlaki and tzatziki – are you ready for a traditional greek dish? Souvlaki just means skewer…so in this recipe, that translates to these tasty lemon garlic chicken skewers. Consider them a more simplified version of my Greek Chicken Kabobs.

But unlike traditional tzatziki, which is made from yogurt and cucumbers, this version is dairy-free, made with my fave non-dairy alternative – soaked cashews! You’ve seen me do this little swap before, in the form of dips and cheesecakes. Both of which are perennial reader favorites.

But today’s tzatziki recipe, which inspired this whole dish, wasn’t my creation. It comes from Kristen Boehmer of Living Loving Paleo and her new ebook, Get Sauced: 33 Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free and Paleo Sauce Recipes to Make Your Meals Insanely Delicious.

Grilled chicken souvlaki (lemon garlic chicken skewers) with dairy-free tzatziki. Gluten-free and paleo.

Grilled chicken souvlaki (lemon garlic chicken skewers) with dairy-free tzatziki. Gluten-free and paleo.

Grilled chicken souvlaki (lemon garlic chicken skewers) with dairy-free tzatziki. Gluten-free and paleo.

I met Kristen last year in the blogger interwebs and instantly felt a connection to this positivity-beaming, kindred-spirit. We both have websites dedicated to real food recipes and we’ve both overcome health challenges through diet and lifestyle. But Kristen, wow, she’s one inspiring lady!

Kristen was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease at the age of 12 and spent years on harsh medications. In 2011, with her Crohn’s disease not abating and the medications doing massive damage to her body, she faced a last resort decision – she had her entire large intestine removed.

For years doctors had told Kristen that diet would have no impact on her disease. Yet after discovering a real food, paleo-based lifestyle, Kristen (like so many of us) took matters into her own hands. After her surgery, she forever changed her diet, stopped all medications and has never looked back!

Today, just a few, short years later…Kristen is not only an energetic, healthy gal – she’s training to compete on American Ninja Warrior with her husband!! Talk about a wellness reversal and inspiration! I love the healing power of food and just how resilient our bodies and spirits are.

If you’re looking for sauce inspiration, I highly recommend Kristen’s ebook – and believe me when I say, her tzatziki is off-the-charts! When I made it the first time, I thought…oh, this would go so well with grilled chicken souvlaki. And it does! Because together, it’s all kinds of garlic, dill, oregano, lemon, cucumber goodness. And if you’re looking for a salad recipe to serve with this, I recommend my Greek Salad.

Enjoy!

Grilled chicken souvlaki (lemon garlic chicken skewers) with dairy-free tzatziki. Gluten-free and paleo.

Grilled chicken souvlaki (lemon garlic chicken skewers) with dairy-free tzatziki. Gluten-free and paleo.

Grilled chicken souvlaki (lemon garlic chicken skewers) with dairy-free tzatziki. Gluten-free and paleo.

Grilled Chicken Souvlaki with Dairy-Free Tzatziki

5 from 8 votes
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 8 mins
Total Time: 38 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Lisa Bryan
Grilled chicken souvlaki recipe is paired with a dairy-free tzatziki that’s out-of-this-world delicious. 

Ingredients

Chicken Souvlaki

  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp dried parsley
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper

Dairy-Free Tzatziki

  • 1 cup raw cashews, soaked 4-6 hours (or overnight)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup cucumber, peeled and diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
  • 1 tsp sea salt

Instructions 

  • Chop each chicken breast into approx 1.5 inch chunks and place in a bowl. Add all remaining chicken souvlaki ingredients and stir together. Place the bowl in the refrigerator and marinate for at least 30 minutes.
  • To make the tzatziki sauce, drain and rinse the cashews and place in a high-powered blender. Add the water and lemon juice and blend on high for 2-3 minutes, or until creamy. Add the remaining tzatziki ingredients to the blender and pulse a few times, just until combined. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator (Note: the tzatziki sauce can be stored for 3-4 days in the refrigerator).
  • Heat the grill on medium-high.
  • Place the marinated chicken pieces on skewers (approx 8-9 pieces per skewer makes 6 skewers) and cook on the grill for 3-4 minutes each side.
  • Served the grilled chicken souvlaki with the tzatziki sauce.

Nutrition

Calories: 481kcal, Carbohydrates: 13g, Protein: 30g, Fat: 35g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 72mg, Sodium: 1301mg, Potassium: 678mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 50IU, Vitamin C: 11.9mg, Calcium: 32mg, Iron: 2.9mg
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Keyword: chicken souvlaki, Dairy-free Tzatziki, Grilled Chicken Souvlaki
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Other recipes you might like:

Mini Chicken Pot Pies (gluten-free, paleo)

Herbed Honey Mustard Chicken

Zucchini Noodle Bolognese

Grilled Shrimp Skewers

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19 comments on “Grilled Chicken Souvlaki with Dairy-Free Tzatziki”

  1. excellent!!5 stars

  2. This was delicious and my whole family loved it. This is a great start to my whole 30 journey.5 stars

  3. This was e new recipe on the menu tonight and I seriously scored a lot of points ;-). I combined it with the regular tzatziki which I prepared the night before along with the salad dressing for the greek salad. At the end of the day I only had to chop some veggies for the salad and bake the chicken. Easy does it and so delicious. This will be on my rotation in the future!5 stars

  4. This recipe was so amazingly delicious and easy to make, I made it twice this week! Love it!! Thank you!5 stars

  5. Absolute perfection-once again 
    The flavor of the chicken – oh my!!!
    And the sauce
    Made it for a Memorial Day gathering and everyone asked for the recipe 5 stars

    • Yay! I’m so glad you loved the grilled chicken! It’s such a great recipe for a BBQ! Thank you for the kind comment, Sandra! :)

  6. Absolutely a delicious recipe- very easy and quick to make! Full of flavour! Definitely will be making again5 stars

  7. Made tzatziki sauce to go with our lamb kofta stuffed pitta bread.   The last time I made it I chopped the cucumber finely – missing the ‘blend it all’ together! This time I have blitz it all together and it’s cool, refreshing, just perfect accompaniment to today’s weather.  Sun, sun glorious sun.  Had the coconut chicken curry yesterday because it was dull and cold.  Good old Britain – unpredictable weather as always!5 stars

  8. Had everything on hand bar the cashews and dill.  Made the tzatziki with yoghurt and tarragon along with the rest of your ingredients.  Very much enjoyed our tea, tasty.5 stars

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  11. I’m definitely going to check out her ebook! I also have Crohn’s Disease, so I selfishly am even more interested in the ebook now.

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