Chicken Souvlaki Kebabs with Tzatziki Sauce
I am obsessed with food trucks. Really obsessed.
So obsessed last night I’ve found myself taking notes while watching “Eat Street” on the Cooking Channel; and mentally planning a coast-to-coast trip with stops and detours at the coolest food trucks around the country.
I love food trucks because they have revolutionized the concept of meals on wheels by bringing a healthy, innovative, sustainable and gourmet approach to standard street fare.
Excellent food, convenient, casual, fun, with not a hint of formality. My kinda eatery.
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Over the last year or so I've compiled a list of all of the food trucks across the country that I want to visit asap.
Such as the “Happy Belly Curbside Kitchen” in Atlanta Georgia; a farm-to-street truck that makes this Puffin Paleo thing which is apparently to die for. An amazing grilled free-range chicken served on a bed of sautéed zucchini noodles, pine nuts and fresh basil pesto.
I also want to try the “Hola Arepa” in Minneapolis, that dishes up sustainable Latin cuisine, using only locally raised all-natural meats.
And what about “Not So Fast!” in San Diego?
The first primal/paleo food truck offering local and pastured meats & eggs, wild caught seafood, and vegetables & fruit. A friend of mine told me great things about the “Zee Wild Board” — a BBQ Spiced Wild Boar Burger served with Herb Grilled Onions, Pickles & Spicy Honey Mustard on a lettuce wrap.
Mouthwatering.
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I have favorites in NYC; such as The Cinnamon Snail, Kelvin Slush or the Kimchi Taco Truck; but my absolute #1 has to be the Souvlaki Gr Truck.
Believe me when I say that they make the most perfect souvlaki kebabs ever.
Perfect as in that you eat one and order another while your mouth is still full. And then order another one and another one....and then you find yourself frantically walking around the truck trying to gather the courage to order - with a straight face - the millionth. That good.
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I’ve asked many times Kostas, Pavlos and Abby (i.e., the owners) for their souvlakis’ recipe.
While it’s known that a chef never reveals his secret recipe, if you ask like a gazillion times, over and over again the same question, in the end you get bits and pieces.
I know it’s annoying, but I must do it. I have to. It’s just a thing.
I think my persistence paid off in the end. This is a solid recipe for souvlaki, almost up to par with Gr Truck’s.
With grilling season upon us, you need a classic marinade that never fails. Because sometimes you can never beat the classics!
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Inspired by the Souvlaki Gr Truck
Ingredients
Serves 4
1 lb / 453 gr free-range organic chicken breast, cut into chunks
Marinade
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
Ground black pepper to taste
Tzatziki sauce
1 container (6 oz) plain Greek yogurt
1 small cucumber, peeled and grated
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 tablespoon fresh mint, finely chopped
Directions
In a small bowl stir olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, salt and black pepper.
In a shallow sealable container or in a large Ziplock bag, combine chicken chunks and marinade. Cover or seal and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours (marinate overnight for fullest flavor.)
In the meantime make tzatziki sauce by combining all ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
Remove chicken chunks from the marinade and skewer onto bamboo sticks that have been soaked in water for 5 minutes. Discard unused marinade.
Heat a grill or a grill pan to medium-high (if you’re using an outdoor grill lightly oil the grill grates.)
Grill the chicken kebabs, until cooked through and nicely browned on all sides and chicken is no longer pink in the center, about 8 minutes per side.
Serve with tzatziki sauce.
Nutrition facts
One serving (without tzatziki) yields 249 calories, 11 grams of fat, 1 gram of carbs and 35 grams of protein.
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