Air Fryer Chicken Souvlaki
, Updated Jun 21, 2025
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Make the most delicious Chicken Souvlaki in your Air Fryer! Serve with Greek Pita Bread and all the fixings or with salad. Healthy, quick and super yummy.
Chicken souvlaki is in my DNA and I have certainly passed this love onto my family. I mean who doesn’t love this delicious Greek street snack, especially when you can make it so easily yourself at home.
Follow my easy Air Fryer Souvlaki recipe to make delicious chicken skewers without having to turn on the oven or BBQ.
What does souvlaki mean?
Souvlaki means little skewer in Greek and it refers to meat (or less typically, vegetables) that is cooked threaded on sticks / skewers.
Greek Souvlaki is usually made with chicken, pork or lamb that’s marinated first then grilled and served with pita bread, tzatziki sauce, tomato, onions and sometimes fries.
Gyros is another popular Greek delicacy that contains almost the same ingredients but is cooked stacked on a rotating vertical rotisserie.
Air Fyer Souvlaki Ingredients
The secret to authentic Greek Chicken Souvlaki (Kotopoulo Souvlaki) lies in the simple marinade which adds tons of flavour and makes the chicken succulent and delicious.
You simply need olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon zest, dried oregano, garlic seasoning, paprika, salt and pepper. I used chicken thighs in this recipe but you can use chicken breasts if preferred.
I used a rack and skewer set that came as part of an Air Fryer accessory bundle and my Cosori Air Fryer for this recipe.
HOW TO MAKE AIR FRYER SOUVLAKI
Full measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page. Please take a look at the steps and video before attempting this recipe!
Marinate the meat
- Slice the chicken into bite sized pieces, removing any large pieces of fat. Combine all the ingredients for the marinade in a bowl. Add the diced meat, mix to combine, cover and leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes in the fridge.
Make the souvlaki
- Thread the chicken on the skewers, you should be able to make at least eight, and preheat the Air Fryer for 3 minutes at 190°C (375°F).
- Place the skewers on a rack and air fry for 10 minutes, flipping over halfway through. To make sure the chicken is cooked through, check the temperature with a meat thermometer – it should be a minimum of 75°C / 167°F.
Serving suggestions
Mix the sliced onion with the chopped parsley and prep the souvlaki fixings while the meat marinates. I have include my recipe for Tzatziki sauce in the recipe card below.
Briefly pan fry the pita bread to warm up then add a little onion, tzatziki and sliced tomatoes. Take the chicken off the skewers, add to the pita, wrap tightly and enjoy! You can also serve the chicken with my Greek Potato Salad, Lemon Potatoes, Orzo Pasta Salad, over Spanakorizo or simply with a Horiatiki salad.
Recipe Tips
- Cook the marinated chicken pieces directly in the air fryer basket, without threading them onto skewers, shaking occasionally, for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through.
- To make the recipe suitable for Slimming World, use a cooking spray instead of the olive oil and serve with a green salad instead of in a wrap.
Related Recipes
HAVE YOU MADE MY AIR FRYER SOUVLAKI RECIPE? Please leave a rating, post a photo on my Facebook page, share it on Instagram with @supergolden88 and the tag #supergoldenbakes and make my day!
Air Fryer Chicken Souvlaki
Video
Ingredients
For the tzatziki
- 450 g (1 ½ cups) strained Greek Yogurt full fat
- 1 large cucumber seeds removed
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tbsp fresh mint very finely diced
- ½ tbsp fresh dill chopped
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp olive oil to drizzle
For the souvlaki & marinade
- 900 g (2 pounds) skinless chicken thighs or pork shoulder steaks
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- ½ tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp garlic and herb seasoning
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp sweet paprika
- ½ tsp ground cumin
To serve
- red onion sliced very thinly
- flat leaf parsley finely chopped
- smoked sweet paprika to dust
- large vine tomatoes sliced thinly
- pita bread
Instructions
Make the tzatziki sauce
- Coarsely grate the cucumber in a bowl and sprinkle with the salt.1 large cucumber, 2 tsp salt
- Let it stand for 5 minutes and then use a cheesecloth (or your hands) to squeeze most of the moisture out.
- Mix well with the yogurt, garlic, herbs and lemon juice and drizzle with olive oil. Cover and put in the fridge until needed to allow the flavours to develop.450 g (1 ½ cups) strained Greek Yogurt, 2 garlic cloves, 1 tbsp fresh mint, ½ tbsp fresh dill, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp olive oil to drizzle
Marinate the meat
- Slice the chicken into bite sized pieces, removing any large pieces of fat.900 g (2 pounds) skinless chicken thighs
- Mix all the ingredients for the marinade in a bowl. Add the diced meat, mix to combine, cover and leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes in the fridge.2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp lemon zest, 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar, 1 tbsp dried oregano, 1 tbsp garlic and herb seasoning, 1 tsp salt , ½ tsp sweet paprika, ½ tsp ground cumin
Make the souvlaki
- Thread the chicken on the skewers and preheat the Air Fryer for 3 minutes at 190°C (375°F).
- Place the skewers on a rack and air fry for 10 minutes, flipping over halfway through.
Serve the souvlaki
- Mix the sliced onion with the chopped parsley and have all your souvlaki fillings ready.red onion, flat leaf parsley
- Briefly pan fry the pitas to warm them up then add a little onion, tzatziki and sliced tomatoes.pita bread, large vine tomatoes
- Add the meat (off the skewers) and season with a little smoked paprika. Wrap the pitta around the fillings, using a little greaseproof paper to hold everything together if you like. Eat immediately!smoked sweet paprika
Notes
- You can use store-bought pita bread or make my super easy two ingredient flatbreads or Greek pita breads to serve your souvlaki with.
- You can also serve the souvlaki with a Greek Orzo Pasta Salad or a green salad.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate, and will depend on quality of ingredients and serving sizes.
This recipe was delicious! I made no changes besides adding some onion and green/red bell peppers to the skewers and sprinkling a little bit of Greek seasoning to the meat right before I placed it in the air fryer. It tasted like it came from our favorite Greek restaurant!