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All I seem to want to eat at the moment is summery salads, so this gluten free chicken kebabs with Greek rice salad has become one of my favourite meals!
The gluten free kebabs are kind of my own take on chicken souvlaki – which is a Greek version of a middle Eastern kebab.
Marinaded in yoghurt, garlic, olive oil, oregano and paprika, these are cooked on suspended skewers so they become extra juicy and delicious.
The Greek rice salad has all the best bits of a Greek salad – feta, olive, tomato, cucumber, onion and a tangy dressing, mixed with rice to make it more substantial.
It’s all served with a garlic yoghurt dip which just brings the whole dish together – the perfect summer meal!
For an extra treat, why not whip up a batch of my gluten free flatbreads to serve them with too?
My chicken souvlaki kebabs
The first part of this dish is the chicken kebabs – aka chicken souvlaki.
Chicken kebabs are my favourite – they are just so deliciously meaty and the chicken is so tender when cooked on two skewers in this way.
This recipe works best when the chicken chunks are marinaded overnight – then the best way to cook them is by using two skewers and laying the ends of the skewers over a baking dish.
These would be EPIC cooked on the barbecue as well for an authentic flame grill, but sadly our BBQ is broken so I opted for the ‘indoor BBQ’ – aka oven – instead!
The Greek rice salad
Greek salad is one of my favourites – but I also love a rice salad when it comes to a summer spread, picnic or BBQ.
You could easily make all the elements of this dish individually and take this as a side for a buffet or barbecue get-together.
This Greek rice salad is super quick and easy to make. Simply chop up the veg and mix the dressing while the rice is cooking, then drain the rice and mix together.
It’s lovely served warm or cold and makes a fabulous side dish for many meals – but it’s obviously best with my gluten free chicken kebabs!
My easy garlic yoghurt dip
The garlic yoghurt dip really brings this whole meal together, and reminds me of the epic garlic sauce you used to be able to get in kebab shops!
Simply mix together the yoghurt, garlic and lemon juice to get an epic sauce to drizzle over your chicken and salad.
You could serve this on the side as a dip, but I like to pour it over the cooked chicken kebabs, with some extra on the side too.
Of course, you could make this element of the dish for any meal, but it really brings this together with a welcome tang!
A quick and easy gluten free dinner
While this recipe looks like it has a lot of instructions, it’s actually pretty easy to throw together into the dream summer dinner.
In terms of timings, you want to firstly prepare the marinade the night before and then coat the chicken, leaving it in the fridge to marinade overnight.
Once the chicken is in the oven, you can prepare the rice salad and Greek yoghurt dip easily in the time it takes to cook.
Which means the whole thing can be on your plate in half an hour – happy days!
What do I need to make these recipes?
I’ve broken the recipe down into the individual elements below, but to make it easier here is a full shopping list of everything in total you’ll need to make all three parts:
- 4 x chicken breasts
- Greek yoghurt
- Garlic paste
- Dried oregano
- Paprika
- Juice of 3 large lemons
- Chilli flakes (optional)
- Basmati rice (uncooked)
- Black olives
- Small red onion
- Plum tomatoes
- Half a cucumber
- Olive oil
- Red wine vinegar
- Salt and pepper
Once you’ve got all that together it’s time to whip this all up – trust me, it’s super easy and it’s absolutely worth it!
I try to explain all my recipes really clearly so don’t be put off if the recipe looks rather long – it’s simply me making sure I describe it all to you properly!
My gluten free chicken kebabs and Greek rice salad
The recipe below may seem lengthy but don’t worry, it’s simply describing everything in the right order to make your cooking as efficient as possible.
It serves four people but you can easily up or downscale the recipe depending on how many hungry mouths you’re feeding!
If you make this recipe and love it, please do let me know by tagging me on my Instagram or using #theglutenfreeblogger. I love seeing your bakes!
And if you loved it, please do leave a review to let others know you loved it too! It would mean the world to me.
Chicken kebabs with Greek rice salad
My gluten free chicken kebabs (souvlaki) are marinaded overnight for maximum flavour and then paired with a tangy Greek rice salad and garlic yoghurt dip for the perfect summer dinner. This recipe serves four so you can easily halve quantities to serve two.
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 4 x chicken breasts
- 4 tbsp Greek yoghurt
- 2 tsp garlic paste
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 large lemon (juice only)
- 1 tsp chilli flakes (optional)
For the Greek rice salad:
- 200g basmati rice (uncooked)
- 100g black olives
- 1 small red onion
- 150g plum tomatoes
- 1/2 cucumber
- 100g feta cheese
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 large lemon (juice only)
- 1 tsp garlic paste
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- Salt and pepper
For the garlic yoghurt dip:
- 3 tbsp Greek yoghurt
- Juice of half a lemon
- 1 tsp garlic paste
- 4-5 fresh mint leaves
Instructions
Marinade the chicken overnight
- The night before making this, slice the chicken into large, thick strips around 2-3cm thick (slice across the chicken breast, not lengthways).
- Mix together the Greek yoghurt, garlic paste, oregano, paprika, lemon juice and chilli flakes (if using). Place the chicken slices in a large bowl, pour over the marinade and mix well until coated.
- Cover and refrigerate until you're ready to cook it.
Prepare the chicken kebabs:
- Preheat the oven to 200'C / Fan 180'C / Gas 6. Find a roasting tin and 8 metal skewers long enough to sit across the top of it with space underneath - so the ends of the skewers are balanced on each end.
- Remove the chicken from the fridge, take one piece and thread it over two skewers - so it has one skewer through each side. Do this until you've threaded a quarter of the chicken onto the skewers (put the pieces right up next to each other but not so tight they're all squashed) and then do the same with the rest of the chicken - so that you have 4 kebabs, each with two skewers in.
- Lie the skewers so that the ends balance on the edge of the roasting tin, with the chicken suspended over the tin. Place in the oven for 30 minutes - rotating the chicken after 15 minutes to cook each side evenly. Meanwhile prepare the rice and dip.
For the Greek rice salad:
- Boil a pan of water and add the basmati rice. Stir once, place a lid on the pan and turn the heat down to low. Cook for 10 minutes.
- While the rice is cooking, prepare the veg. Peel and finely dice the red onion. Cut the plum tomatoes and dice the cucumber into approx 1cm cubes. Slice the black olives. Add all of the prepared veg to a large mixing bowl.
- Make the dressing by adding the olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, garlic paste, dried oregano and a generous seasoning of salt and pepper to a Tupperware tub. Place the lid on tightly and then shake to mix.
- Once the rice has cooked, drain off any excess water and leave to cool for 5 minutes in the sieve. Add the cooled rice to the vegetables, pour over the dressing and then crumble over the feta cheese. Mix well and set to one side.
For the garlic yoghurt dip:
- Add the Greek yoghurt, garlic paste and lemon juice to a small bowl and mix well. Finely chop the fresh mint leaves and stir into the dip.
To serve:
- Serve the Greek rice salad between four plates. Remove the cooked chicken from the oven and place a kebab on each plate. Drizzle with the garlic yoghurt dip or serve on the side or in a separate bowl for diners to help themselves.
Notes
- The chicken is best marinaded overnight - ideally for around 24 hours - but if you're short on time you could either marinade it the morning before cooking or up to three hours minimum before. You need the marinading time A) for the flavours and B) for extra juicy chicken!
- I cook this in the oven for ease but you could use the grill (it would take around 15-20 minutes) or even cook it on the barbecue for that lovely flame-grilled taste!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 567Total Fat: 26gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 126mgSodium: 815mgCarbohydrates: 38gFiber: 5gSugar: 14gProtein: 46g
Need some more gluten free meal inspiration?
If you want to have a go at some of the other gluten free baking recipes on the blog, why not give some of these a try? They’re perfect for baking away all of your troubles.
- Creamy houmous and chorizo pasta
- Vegan and gluten free chickpea curry
- The ULTIMATE potato salad recipe
- Easy spinach pasta with ‘no cook’ sauce
If you do make this recipe please let me know! I’d love to see your photos using #theglutenfreeblogger, share them in my Facebook group or tag me on Instagram.
And if you have any recipe suggestions, please let me know in the comments what you’d like to see next!