Zesty Souvlaki Roast Chicken

Souvlaki Marinade

• 12 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 6 tbsp olive oil
• 4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 3 rounded tbsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 6 cloves minced garlic 

Mix all of the ingredients together and pour over the chicken in a Ziploc bag. Toss the chicken around well in the marinade to coat on all sides. Marinate in the fridge for a couple of hours or overnight. 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place the chicken pieces on a wire rack on top of a baking sheet and roast for about 60-75 minutes depending on the size of your chicken pieces. I like to turn the pieces over once during the cooking time.

Serve with a Greek Salad, flat-bread and tzatziki.

Lemon Mint Tzatziki

• 3 cups Greek yogurt, drained.

Draining the yogurt removes much of the liquid and produces an end product about the consistency of thick sour cream. To drain the yogurt, line a colander with several layers of cheesecloth (or in a pinch, several large coffee filters) Pour the yogurt into the colander and place it in a large bowl or in the sink for an hour or two. this should produce about 2 cups of thick yogurt.

• 6 inch piece of English cucumber

Peel the piece of cucumber and remove the seeds and pulp at the center with a teaspoon, then dice the outside flesh of the cucumber into small cubes of  1/8 inch or less.

Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of kosher salt over the diced cucumber and toss together well. Let this rest for about a half hour , stirring occasionally. This process removes some of the liquid from the cucumber so that it will not water down the consistency of your finished tzatziki. Drain all of the liquid off the diced cucumber before adding it to the drained yogurt along with:

• 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• pinch salt and pepper to season

Mix well, cover and store in the fridge for at least a half hour before serving.