Greek-Style Chicken Kebabs

I closed on a beautiful home in Seminole Heights this week. The buyers — a young couple, first-timers — looked at the keys the way I looked at my real estate license in 2012: like they were holding the future in their hands.

Alexander called from USF this week. He is settling in and building a life with the quiet competence of a young man who watched his mother rebuild from nothing and decided that building is what Papadopouloses do. He still does not call Yia-yia enough. He never will.

Some weeks are ordinary. This was an ordinary week. I sold houses. I cooked dinner. I called Mama. I drove to Tarpon Springs on Sunday. The extraordinary thing about ordinary weeks is that they are the ones you miss most when they are gone.

I seared lamb chops in cast iron — hot and fast, finished with lemon and oregano. The kitchen smelled like a Greek taverna in a snowstorm. I ate it on the back porch while the sun set and the air smelled like jasmine and salt air. A quiet evening. The food was good. Good is enough. Good is everything.

I visited the bakery this weekend. Mama was behind the counter, flour on her apron, her face set in the concentration of a woman who takes baking as seriously as other people take surgery. I stood next to her and rolled dough and said nothing because the silence between us is not empty — it is full of every recipe she taught me and every critique she gave me and every morning she woke at 4 AM to make phyllo that nobody else can make.

The lamb chops were perfect that night — hot cast iron, lemon, oregano, the back porch at golden hour — but the flavors that carried me through the week were unmistakably Greek, the kind that Mama has been pressing into me since before I was tall enough to see the stovetop. If you want to bring that same taverna warmth to your own kitchen without hunting down lamb chops, these Greek-Style Chicken Kebabs are where I’d point you: same herbs, same brightness, same quiet satisfaction of a meal that is simply, completely good.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)
1 teaspoon lemon zest
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1 red onion, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 large green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch chunks
Fresh parsley, chopped, for serving
Lemon wedges, for serving

Instructions

Make the marinade. In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, oregano, thyme, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes if using.
Marinate the chicken. Add the chicken cubes to the bowl and toss well to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes, or up to 4 hours for deeper flavor.
Prepare the skewers. If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 20 minutes before grilling. Thread the marinated chicken alternately with chunks of red onion and bell pepper onto skewers.
Grill the kebabs. Preheat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat and lightly oil the grates. Grill the skewers for 12–15 minutes, turning every 3–4 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and lightly charred at the edges.
Rest and serve. Transfer the kebabs to a platter, let rest for 3 minutes, then scatter with fresh parsley and serve with lemon wedges alongside warm pita or rice if desired.

Nutrition (per serving)

Greek-Style Chicken Kebabs — When the Kitchen Smells Like Home