Air Fryer Chicken Souvlaki

Name: Air Fryer Chicken Souvlaki
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 4 serves
Ingredients: 800 g Chicken Thigh Fillets; 8 Short Bamboo Skewers; 3 tbsp Olive Oil; 1 Lemon; 3 Garlic Cloves; 2 tsp Dried Oregano; 1 tsp Sweet Paprika; 1½ tsp Salt; Black Pepper; 1 Lebanese Cucumber; 250 g Greek Yoghurt; 1 Garlic Clove; 1 tbsp Olive Oil; 1 tsp Red Wine Vinegar; 1 tbsp Fresh Dill or Mint; ½ tsp Salt; 3 Ripe Tomatoes; 1 Lebanese Cucumber; ½ Small Red Onion; 100 g Feta; 1 handful Kalamata Olives; 2 tbsp Olive Oil; 1 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar; Dried Oregano and Salt; 4 Pita Breads; 1 Lemon

Squeeze the cucumber hard — watery tzatziki is the only way to get this wrong.

John DrummondWritten 17 October 2026

Short skewers of golden chicken thigh with charred edges on a platter with lemon wedges, beside a bowl of tzatziki, a Greek salad with a slab of feta, and warm pita

Prep30min

Cook15min

All up

45min+ at least 30 minutes

Serves4

LevelEasy

Summer food. Lemon, garlic and oregano chicken thigh on short skewers, cooked in the Ninja Crispi Pro until it has charred edges and is still juicy inside, with thick garlicky tzatziki, a Greek salad and warm pita.

Written for the Crispi Pro 6-in-1 before it has arrived, so the times are a starting point, not yet tested. Check the thickest piece reaches 75°C.

Skewers: short bamboo skewers, about 15 cm, trimmed so they lie flat in the 5.7L glass container. Soak them in water while the chicken marinates so the ends don’t scorch. No skewers? Cook the pieces loose; it is the same dish.

Thigh, not breast: it stays juicy at high heat and forgives an extra minute.

Make ahead: the tzatziki is better made a few hours ahead, and keeps two days in the fridge. The salad is dressed at the last minute.

The method

Five moves.

Chicken, Marinate
Mix the oil, lemon zest and juice, garlic, oregano, paprika, salt and pepper, and toss the chicken through. Marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours in the fridge; longer and the lemon turns the outside mealy. Soak the skewers at the same time.
Tzatziki, Make
Grate the cucumber, a pinch of the salt over it, and leave it 5 minutes. Squeeze it hard in a clean tea towel until it stops dripping. Into the yoghurt with the garlic, oil, vinegar, dill or mint and the rest of the salt. Chill it.
Skewers, Air Fry
Thread the chicken onto the skewers, four or five pieces each, not packed tight. Single layer on the crisper plate in the 5.7L glass container, two batches if they don't fit; no preheat. Air Fry at 200°C for 14–16 minutes, turning halfway, until the edges char and the thickest piece reaches 75°C.
Salad, Dress
While the chicken cooks: tomato, cucumber and onion in a bowl, dressed with the oil, vinegar, oregano and a pinch of salt. Feta and olives on top.
Pita, Warm, Serve
Warm the pita in a dry pan, 20–30 seconds a side. Rest the chicken a couple of minutes. Serve with the pita, a big spoon of tzatziki, the salad and lemon wedges.

Next level

Make your own flatbreads

Optional · +1 ingredient · +25 min

Make the flatbreads. Mix 250 g self-raising flour, 250 g Greek yoghurt and a good pinch of salt into a soft dough, knead it for a minute, and rest it covered for 10 minutes. Divide it into four, roll each one about 5 mm thick, and cook them in a hot dry pan for 2 minutes a side until puffed and spotted.

Brush them hot with olive oil mixed with a grated garlic clove and a pinch of salt. Soft, chewy and better than any pita from a packet, for very little work.

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