Chicken Souvlaki

I have mentioned a few times before on this blog how much I love Greek food. I have several Greek restaurants in Dallas I enjoy, and usually when I have a craving I Robert and I go out to eat there. Last night, however, I decided I wanted to make my favorite Greek meal, chick souvlaki at home. Outside of hummus, this is really the first Greek meal I have made in my kitchen. I modeled the ingredients and plating after the chicken souvlaki served at Ziziki's, my favorite Greek restaurant.

I made a few modifications due to a recent allergy I've developed for raw onions and garlic. Usually you see onion with the chicken and garlic in the sauce but I substituted bell pepper and garlic powder and was really pleased with the results. This meal really came together quickly and Robert and I even got to go workout at the gym while the chicken was marinating. Pair this with pita and roasted potatoes for a great meal.

So before we get to the recipe I have a slight confession. Initially I was only planning to write about the tzatziki sauce recipe and not chicken souvlaki so I didn't take any photos of marinating or cooking the chicken and bell peppers. The final result was so tasty, I knew that I wanted to post the whole meal, even if I was a few photos short. So hopefully you can forgive the lack of photos at the end, fortunately it's a pretty straight forward process.

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Chicken Souvlaki


Ingredients
2 medium cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
juice of 1 lemon
1 heaping tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon garlic powder
fresh ground pepper
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
Red bell peppers
Onions (if desired)

Instructions
Peel the cucumbers and cut them in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, remove the seeds and discard.

Dice the cucumbers and place in a colander. Sprinkle with kosher salt and set in the sink to drain off some of the excess water. (This will help keep the sauce from being too runny.)

After 30 minutes, place the cucumber in the bowl of the food processor along with the dill, garlic powder, lemon juice and pepper.

Puree until smooth. 

Pour the Greek yogurt into a large bowl.

Gradually stir in the cucumber puree.

When the sauce is ready, cube the chicken and bell peppers (and onions if desired) into 2 inch cubes and string on a skewer.
Place in a shallow dish and pour a good amount of tzatziki sauce over the chicken.
Let marinate in the fridge for about an hour.
Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Heat a grill pan over medium high heat and sear the chicken and bell peppers.
After 5 minutes, transfer the pan to the oven to finish cooking. Cook for about 10-15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
Serve on pita with more tzatziki sauce drizzled on top with roasted potatoes and enjoy.

Source: Tzatziki recipe slightly modified from Kalyn's Kitchen

Sevan G&G Cafe: A Wonderful Taste of the Mediterranean

Photo Credit: Sevan G&G Website

One of my favorite cuisines is Greek/Mediterranean. When I graduated from high school my parents and I took a trip to Italy and Greece. During my time in Greece I completely fell in love with the fresh flavors that infuse every dish. Ever since I am always on the look out for a good Greek restaurant in whatever city I am in. Sevan G&G Cafe will certainly be my go to Greek restaurant in Dallas from here on out.

Sevan G&G Cafe is located on Greenville Avenue just south of Belmont in a small strip center across from the old Whole Foods store. While the first impression from the street may not be much, don't let that keep you from walking through this East Dallas gem. The interior dining room is warm and inviting and a nice intimate size for a great date or double date location. And it's BYOB which also makes it an affordable date for those nights when you want a night away from the home but don't want to spend a lot of money.

Photo Credit: Sevan G&G Website

Robert and I were joined by our friends the Morgans for dinner at Sevan G&G earlier this week and we found the food delicious, and the restaurant quiet, perfect for some great conversation. We decided to start by ordering the Sevan hummus as an appetizer. The hummus was smooth with the perfect balance between garlic and tahini flavors and the boldness of the sauteed lamb and roasted pine nuts were a nice contrast to the smoothness of the hummus.

Robert and Andrew both opted to order the Gyro plate, which includes both sauteed lamb with pita, fresh vegetables and tzatziki sauce. The tzatziki sauce was perfectly seasoned with dill and other herbs so that they provided a full flavor without overpowering the yogurt. The lamb was well seasoned and not at all gamey, a key indicator of great Greek food, in my honest opinion. The pairing of the fresh vegetables and pita with the lamb provided a healthy, yet fulfilling meal that both men enjoyed thoroughly.

Missy and I both ordered the Chicken Tawook: seasoned chicken kabobs, fresh vegetables and vermicelli also served with tzatziki sauce and pita bread. The chicken was perfectly seasoned and the coolness of the tzatziki sauce was a perfect compliment to the spices in the chicken. I have always loved vermicelli that is a staple in Greek cuisine. Vermicelli is basically rice with small pieces of rice pasta that has been sauteed and has wonderful flavor and texture. Much like the gyro plate the guys enjoyed, our meal was filling yet light. On a previous visit Robert enjoyed a Greek salad and spoke nothing but praises about the blend of the vinaigrette, cucumbers, olives and shaved feta, which he insists is far superior to crumbled feta.

All in all Sevan G&G was a big success and certainly a place we will return to again and again. The atmosphere was perfect for an evening out with friends, the food was amazing and, thanks to the BYOB policy, we got out for about $30 a couple. We ran out of room for dessert, but next time I plan to save room for some Baklava.