Chicken souvlaki is almost always made with chunks of boneless skinless breasts, which have a marked tendency to dry out when grilled. To prevent this, we swap the traditional overnight soak in an acidic marinade for a quick 30-minute brine while the grill heats. We then toss the chunks of chicken in a flavorful mixture of lemon, olive oil, herbs, and honey right before grilling. To prevent the end pieces from overcooking, we protect the chicken by threading pepper and onion pieces on the ends. Once cooked, the chicken is tossed with reserved sauce to ensure that the exterior is brightly flavored and just as tender and moist as the interior.

Great with Tzatziki Sauce and Hummus for Real or Quick Hummus

• 1 1/2 - 2 pounds chicken tenders
• 1 quart cold water
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice (1 lemon plus and half left over from the sauce)
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/2 small red onion (Use the other half for a salad.)

1. Brine the chicken in a large glass baking dish filled with 1 quart water and 2 tablespoons dissolved salt. Brine for 30 minutes in the fridge.
2. Make the marinade. In a glass measuring cup, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice and zest, parsley, oregano, and honey. Remove 1/4 cup of the marinade to a large bowl. Set the large bowl aside.
3. Make the Tzatziki Sauce
4. When the chicken is finished in the brine, drain it and pat it dry. Pour the marinade over it and allow it to marinate for 15 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, heat up the grill to high.
6. Prepare the skewers. Remove the ends of the onion. Cut it in half lengthwise and then cut each half into four chunks. Thread some onion chunks onto the skewer. The idea is to protect the chicken ends from charring. Thread on the chicken onto the skewer, dividing the chicken evenly among however many skewers you have. Finish with another chunk of red onion. Repeat with the remaining skewers.
7. Grill on medium high for 15- 20 minutes, turning halfway through. Make sure it does not char. I heated my grill with all three burners, but only kept two of them on during grilling.
8. Any remaining onions can chopped up and added to the remaining cucumber to make a salad. Just chop the remaining cucumber half up too and mix it all together with a splash of red wine vinegar and olive oil.

Any remaining onions can chopped up and added to the remaining cucumber to make a salad. Just chop the remaining cucumber half up too and mix it all together with a splash of red wine vinegar and olive oil.

While the chicken is brining and/or marinating, make some Tzatziki Sauce or Quick Hummus