Those that have visited Greece will have surely also visited a fast-food counter serving Souvlaki, Gyro, Sausages, Kebabs and Biftekia. Some of these “souvlatzidika” also serve this gem called “Koto-Bacon”. These are bacon-wrapped chicken souvlaki and they are to die-for!

These aren’t too hard to make but there are a few things you should pay attention to:

• I like chicken thigh but you can use breast
• Don’t get fancy with the bacon…thin, supermarket bought bacon works here
• When threading the skewers, make sure the seam of the bacon facing the inner part (against the others) to keep from unwrapping as they cook
• If grilling, watch for flare-ups from bacon fat
• Serve as an appetizer with just one piece of koto-bacon on a skewer

The bacon becomes like a second skin to the chicken. Juicy chicken morsels wrapped in crisp bacon, finished with a squeeze of lemon.

Bacon-Wrapped Chicken (Koto-Bacon) Souvlaki

(makes 8 skewers)

8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or 4 chicken breasts)

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

1/4 cup grated/minced onion (or onion powder)

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 tsp. sweet paprika

1 tsp. dried Greek oregano

16 slices of bacon

1. Cut your chicken into 32 pieces (four for each skewer) and place in a bowl. Add all the remaining ingredients (except the bacon). Toss the chicken and marinate, cover and place in the fridge for an hour.
2. Remove from the fridge and remove any excess marinate. Cut each slice of bacon in half. Wrap each piece of chicken tightly with bacon.
3. Thread 4 pieces of bacon wrapped chicken onto a wooden or metal skewer (pack them closely so bacon stays wrapped during cooking).
4. For baking method: pre-heat your oven to 425F.  Place your skewers on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place on the upper middle rack of your oven and bake for 15 minutes. Flip your skewers and bake for another 10 minutes or until bacon has rendered and is crisp. Remove from oven.
5. To cook on your gas grill: Place on the upper warming rack of your grill and close the lid. Cook for 30 minutes or until the bacon is cooked. Place the skewers onto your grill surface (direct heat) and grill on both sides until bacon is crisp.
6. Drizzle your Koto-Bacon with lemon juice, sprinkle some dried Oregano. Serve with Lemon Roast Potatoes, Baked Rice Pilaf or Greek fries.