Donair Chicken Skewers are prepared with marinated chicken thighs in a make-at-home Greek seasoning blend, and then grilled to perfection. Topped with a homemade donair sauce, these skewers will be an immediate new family favourite!
There are some people who will take the time to make donair meat at home from scratch. And, then there’s me. It’s very time consuming, and requires special equipment. I’ll take the shortcut and get all of the flavour I crave in these easy to make Donair Chicken Skewers!
Last week, I shared my Greek Seasoning Blend with you. Here’s another example of how to put that seasoning to use. Don’t worry, Dear Reader. If you didn’t make that recipe, or have any on hand, the recipe card below will guide you through it.

DONAIR CHICKEN SKEWERS
I think we need to fully understand a donair. Non-Canadians might not be familiar with it. Chances are you have had a doner kebab, shawarma, or gyro before. Oftentimes, it is argued that a donair is the same as one of those. Let me put those arguments to rest right now. They are not!
A donair is a Canadian specialty with a great story to boot. The story goes that a man named Peter Gamoulakos came to Canada in the 1950s. After spending some time in Greece, Peter brought back an idea to sell traditional gyros in his pizza shop. The plan failed, but instead of giving up, he decided to create a new recipe that better suited local tastes. He switched lamb to beef and added a special sauce, and the famous Halifax Donair was born.
The secret to a donair is in its simplicity, and especially the sauce. It’s a combination of all the ingredients in this tasty Canadian sandwich which makes the donair so iconic, and one that is growing in popularity across the country.
To create the unique flavours of the donair, Peter switched lamb to beef and replaced the thick tzatziki for a thinner, sweeter sauce made from condensed milk. The donair consists of thin slices of spiced beef laid on a warm Lebanese pita, topped with diced onion and tomato, and finally, drizzled with the sweet garlicky sauce.

LAMB TO BEEF; BEEF TO CHICKEN
For my Donair Chicken Skewers, I would highly recommend either boneless, skinless chicken thighs or chicken breast. I love working with chicken thighs. No matter what cooking method I throw at them, they always come out tender and moist. I’m also a fan of dark meat.
You can use breast meat for this recipe too. Because breast meat tends to cook faster than dark meat, you’ll want to ensure that the breast meat is cut into one inch chunks.
Breast meat can dry out rather quickly, but, it certainly won’t in this recipe. Because we are grilling the meat, and the fact that it has been marinated, it will be remain moist and tender.
Unlike chicken breast, you can cut the boneless, skinless chicken thighs into smaller pieces. They don’t have to be perfectly even. My rule of thumb is as follows: grill the thigh meat until golden brown. It’s really that simple.
In this particular case, I’m using boneless, skinless chicken thighs. By doing so, I’ve completely eliminated the risk of the chicken being dry. And, again, I prefer darker meat. Plus, thighs are more budget friendly.

HERE’S SOME OF WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO MAKE DONAIR CHICKEN SKEWERS:
- Chicken – As I mentioned above, you can use boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts.
- Greek Seasoning Blend – Last week, I shared a recipe for this. You can make that recipe and use it here, or you can follow the recipe card below and use just the amount you need for this dish.
- Olive Oil – This is used to help spread the seasoning blend around. It will help to tenderize and marinate the chicken. Also, there’s no need to oil your grill!
- Donair Sauce – I’ve shared the recipe for this in a previous post. You can find my recipe for Donair Sauce here. All you need is a can of sweetened condensed milk, garlic powder, and vinegar!

HOW TO MAKE DONAIR CHICKEN SKEWERS:
- Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. I tend to cut thigh meat into 3/4 inch cubes, and breasts into 1 inch cubes. Transfer chicken to a bowl. Set aside.
- Add in 4 teaspoons of the prepared Greek Seasoning Blend and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. (Or whisk together the following ingredients: dried oregano, paprika, onion powder, vegetable bouillon, parsley, salt, garlic powder, black pepper, thyme, cinnamon, nutmeg, and olive oil. Add this mixture to the chicken.)
- Toss the chicken well with the olive oil and spices until well coated.
- Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
- In the meantime, whisk the sweetened condensed milk with the garlic powder. Once fully combined, add the white vinegar and whisk until combined once more. Cover and refrigerate.
- Remove the chicken from fridge. Place chicken pieces on wooden skewers. Don’t pack the chicken too tightly, but the pieces should touch each other snugly.
- Preheat grill to 375 degrees F. Place the skewers onto the grill and cook until browned. Flip and cook the other side. Internal temperature of the chicken should be 165 degrees.
- Remove from grill. Plate and drizzle over some of the donair sauce. Serve with a Greek Salad and extra donair sauce on the side.


Donair Chicken Skewers
Ingredients
- 12 whole boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or 3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts)
For the Marinade:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon vegetable bouillon powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 pinch cinnamon
- 1 pinch nutmeg
For the Donair Sauce:
- 14 ounces canned sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
Instructions
- Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. I tend to cut thigh meat into 3/4 inch cubes, and breasts into 1 inch cubes. Transfer chicken to a bowl. Set aside.
- Add in 4 teaspoons of prepared Greek Seasoning Blend and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. (Or whisk together the following ingredients: dried oregano, paprika, onion powder, vegetable bouillon, parsley, salt, garlic powder, black pepper, thyme, cinnamon, nutmeg, and olive oil. Add this mixture to the chicken.)
- Toss the chicken well with the olive oil and spices until well coated. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
- In the meantime, whisk the sweetened condensed milk with the garlic powder. Once fully combined, add the white vinegar and whisk until combined once more. Cover and refrigerate.
- Remove the chicken from fridge. Place chicken pieces on wooden skewers. Don’t pack the chicken too tightly, but the pieces should touch each other snugly.
- Preheat grill to 375 degrees F. Place the skewers onto the grill and cook until browned. Flip and cook the other side. Internal temperature of the chicken should be 165 degrees.
- Remove from grill. Plate and drizzle over some of the donair sauce. Serve with a Greek salad and extra donair sauce on the side.
Nutrition

Text and story of the donair was taken from: https://www.skyscanner.ca/tips-and-inspiration/halifax-donair
Holly says
Oh so interesting! I wouldn’t have thought to put a sweeter sauce with condensed milk on chicken but am so interested to try this.
Lori says
Fabulous recipe, wouldn’t change a thing and will be making it again!! Thanks Lord Byron.
Merry Christmas 🎄🌲⛄️❄️
Latya says
Very good 👍
Diane P says
This dish was so good, family couldn’t get enough of it. And that sauce is so addictive.