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An iconic food in upstate New York, chicken spiedies were a summer barbecue staple for my family and you’re guaranteed to love them too.
When my dad fired up the grill in the summer when I was a kid, it wasn’t your typical burgers and dogs, it was for spiedies. What is a spiedie you ask?
Spiedies are cubed meat (lamb, chicken or pork) that are marinated in a special “spiedie” sauce, skewered, and grilled. Spiedies are an iconic food in the Southern Tier of upstate New York where this current Jersey girl was born and bred.
We didn’t bother with fancy buns or toppings for our chicken spiedies (if you even attempted to put ketchup your’s in my house you would quickly be shown the door), but instead used a fresh slice of Italian bread to pull off the meat and immediately indulge.
Everyone got their spiedies pre-marinated and bagged from Lupos, a local purvyor with a monopoly on the market thanks to their secret and unbeatable marinade.
We never knew what they put in that magic sauce, (I’m pretty sure it was a combo of vinegar, olive oil, garlic, and fairy dust) and the thing is, we never asked. We never had to because it was easy peasy to drive a mile and pick them up, all ready to be strung on skewers and slapped on the grill.
Ah, but what’s a girl to do when she moves away from home and craving her native food? Well, Lupos does sell and ship that sauce, so I could stockpile it for summer grilling, but it just doesn’t feel the same.
So instead I’ve spent some time tweaking my own version. After experimenting with fresh and dried herbs (I’ve settled on a combination), the vinegar to olive oil ratio, just the right amount of garlic cloves, and the sweet and salt…I think I’ve got it.
The other trick is just how long you leave the spiedies marinating in the frig until they’re just right. I strongly recommend at least overnight, and even better (and if you can force yourself to wait), two nights.
The flavor we’re aiming for is a mellowed-out garlic, a bite from the vinegar, and all of those herby flavors infused in the meat.
Lamb was the meat of choice growing up and I think it still ranks as my favorite, but due to cost and availability chicken has since replaced it as the most popular choice.
Now you can play around and serve your chicken spiedies how you see fit (just please no ketchup), but definitely give one a try the old fashioned way, simply served in a slice of Italian bread.
I can’t promise that my version tastes exactly like Lupos (my grocery store doesn’t seem to stock fairy dust), but they are pretty damn good. Just make sure you give your chicken spiedies time to marinate and do their thing.
I hope you enjoy a little bit of my hometown at your next barbecue!
Tips for success
- If you don’t have white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar may be substituted.
- Be sure to cut the meat into uniform size cubes so it cooks evenly.
- This marinade works interchangeably with different meats. Boneless cubed lamb, beef, or pork would be equally delicious.
- If you have time to plan in advance, marinate the chicken spiedies even longer. Two days is ideal!
- You can serve these spiedies in rolls or even over a salad. The old-school way is to pull the meat off the skewer with a slice of fresh Italian bread and eat it simply folded into the bread. DELISH!
More grilled chicken recipes
- Breaded Chicken Skewers
- Honey Glazed Grilled Chicken Legs
- Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad
- Garlic and Herb Grilled Chicken Wings
- 1 cup white wine vinegar
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 6 cloves garlic, smashed
- 2 dried bay leaves, crushed
- 1 Tbsp dried oregano
- 1 Tbsp dried Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp dried red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped or torn
- 1 Tbsp fresh mint, chopped or torn
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped or torn
- 1 Tbsp fresh thyme, chopped or torn
- 1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 lbs chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
- metal or bamboo skewers (soaked in water for 30 mins)
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Combine all of the marinade ingredients except the olive oil in a bowl and whisk well to combine.
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Add the olive oil in a steady stream while whisking and set aside. (Alternatively process all of the marinade ingredients in a food processor until well blended.)
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Cut the chicken breasts into 1 inch cubes. Place the chicken cubes in a ziplock bag and pour the marinade over the chicken.
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Seal the bag and refrigerate for 24 hours, or even better, 2 days.
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Preheat your grill to med/high heat. While the grill heats, thread the marinated chicken onto the skewers (about 8 or 9 cubes per skewer).
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Grill about 5 mins per side, turning once. Serve with sliced Italian bread or rolls.
- If you don’t have white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar may be substituted.
- Be sure to cut the meat into uniform size cubes so it cooks evenly.
- This marinade works interchangeably with different meats. Boneless cubed lamb, beef, or pork would be equally delicious.
- If you have time to plan in advance, marinate the chicken spiedies even longer. Two days is ideal!
- You can serve these spiedies in rolls or even over a salad. The old-school way is to pull the meat off the skewer with a slice of fresh Italian bread and eat it simply folded into the bread. DELISH!
Update Notes: This post was originally published in June 2017 but was republished with tips in June 2020.
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Paula Jo Dorrity says
I googled “lupos” and came up with this: https://www.spiedies.com. They are in Endicott, NY and are Sam Lupo & Sons biz. They sell both the marinades plus pre-marinated Spiedie meat. Chow Down!
Cathy says
Yep, that’s the place. I grew up in Endicott and have consumed my body weight in Lupos spiedies. My recipe is inspired by them, but not exactly the same. Let me know if you give it a try.
Milena | Craft Beering says
These look so tasty! Plus the name is really catchy. Growing up I used to eat a lamb skewer marinated in yogurt and a very similar spice blend, minus the soy sauce, lemon and vinegar (and sadly no fairy dust) and my grandmother always insisted on having to marinate the lamb for two days! I guess the Lacto needs time:) So cool to learn about your favorite thing to grill as a child. Definitely trying spiedies this summer! Pinned!
Cathy says
That sounds so similar Milena! And grandmas are always right!
Cousin Tara says
I just mixed this up and I have 1/3 of it on lamb (SALE!) and the rest on chicken. I can’t wait until tomorrow. Normally I go 48 hours as well but when lamb goes on sale the day before your BBQ you just make it happen.
When I made speidies the weekend before last for Jon’s surprise birthday party, everyone loved them. I used a Lupos copycat recipe. As the week passed, I was getting requests for the recipe and then you posted this so I sent them this way. My friend texted me at 130am to tell me (again) how great they were!
Cathy says
What great timing Tara! I saw the pic you posted and glad they were Jon approved! Happy birthday to Jon!
Stefanie says
Made these for dinner tonight and they are fantastic! I let them marinate for over 2′ days and I think I enjoyed them even more than Lupos, which I rarely get anymore living in Maryland. Love this recipe – it’s so fresh – and I will be making them all summer! Thanks for bringing spiedies to me 🙂
Cathy says
Stefanie this made my day! So happy you enjoyed them and thanks for letting me know!
Danita says
Have you tried State Fair brand spiedie marinade, it is very good too? It is available in MD at Wegmans and Weis Markets has carried Lupos and State Fair brand in their MD stores.
Cathy says
Haven’t tried it. When I visit home, we head to Lupos, but when I’m back in NJ, I make my own. Let me know if you give it a try.
Alixandra Hice says
My Grandmother lived on Rogers Avenue in Endicott, just a few doors down from the original Lupo’s market at Rogers and Watson Boulevard. I visited that tiny little shop many times as a child and vividly recall picking up meat orders for my Grandma. The Lupo’s brothers had a little meat counter in the back and would tear off big white whooshing sheets of butcher paper to wrap up their meats in. Funny what you recall as a kid. Back then, the spedie marinade was not as closely guarded a secret family recipe as it is today, and although I can purchase bottled Lupo’s spedie marinade at Publix, I still love to whip up my own. The key is to marinate the meat for 48-72 hours, so you have to buy the very freshest meat possible. Thanks for this trip down memory lane. ❤️
Cathy Roma says
My dad grew up very close to there as well, on the northside of Endicott. He was very particular about his speidies all his life and lamb was his favorite for years, though he eventually came to like (tolerate) chicken. I have so many great food memories from growing up and that white butchers paper is in a bunch of them – the pizza at Duffy’s and Jim Romas!
Amy says
This was a lot of work so I I thought to myself, there is no way just marinated chicken is going to be good enough to warrant all this effort. Well, it exceeded my expectations. SO DELICIOUS. We will definitely make this again and wow our friends at our next BBQ. How did I go to school in Syracuse for 4 years and miss these?!?
Cathy Roma says
AMY!! You made my day!! This is my childhood experience you’re talking about, so I’m glad it paid off for you. Spiedies are the bomb, so I’ve never figured out how they haven’t made their way out of the Southern Tier of NY. Perhaps you’re the ticket!
agreso says
Have you tried State Fair brand spiedie marinade, it is very good too? It is available in MD at Wegmans and Weis Markets has carried Lupos and State Fair brand in their MD stores.
Cathy Roma says
I haven’t tried State Fair brand as we were Lupos fans. Let me know if you try it.
Donna Reale says
I love making Spiedies, either with my own sauce recipe (very similar to yours) or with bottled Spiedie sauce that I can even get here in the wilds of Arizona. My husband came from Montrose, PA which is also spiedie country. He and I use lamb when we can afford it, or chicken or pork. I also make vegetarian spiedies for my daughter and her friends. But I’ve learned one thing in trying to tweak the recipe for non-meat ‘meat’: if you try to make Spiedies with artificial chicken or seitan, DON’T marinate it too long. The artificial meat is like a sponge so the it becomes too strongly spiced if you treat it like real meat. A ten minute quick dip is all you need to treat the vegheads in the house.
Cathy Roma says
What great tips for vegetarian spiedies! Thanks for sharing. I’ll be heading home for a visit soon to get my fix of the “real thing”!