Greek Chicken Gyros
User Reviews
4.9
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Prep Time
30 mins
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Cook Time
10 mins
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Total Time
3 hrs
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Servings
6 people
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
Greek
Greek Chicken Gyros
Description
The chicken is marinated for several hours in a mixture of olive oil, lemon juice, plain Greek yogurt, red wine vinegar, red onion, garlic, oregano, thyme, coriander, salt, and black pepper. This blend tenderizes the meat and imparts characteristic Greek flavors. After marinating, the chicken is grilled over moderate-high heat until cooked through, then rested and sliced into strips.
The accompanying tzatziki sauce begins by salting diced cucumber and draining excess moisture before combining it with yogurt, minced garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar, fresh parsley, dill, and black pepper. The result is a creamy, refreshing sauce with herbal brightness.
Assembling the gyros involves layering the sliced chicken on warm pita flatbread and topping with tzatziki, diced tomatoes, cucumbers, Romaine lettuce, red onions, crumbled feta cheese, and optionally Kalamata olives. These components balance juicy, smoky chicken with crisp vegetables and tangy, creamy sauce, offering layers of texture and flavor.
Ingredients
Greek Chicken
- 2 lbs boneless , skinless chicken breasts
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil , plus more for brushing
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 3 Tbsp yogurt plain, Greek
- 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1/3 cup onion red, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 1/2 tsp oregano dried
- 1 tsp thyme dried
- 1/2 tsp Coriander
- salt to taste, freshly ground
- black pepper to taste, freshly ground
Tzatziki
- 1 cucumber peeled, seeded and chopped into chunks, medium
- 1 tsp salt , plus more to taste
- 1 cup yogurt I used fat free, plain, Greek
- 1 garlic finely minced, clove
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice fresh
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp red wine vinegar
- 1 Tbsp parsley chopped, fresh
- 1 Tbsp dill or use 1 tsp dried, chopped, fresh
- black pepper freshly ground
For serving
- 6 - 8 pita flatbread homemade or store-bought (recipe in separate recipe card below, Greek
- Roma tomato peeled and diced cucumbers, chopped Romaine lettuce, diced red onions, feta cheese, cilantro and Kalamata olives (olives optional, diced
Instructions
To make Greek chicken:
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, Greek yogurt, red wine vinegar, chopped red onion, garlic, oregano, thyme, coriander and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
- Place chicken in a gallon ziploc bag, pour marinade over chicken, seal bag while pressing out excess air and transfer to refrigerator to marinate 2 - 4 hours. Remove chicken during the last 30 minutes of marinating to rest at room temperature before grilling (leave in marinade).
- Brush grill grates lightly with oil and preheat grill over moderately high heat. Once hot, add chicken and grill until cooked through (internal temperature should register 165 degrees F on an instant read thermometer), rotating once halfway through cooking.
- Remove from grill transfer to plate and brush chicken lightly with olive oil then cover with foil and allow to rest 10 minutes. Dice into strips.
To make tzatziki:
- Place diced cucumber in a mesh strainer or colander and sprinkle with salt, toss to evenly coat then allow to rest 30 minutes at room temperature.
- Rinse cucumbers and place over several layers of paper towels. Squeeze some of the liquid from cucumbers (almost as if wringing moisture from a cloth). Place cucumbers in food processor and pulse to chop to desired size.
- Add in Greek yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar, parsley, and dill and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Pulse to blend (or if you want it chunky you can simply stir the other ingredients in using a bowl and spoon so the cucumbers are chopped up more). Store in refrigerator in an airtight container up to 3 days.
To assemble gyros:
- Layer chicken in a row along center of pita, top with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, Kalamata olives, red onion, feta, cilantro and tzatziki sauce. Wrap and serve.
Notes
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.9
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