Chicken Gyros are one of my absolute favorite sandwiches. The way the flavors all come together are a literal explosion of happiness in your mouth! And as much as I love them, I do not make them nearly as often as I would like. They are not difficult to make but do require quite a few steps. But the end result IS SO WORTH IT! The chicken is juicy and tender. The tzatziki sauce is finger licking good and the cucumber salad is good enough to eat by itself! Traditional gyros are made with lamb, but I have never made those, although I have had them at Greek restaurants and they are on my list of things to learn to make! But rest assured, this recipe has been tried and tested and it will be a definite keeper!
The very first and most important step to this recipe is marinating your chicken! You need 1.5 lbs of boneless skinless chicken. I prefer thighs, but breasts will work just as well. It is just a matter of preference.
The marinade is olive oil, lemon juice, salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, minced garlic, garlic powder and Herbs de Provence. Exact measurements will be in the recipe below. You will mix this all together and pour over your chicken. Keep it in a ziploc baggie or covered container in the fridge for AT LEAST one hour or longer.
Let’s move on to the tzatziki sauce, which I could literally eat like ice cream! It really is that good!
The sauce is a mixture of shredded English cucumber, plain Greek yogurt, minced garlic, fresh dill, lemon juice, salt, pepper and olive oil. Exact measurements in the recipe below.
When making the sauce
Cucumbers are full of water! It is very important after you shred it to get the excess water out. A paper towel or cheese cloth will work really well for this step. Just do not skip it!
And finally we have the beautiful cucumber salad. It is a simple mixture of English cucumber, red onion and cherry tomatoes with some lemon juice, salt, pepper and fresh dill. If you can keep yourself from eating the sauce and the salad before you even make your sandwiches, you are a better person than I!
So you have been patient and marinated your chicken. Let’s get to cooking! In a large skillet over medium heat, cook your chicken until it reaches an internal temp of 165. It should have a really beautiful char to it as well.
Allow it to rest on a cutting board for at least five minutes then give it a rough chop.
Lightly toast your pita bread just by placing it in a warm skillet for a minute or so each side, then assemble! Start with your chicken.
Top it with some of that beautiful cucumber salad.
And do not be shy with that tzatziki sauce!
I personally do not care for feta on mine but my husband loads his up with it, so I figured I would add that step because I do know that I am probably the minority when it comes to not liking it on mine!
Some people will also add French Fries to theirs, but I also do not prefer that. Even though it is good, I like the flavors from everything else to shine through!
Not only is this extremely tasty, but also very high in protein and somewhat low in calories. IF I ever decide to go on a diet, this will be my main food source lol.
Chicken Gyros
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
- 1/2 Cup Olive Oil
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
- 1 tbs Garlic Cloves, minced
- 1 tbs Herbs de Provence
Tzatziki Sauce
- 1/2 English Cucumber, finely shredded and excess moisture squeezed out
- 1 Cup Plain Greek Yogurt
- 1 tbs Garlic Cloves, minced
- 1 tbs Fresh Baby Dill, finely chopped
- Juice of 1/2 Fresh Lemon
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- 3 tbs Olive Oil
Cucumber Salad
- 1/2 English Cucumber, chopped
- 1/2 Cup Cherry Tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 Cup Red Onion, thinly sliced
- Juice of 1/2 Fresh Lemon
- 1 tbs Fresh Baby Dill, finely chopped
- Salt and Pepper to taste
4-6 Greek Pitas
1.5 lbs Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts or Thighs
Instructions
- Mix together the ingredients for the chicken marinade. Put your chicken in a large container and pour the marinade over it, being sure to coat all of it. Marinate in the fridge for AT LEAST one hour.
- Prepare the tzatziki sauce by combining all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Be sure to drain the excess moisture from the cucumber. This can be done with a cheese cloth or paper towel.
- Prepare the salad by combining all of the ingredients aside from the salt and pepper and add those at the end until you get it to the taste you want.
Cooking the Chicken
- Place about 1-2 tbs of Avocado oil in a large skillet and cook the chicken until it reaches an internal temp of 165 and has a nice char to it.
- Let it rest for five minutes, then roughly chop it.
- If desired, warm up your pitas by simply toasting them in a skillet over medium heat for about 1 minute per side.
- Assemble the gyros by adding the chicken, the salad and the sauce.
- You can also top with crumbled feta cheese if desired.
