Name: Greek Chicken Gyros
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: serves 4 people
Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients: 600 g (1 1/2 pound) chicken thighs, skinless and boneless (approx. 6 chicken thighs); 1/2 onion; 70 g (1/4 cup) greek yogurt; 1/2 tsp grated lemon zest; 1 tsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed; 2 tbsp olive oil; 2 tbsp Kotanyi Gyros mixture (alternative in method); 4 pita breads; 1/2 cucumber; 6 cherry tomatoes; 4 lettuce leaves; 120 g (1/2 cup) tzatziki sauce

Greek Chicken Gyros

This is the very first Greek recipe on our blog. It’s not that we don’t love greek cuisine. Actually, it’s the opposite. We love moussaka, we adore different wraps using filo pastry, and we are obsessed with gyros. We were both in Greece, separately, on a school trip many years ago, so we had a chance to try their traditional dishes and the divine Greek cuisine. Jernej was lucky enough to try gyros, which helped a lot when recreating the recipe. You would find french fries in conventional gyros, but he didn’t like that, so we decided to leave them out. I would say that gyros is a summery meal, perfect for eating on the streets, and it makes a great meal-prep meal. It’s super easy to make at home, and it goes from pantry to table in a little over 40 minutes.

Heavenly Greek Chicken Gyros

This super delicious Chicken Gyros won't leave you unimpressed. Quite the opposite. It's an incredibly delicious, aromatic, and juicy wrap, and we believe you will love:

how easy and quick the recipe is (takes only 45 minutes to make)
the chicken meat is tender, juicy, beautifully charred, and grilled outside
flatbread is homemade, soft, perfect for wraps
a delicious dish for adults and kids (we serve the "deconstructed" gyro to our toddler and he loves it)
feel free to store roasted meat in the fridge or freezer
it is a wonderful meal on the go or a healthy(ish) dinner for a busy weeknight

What is Gyros

Gyros is an excellent wrap originating from Greece. For the base, they use pita bread, filled with vertically roasted meat, like a kebab. You will always find fresh vegetables like onion, cucumber, and tomato in the gyro, along with a delicious, fresh tzatziki sauce (basically a yogurt-cucumber sauce). In the traditional recipe, you will find french fries too. Gyro is a delectable, filling, and tasty Greek wrap perfect for lunch, dinner, or brunch.

Use pork, lamb, beef, or chicken. Our favorite is the latter, the chicken gyros. Also, we never add french fries to the wrap. We prefer serving it with baked potato wedges as a side when serving it for lunch or dinner.

Homemade tzatziki is the best, but we only make it at home when cucumbers are in season. Otherwise, we always use store-bought. And because pita bread is hard to find in Slovenia, we usually make our Skillet Flatbread at home.

How to make Greek Chicken Gyros at home

We will need four essential ingredients for a good homemade Greek Chicken Gyro: juicy meat, soft pita bread, tzatziki sauce, and fresh vegetables. Find all the ingredients and methods below; here's a quick recipe overview for easier preparation.

Cut the meat and marinate it (for at least 15 minutes or overnight).
Thread the meat onto metal or wooden skewers.
Roast and broil the chicken in the oven for 30 minutes.
Prepare the bread and vegetables.
Cut the meat into thin slices, Spread the tzatziki sauce over the bread and fill the wrap with meat and vegetables.

THE MOST IMPORTANT TRICKS

MARINADE - Lemon juice and greek yogurt help soften the meat, making the meat tender and juicy.
SPICE MIX - In the Gyros Kotányi spice mix, we can find a mixture of salt, onion, paprika, garlic, oregano, sugar, pepper, and rosemary. We love this mixture ratio, but feel free to make your own.
SKEWERS - If you're using wooden skewers, cover them with water in a shallow pan to soak them for 10 minutes. This will prevent burning.

Frequently asked questions and answers

Here you will find the most frequently asked question and answers regarding the Chicken Gyros. If you still have any questions left, don't hesitate to ask in the comments below, and we will do our best to get back to you as soon as possible.

Are chicken gyros healthy, or are they bad for you? It all depends on the ingredients used and how we prepare the gyros. Traditionally, gyros contain french fries, but we decided to leave them out for two reasons. First, we don't feel that there is any flavor value by adding them into the wrap, and second, they create unnecessary calories. Also, we roasted the meat in the oven with minimal oil, making the meat tender and juicy without being oily and greasy. This all helps make this gyro healthy(ish) and well-balanced.

Which bread to use for gyros? Use pita bread, or a homemade skillet flatbread, or Lepinja (Balkan flatbread) for this recipe. If you don't have the time to make it from scratch, you can use a flour tortilla too.

What to serve with gyros? Serve Gyros with a fresh salad, for example, this Cucumber Yogurt Salad or this delicious Caprese Salad. As a side, we love serving Chicken Gyros with Potato Wedges or Fried Potatoes.

Storing

It's best to prepare this delicious Greek Chicken Gyros fresh, but feel free to store any leftover roasted meat for later.

Store the roasted meat in an airtight container. Place in the fridge for up to 3 days. Before serving, reheat in a microwave or in a skillet.

Or, you can freeze the roasted meat too. Keep in a freezer bag or airtight container. Place in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Try these delicious chicken recipes too

METHOD

preparation

Arrange the rack at the top of the oven, then preheat the fan-assisted oven to 220 °C / 430 °F or the conventional oven to 240 °C / 465 °F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. If you're using wooden skewers, cover them with water in a shallow pan to soak them for 10 minutes. This will prevent burning.
marinate the meat

Cut the chicken thighs in half to get 12 halves. Add to a bowl along with roughly chopped onion, greek yogurt, lemon zest, lemon juice, and olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, and gyros spice mix. Stir to combine and coat the meat and set aside for 15 minutes (or store in the fridge overnight).

Tip

If you can't get a gyros spice mix in your country, make a mixture of onion powder, paprika powder, garlic powder, oregano, and rosemary. Use two tablespoons of the mix.
thread the meat

Use two metal (or wooden) skewers long enough to sit across the prepared baking sheet. Fold each piece of meat in half to create a pocket. Add a piece of marinated onion into the pocket, then thread the meat onto the skewers tightly together. Put the skewers crosswise on the prepared baking sheet. The meat shouldn't touch the baking sheet.
roast

Roast the meat in the preheated oven on the highest rack for 25 - 30 minutes in a fan-assisted oven at 220 °C / 430 °F or in the conventional oven at 240 °C / 465 °F. Turn the skewers halfway through to roast them all the way around. Change the oven temperature to high broil. Broil for 5 minutes or until they are cooked and tender inside, while slightly charred and grilled outside.
gyros

Carefully remove the meat from the skewers and cut it into thin slices. Spread a tablespoon of tzatziki sauce over warm pita bread. Add the lettuce, sliced cucumber, and sliced tomato. Place the meat on top and drizzle with additional tzatziki sauce. Wrap, and serve.

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Greek Chicken Gyros