Greek Chicken Gyros
With super juicy marinated chicken and a fresh tzatziki sauce, these Chicken Gyros are the perfect light summertime meal to cool you down and fill you up!
A DELICIOUS HOMEMADE GYRO RECIPE
These Chicken Gyros are a copycat recipe of a small local restaurant where I live. I absolutely love their gyros. The depth of flavor of the chicken is out of this world and it really all comes down to this marinade. Don’t let the list of the ingredients steer you away. Most of it is for the marinade which really makes this recipe. Trust me it is worth it! The chicken gyros are such a great summertime recipe because it isn’t a heavy meal but still fills you up!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
A chicken gyro is a pita wrap or bread that is stuffed with seasoned and cooked chicken along with various toppings including tzatziki sauce which is a creamy cucumber sauce.
It means “round”.
Yes! Pita bread and wraps are low in calories. Chicken breasts are low in fat but high in protein. Also, we’re using Greek yogurt in this rather than sour cream which also cuts down on the fat. Also, you could make this into a Greek salad just by removing the wrap!
Traditionally gyros are made with lamb meat that has been roasted and basted on a large skewer. The meat rotates on this skewer as it cooks and is shaved off as needed to create a gyro.
If you would rather not pan fry the chicken you can also grill it. This should take about 10-15 minutes and will also add great additional flavor. Chicken should always reach an internal temperature of 165F degrees to be considered fully cooked.
No, both English and garden cucumbers will work. We like the English because they are longer, produce less liquid and you can eat the skin since it’s very tender. If you use a garden variety cucumber, you will need to remove the skin first and drain it very well to remove the excess water that these contain.
Yes, this works great as a dip for pita bread or chips, kebabs, fresh vegetables, or even a dressing.
For the gyros after assembly they should be eaten right away. If you haven’t assembled then the chicken will last in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days. The Tzatziki Sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator where it will keep for up to 1 week, we do not recommend freezing.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)
- chicken breasts
- garlic
- apple cider vinegar
- lemon juice
- olive oil
- full-fat Greek yogurt
- oregano
- cumin
- paprika
- salt and pepper
- seasoned salt
- Greek seasoning
- fresh dill
- pita wraps
HOW TO MAKE GREEK CHICKEN GYROS:
Pound the chicken flat, to about ¼ inch thickness.
Place all of the marinade ingredients: garlic, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, Greek yogurt, oregano, cumin, paprika, salt, pepper, seasoned salt and Greek seasoning, into a bowl and combine.
Pour the marinade into a large ziploc bag. Place the chicken into the bag with the marinade and squish everything around to cover every bit of the chicken. Place this into the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
While this is marinating, make the tzatziki sauce. Grate the cucumber using the large holes of a box grater. There is no need to peel the cucumber.
Place the grated cucumber into a cheese cloth or paper towels and squeeze to thoroughly drain all of the excess water from the cucumber.
Add all the ingredients in a medium bowl: Greek yogurt, grated and drained cucumber, fresh dill, fresh lemon juice, olive oil, and salt.
Mix everything until combined. (Or you could pulse all of this together in a food processor.) Let this sit for at least 5 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.
When the chicken is finished marinating, remove it from the marinade (discard the marinade) and place it into a large skillet with a tablespoon of oil. Turn the heat to medium and cook the chicken for 3-4 minutes on one side (searing the chicken as it cooks), then flip and continue cooking until fully cooked through (internal temperature should be at least 165F degrees.)
Place the cooked chicken on a cutting board and allow it to rest for at least 5 minutes before cutting it into strips.
Prepare pita bread (or flatbread) by warming it. Then fill each pita with chicken, optional garnishes, and tzatziki sauce. Fold and serve!
WANT MORE DELICIOUS RECIPES?
Greek Chicken Gyros
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup full-fat plain Greek yogurt
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon seasoning salt (I used Lawry’s)
- 1 teaspoon Greek seasoning ( I used Cavender’s)
- 4 pita wraps
- Optional garnishes: sliced red onion, sliced grape tomatoes, shredded lettuce sliced grape tomatoes, shredded lettuce
Tzatziki Sauce:
- 1 cup full fat plain Greek yogurt
- 1 cup English cucumber, grated and drained
- 2 Tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
- 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Pound the chicken flat, to about ¼ inch thickness.
- Place all of the marinade ingredients: garlic, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, Greek yogurt, oregano, cumin, paprika, salt, pepper, seasoned salt and Greek seasoning into a bowl and combine.
- Pour the marinade into a large ziploc bag. Place the chicken into the bag with the marinade and squish everything around to cover every bit of the chicken. Place this into the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
- While this is marinating, make the tzatziki sauce. Grate the cucumber using the large holes of a box grater. There is no need to peel the cucumber.
- Place the grated cucumber into a cheese cloth or paper towels and squeeze to thoroughly drain all of the excess water from the cucumber. (This is important because if there is too much liquid, it will water down the sauce over time.)
- Add all the ingredients in a medium bowl: Greek yogurt, grated and drained cucumber, fresh dill, fresh lemon juice, olive oil, and salt.
- Mix everything until combined.
- Let this sit for at least 5 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.
- When the chicken is finished marinating, remove it from the marinade (discard the marinade) and place it into a large skillet (or on the grill) with a tablespoon of oil. Turn the heat to medium and cook the chicken for 3-4 minutes on one side (searing the chicken as it cooks), then flip and continue cooking until fully cooked through (internal temperature should be at least 165F degrees.)
- Place the cooked chicken on a cutting board and allow it to rest for at least 5 minutes before cutting it into strips.
- Prepare pita bread (or flatbread) by warming it. Then fill each pita with chicken, shredded lettuce, sliced onion, diced tomatoes and drizzle with some tzatziki sauce. Fold and serve!
Notes
- Nutritional value does not include the optional toppings besides sauce.
- You can grill the chicken if you’d like.
- Make sure you flatten your chicken before marinating.
- This should marinate for at least 2 hours but no longer than 48.
- You can make this into a salad instead of a wrap.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
I have had Greek Gyros before and your recipe sounds delish, but what is Greek seasoning, what does it consist of?I don’t recall seeing it at any store I shop. Thank you!!
Hey there! It is with all the other seasonings in your grocery store. I live in a small town and they carry it here. It’s called Cavenders. Sometimes they have it on the lower shelves. Hope that helps! If you Google “Cavenders Greek Seasoning” – it will pull up for you and you can see all the ingredients. 🙂