Greek Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki

This refreshing and light, classic Greek chicken gyros is packed with juicy and tender souvlaki chicken, topped with Greek salad, with a generous spoonful of homemade tzatziki sauce, all wrapped in a pita. It's bright and bold flavours are the perfect meal on a sunny day. Plus, it's SO easy to make at home, so add this to your weeknight dinner rota.

What is a Greek Chicken Gyros?

A Greek gyro is a Greek pita dish made with rotisserie meat (typically pork) protein, fresh vegetables (tomato, cucumber, and onions) and tzatziki sauce. Here is what you will need to make these Greek chicken gyros at home:

• pita bread - I like making my own quick and easy pita bread, but of course storebought pitas work well too. Go for a thicker one if you can find it. You can also use any thick flatbread or naan bread.
• chicken breasts - 2 large chicken breasts cut into 1.5-inch pieces.
• chicken souvlaki marinade - made with a combination of olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, parsley, oregano, mint, bay leaves, salt and pepper.
• tzatziki sauce - made with a combination of Greek yogurt, cucumber, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, dill, salt and pepper.
• romaine lettuce
• grape tomatoes
• red onion
• cucumber
• feta cheese
• salt and pepper

You will also need skewers, tongs for grilling, and an indoor grill pan (if you are not using an outdoor grill).

How to Make the Best Greek Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki

1. Prepare the marinade. Add all of the ingredients for the chicken souvlaki marinade into a ziploc bag. Press the marinade around to combine.  Add in the chopped chicken, and press the air out of the bag and seal tightly. Press the marinade around the chicken to coat. Place in the fridge to marinate at least 1 minutes or overnight.
2. Prepare the tzatziki sauce.  Grate the cucumber and drain through a cheesecloth, fine mesh sieve or using your hands. Transfer drained cucumber to a medium bowl. Add the yogurt, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, dill, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving to let the flavours infuse into the yogurt.
3. Prepare the toppings. In a medium bowl, combine the toppings and toss together. 
4. Grill the chicken. You can thread the chicken onto skewers to grill, or grill the individual pieces. Lightly brush olive oil over grill pan. Heat the grill over medium high heat for about 5 minutes, until sizzling hot. Cook the chicken for 7 minutes on each side, or until its internal temperature reaches 165 F (75 C).
5. Assemble the pitas. Warm the pitas on the grill, about 1-2 minutes per side. Then, on the centre each pita bread, add a few spoonfuls of the salad toppings in a line down the middle. Top with grilled souvlaki chicken, and a generous scoop of tzatziki sauce. Fold the pita up and enjoy. You can also wrap it in parchment paper and twist the bottom to keep the ingredients inside.

More Greek-Inspired Recipes

• Easy Greek Chicken Souvlaki Skewers
• Greek Lamb Souvlaki Skewers
• Perfect Greek Salad
• Easy Tzatziki Sauce (Cucumber Yogurt Dip)
• Quick and Easy Pita Bread
• Souvlaki Beef Shish Kebabs
• Juicy Baked Chicken Breast with Greek Souvlaki Marinade

Recipe

Greek Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki

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5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 14 reviews

• Author: Sam | Ahead of Thyme
• Total Time: 1 hour 34 minutes
• Yield: 6 gyros

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Description

This refreshing and light, easy Greek chicken gyros is packed with tender souvlaki chicken, Greek salad, and homemade tzatziki sauce, all wrapped in a pita.

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Ingredients

Chicken Souvlaki Marinade:

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• juice of 1 lemon
• 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 + ½ tablespoon dried oregano
• ½ tablespoon dried mint
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3 bay leaves

Chicken:

• 2 pounds chicken breast (approximately 3 chicken breasts), cut into 1.5-inch cubes 
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Tzatziki Sauce:

• ½ large cucumber, unpeeled
• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
• ½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (juice of ¼ lemon)
• 1 + ½ tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• pinch of ground black pepper

Toppings:

• 1 + ½ cup romaine lettuce, chopped
• ½ cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
• ½ cup red onion, chopped (roughly 1 small red onion)
• ½ cup cucumber, sliced and chopped into quarters (roughly 1 medium cucumber)
• 2 tablespoons feta cheese, crumbled
• salt and pepper, to taste

Gyros:

• 6-8 pita breads

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Instructions

1. Prepare the marinade. Add all of the ingredients for the chicken souvlaki marinade into a large ziploc bag. Press the marinade around to combine.  Add in the chopped chicken, and press the air out of the bag and seal tightly. Press the marinade around the chicken to coat. Place in the fridge to marinate at least 1 minutes or overnight.
2. Prepare the tzatziki sauce.  Grate the cucumber and drain through a cheesecloth, fine mesh sieve or using your hands. Transfer drained cucumber to a medium bowl. Add the yogurt, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, dill, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving to let the flavours infuse into the yogurt.
3. Prepare the toppings. In a medium bowl, combine the toppings and toss together. 
4. Grill the chicken. You can thread the chicken onto skewers to grill, or grill the individual pieces. Lightly brush olive oil over grill pan. Heat the grill over medium high heat for about 5 minutes, until sizzling hot. Cook the chicken for 7 minutes on each side, or until its internal temperature reaches 165 F (75 C).
5. Assemble the gyros. Warm the pitas on the grill, about 1-2 minutes per side. Then, on the centre each pita bread, add a few spoonfuls of the salad toppings in a line down the middle. Top with grilled souvlaki chicken, and a generous scoop of tzatziki sauce. Fold the pita up and enjoy. You can also wrap it in parchment paper and twist the bottom to keep the ingredients inside.

Notes

Marinate the chicken. It is important to let the chicken marinate at least for an hour to allow the flavours to infuse and for it to get juicier. I prefer letting it marinate overnight, if you have the time.

How to cook the chicken in the oven. To bake instead, place chicken on a baking tray and roast at 480 F for 12-13 minutes, or when the internal temperature reaches 165 F. You can add some charing on them by placing under the broiler on high for 1 minute. Keep a close eye on them, because they can burn quickly.

Make your own tzatziki sauce. For more details and tips on making tzatziki sauce, check out the full blog post on easy tzatziki sauce (yogurt cucumber dip).

Make your own homemade pitas. You can make your own quick and easy pita bread in under 2 hours with only 15 minutes of actual prep work. These pitas are so soft and puffy with a perfect pocket. Totally worth the extra effort.

Use a digital thermometer. A digital meat thermometer is very useful when grilling skewers for checking doneness. Simply insert halfway inside the meat to get a quick measurement.

How to serve Greek chicken gyros. To keep the filling inside, I normally serve these pitas wrapped with parchment paper. You can secure it with an elastic band and twist the bottom together so that the tzatziki sauce doesn't drip out.

• Prep Time: 20 minutes (+ 1 hour wait time)
• Cook Time: 14 minutes
• Category: Sandwich
• Method: Grill
• Cuisine: Greek