Name: Greek Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 14 min
Total time: 1 h 34 min
Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients: 1/4 cup olive oil; 3 cloves garlic, crushed; juice of 1 lemon; 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped; 1 + 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano; 1/2 tablespoon dried mint; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper; 3 bay leaves; 2 pounds chicken breast (approximately 3 chicken breasts), cut into 1.5-inch cubes; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1/2 large cucumber, unpeeled; 1 cup plain Greek yogurt; 2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced; 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil; 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (juice of 1/4 lemon); 1 + 1/2 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped; 1/4 teaspoon salt; pinch of ground black pepper; 1 + 1/2 cup romaine lettuce, chopped; 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered; 1/2 cup red onion, chopped (roughly 1 small red onion); 1/2 cup cucumber, sliced and chopped into quarters (roughly 1 medium cucumber); 2 tablespoons feta cheese, crumbled; salt and pepper, to taste; 6-8 pita breads

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.

Ingredients

Chicken Souvlaki Marinade:

1/4 cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
juice of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 + 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
1/2 tablespoon dried mint
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 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:

1/2 large cucumber, unpeeled
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (juice of 1/4 lemon)
1 + 1/2 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch of ground black pepper

Toppings:

1 + 1/2 cup romaine lettuce, chopped
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/2 cup red onion, chopped (roughly 1 small red onion)
1/2 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

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.
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.
Prepare the toppings. In a medium bowl, combine the toppings and toss together.
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).
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