Chicken Gyro

I have never been to Greece, but I love the flavors of a great Chicken Gyro. One day, I’m hoping to make it there to experience the flavors of authentic Greek food and to stare out into the beautiful blue waters of the Aegean Sea. Until that day, I’ll continue to make these Chicken Gyros at home and dream of Greece.

I have tried for years to perfect the flavors of my favorite chicken gyros in my home and with this recipe there’s no turning back. Next on my list is to make homemade pita bread, but for now, I’m buying the premade pitas for ease and convenience of putting together an easy weeknight meal or weekend lunch option.

I must have lots of tzatziki sauce, cucumbers, tomatoes, purple onions and french fries. I know that I love gyros so much for all of the toppings. For me, the tzatziki sauce is a must. I could eat it by the spoonful, but I control myself and use it as a dip for fresh veggies, pita chips, and of course to top these Chicken Gyros. It’s low in calories and sugar since I use plain Greek yogurt, which is a win in my book.

In the past I’ve marinated my chicken in lemon juice, but lately I’ve just loaded it up with dried spices and added fresh minced garlic, to make this an even faster weeknight meal. If you prefer to marinate the chicken, then add a Tbsp. of oil and a couple of Tbsps. of lemon juice, along with the dried spices, to your chicken pieces and put it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before cooking it.

I hope that you’ll try this recipe and leave a comment below. Also find and follow us on Instagram @lifeabovethecafe.

Ingredients:

Toppings and Pita Bread:

• 1 pack of Pita bread rounds
• Frozen seasoned french fries, cooked
• sliced purple onion
• sliced tomatoes
• sliced cucumbers
• shredded lettuce
• cilantro or mint leaves, optional

For the Chicken:

• 2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced in 1 inch cubes
• 1/2 tsp. of lemon pepper
• 1/4 tsp. of salt
• 1 garlic clove, minced or 1/4-1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. of dried dill
• 1/2 tsp. of dried parsley
• 1/4-1/2 tsp. of dried oregano
• 1 Tbsp. of oil (use more if you need it)

For the Tzatziki Sauce:

• 1 cup of plain Greek yogurt
• 2-3 Tbsp. of finely chopped cucumber, seeds removed squeeze excess moisture (can grate)
• 2 Tbsp. of lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove, minced or 1/4-1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. of salt
• 1/8 tsp. of black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. of dried dill
• 1/2 tsp. of dried parsley
• 1/4 tsp. of dried oregano

Directions:

Make the Tzatziki Sauce first by combining all of the ingredients and mixing thoroughly.  I remove the seeds from my cucumber and dice it up very small then wrap it up in a paper towel and squeeze excess liquid from the cucumbers.  Refrigerate the sauce until ready to build the Chicken Gyro.

Slice up the toppings and have them ready for quick assembly.  I normally slice two tomatoes, 1/4 of a purple onion, 1 cucumber, and 1 head of Romaine lettuce for a family of 4 serving.

I cooked my fries in my air fryer.  If using the fries, cook them in the oven, air fryer, or however you like to cook your fries.  Start the fries in the oven before the chicken since the chicken will only takes 5-6 minutes to cook.

Prep the chicken by dicing it into 1 inch cubes.  If marinating, follow the directions in the paragraph above.  In a non stick skillet over medium high heat, heat the Tbsp. of oil and add the chicken and the seasonings.  Cook on the first side for 3-4 minutes or until browned.  Flip and continue cooking until the other side is browned, about 3-4 more minutes.  Towards the end of the cooking time, turn down the heat and add the garlic so that it doesn’t burn.  I brown both sides of my chicken to infuse flavor, the higher heat from the pan will help, but don’t dry out the chicken.  I don’t add my garlic initially because burnt garlic taste bitter and since I use less oil I don’t want to run the risk of burning the minced garlic.

Once the chicken is completely cooked, heat up the pitas in the microwave between damp paper towels and then add the chicken, fries, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, purple onion, and tzatziki sauce (I also use cilantro leaves, but you can use mint leaves is you prefer or leave them both out).

I like to wrap my Chicken Gyro up in aluminum foil to help to keep the toppings in the pita bread and to catch the drips.

 

 

 

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