Chicken Gyros
These chicken gryos are the perfect summer meal. They come together in a snap and they are fresh, flavorful, light, and creamy.
A couple days ago I posted about the soft wrap bread that has changed my life. Don’t roll your eyes, I’m not being dramatic. It really has.
These divine gyros are what graced the soft wrap bread and the combination is fantastic. These gyros have been popping up all over the blogosphere and I am so glad I gave them a chance.
They come together in a snap (after marinating the chicken) and I can honestly say they are one of my favorite meals we’ve eaten all month. That’s saying a lot since I love food.
The chicken is extremely flavorful without being overpowering. And the tzatziki sauce? Oh, my heart. To die for.
Fresh, light, creamy. My husband said to me over dinner, “Why don’t you have a little gyro with your tzatziki sauce.” And of course I took it as a compliment. I love me some tzatziki (I just discovered that fact since this is my first time making it!).
All in all, this is a perfect summer meal. I’m making these again next week we loved them so much, and I suggest you do the same!
What To Serve With This:
Fresh fruit, or this Honey Lime Fruit Salad
Hummus with fresh vegetables
Cottage Cheese
Chicken Gyros
Ingredients
For the tzatziki sauce:
- 16 oz. plain yogurt, not fat free unless it is Oikos or Fage or another Greek-type yogurt
- ½ hothouse cucumber or 1 regular cucumber, peeled and seeded (I used 1/2 of an English cucumber)
- 2-3 cloves garlic, pressed through a garlic press (or finely minced)
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- Salt and pepper
- Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
- Extra virgin olive oil
For the chicken:
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 heaping tablespoons plain yogurt
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- Salt and pepper
- 1 ¼ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
To assemble:
- [Soft wrap bread], or pita bread
- Fresh tomatoes, seeded and diced
- Red onion, sliced thin
Instructions
- To make the tzatziki sauce, strain the yogurt using cheesecloth over a bowl. Let strain for several hours or overnight, if possible, to remove as much moisture as possible. (You won’t believe how much liquid drains from the yogurt – it makes the yogurt much thicker and creamier. If you want to splurge on Greek yogurt, like Oikos or Fage, you won’t need to strain it like this.)
- Shred the cucumber. Wrap in a towel a squeeze to remove as much water as possible. Mix together the strained yogurt, shredded cucumber, garlic, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, and lemon juice. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld.
- To prepare the chicken, combine the garlic, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, yogurt, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl. Whisk together until mixed well. Add the chicken pieces to the bowl and mix well to coat. Cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour.
- Cook the chicken as desired, either in the skillet or with the broiler. (I sauted them in a hot skillet.) Once the chicken is completely cooked through, transfer to a plate and let rest for 5 minutes.
- Heat pitas. Top with chicken, tzatziki sauce, diced tomatoes and sliced onions. Serve immediately.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted slightly from Annie’s Eats (originally from Elly Says Opa!)
I love gyros. Yours look absolutely tasty!
This was what I made for dinner last night, including the homemade soft wrap bread (which is really a big step for me since I have never tried to make homemade bread/dough without a bread machine to do the work for me! I used to have one..but sadly, not anymore). It was so delicious and refreshing! I made everything ahead of time so all I had to do was cook the chicken when we were ready for dinner! It was SO good, and the soft wrap bread is to die for! Thank you!
Kimiko – way to go on the bread! I’m thrilled this was such a hit and i agree it is such a refreshing meal. Glad you liked it!
We had these for dinner tonight and we’ll definitely be making these again! The only thing that we changed was that we put a bit of sugar in the sauce since it was a bit too tart for us. Other than that, it was FABULOUS!
Marcela – thanks for checking in on this recipe. I actually think a bit of sugar would be great to round out the sauce. Fantastic idea!
You have done it again! I tried this and it was delightful and so yummy! Even my picky eater declared it good. we had to stop ourelves from eating more!! The bread was a little daunting, because I am not a bread girl. But it proved easier than I thought and so good. The kids ate one piece with honey, cinnamon and butter! This recipe has earned an honored place in our family. Thanks so much.
Kazack – I am thrilled for you that the bread turned out since bread can be intimidating, but it sounds like you are a pro at it! Thanks for letting me know you liked this meal…it definitely ranks up there as one of my favorites.
Melanie – thanks for all of your comments on the recipes you’ve tried. I’m glad you liked these and I love the idea of making kabobs out of the chicken. Thanks for the sour cream substitution, too.
This recipe is excellent! I broiled the chicken tonight, but I have also grilled it on kabobs with chunks of red onion. The grilling carmelizes the onions and lends a wonderful sweetness and smokiness. The tzaziki (sp) sauce was out of this world! One thought if you do not have Greek yogurt on hand or the time to strain regular yogurt is to substitute low-fat sour cream. The result is very similar to the Greek yogurt version. HTH! Love your website–Melanie S. (another Melanie in the world 🙂
Shelley – I was hoping someone would try these soon. Thanks for your raving reviews – glad you loved them like we did!
Thanks ChicagoAkuAku – glad you liked it!
These look like the perfect summer meal. It’s been too hot to want to cook very much. Thanks!
Reading the recipe made my mouth water!! I know what I’m making for dinner…..tomorrow!!!
One thing I have always wanted to try is making really big pitas and cutting them in half- leaving a pocket for the fillings, instead of wrapping it burrito style. It is supposed to hold you sauce and fillings in better….just a thought. I don’t know how strong the bread hass to be-to be able to hold up through that!!!!
so is this your way of deterring me from my hunt for the best chicken wrap in my area? because it’s almost working. and for the record, i abuse tzatziki the same way. 🙂
Hey Barb – I’m glad you tried these already! Thanks for letting me know you liked them.
I just saw a great Tyler recipe for pitas on another favorite blog and now I know I have to make these. I love tzatziki sauce (the SO doesn’t; he’ll have to eat out that night, lol). Wish I had one right now.
I love gyros. I usually make them with beef, but these look good too! I will definitely be trying these soon, and I’ll be making the bread to boot!
Oh yum. Can’t wait to try this.
Oh heavens, I don’t think I comment enough on your blog to tell you that I think what you make looks delicious. This is going to make an appearance at our house next week.
Made this for dinner last night! YUMMY! The family thought it was divine! I grilled the chicken and it was delish!
Stacie – this soft bread dough is definitely different than any type of bread I’ve ever made before. When I add the boiling water to the flour it makes more of a dough (like yours) than a wet mixture. In fact, when I did it the first time, I wondered if I would even be able to mix in more flour later but it ended up working. The only reason I can think that some of the flatbreads turned out soft and others tough is maybe the tough ones were cooked too long – or perhaps next time, try adding a bit less flour to make a softer dough. I hope you liked the pita option – my kids loved those!
I made these last night. The tzaziki sauce was awesome! The chicken was pretty good- I think I would prefer it grilled… and I think I cooked them too long, so that’s MY fault.
The flatbread… what can I say? Some of it was really great and soft, and some if it was tough. What did I do wrong? Also, the first step where you add 1 1/2 c. boiling water to 2 c flour… is that supposed to be a wet mixture or dough like mixture? Mine was a dough. Did I do something wrong? They were a lot of work, but pretty tasty. Tonight we’re doing pita pizza’s!
Thanks!
An easy subsitute we have used are the Greek Chicken Brats you can get at Harmons. They are yummy in a gyro. I can’t wait to try the flat bread. Thanks.
If you say it’s good, then by golly, it’ll be good !! Another one to try, for sure !!
Those look and sound so yummy!!
I have been eyeing these too! They look so good. I can’t wait to try them.
Mmmm, I love gyros! I’ve never had a chicken one though. The tzatziki sauce is always my favorite. Yum, I can’t wait to try this!
Oh yum! I love gyros!
As the Gyro king, I hereby give my approval to the recipe, and claim it as part of my kingdom.
Melanie,
Wow! I cannot wait to try these. Over here in Germany, the Turkish and Greeks call them Doner (o is pronounced as a u) kabobs. They only have the lamb version. My hubby is back from Iraq in Oct. and will LOVE this! Thank you again!
I’m so glad you liked the gyros! That soft wrap bread looks delicious!
So glad you enjoyed them! I know, the tzatziki is truly to die for. I want to eat it with EVERYTHING!
I saw this recipe over at Annie’s Eats and I’ve made them a couple of times and we love them. Just got some cucumbers in a CSA box so need to make tzatziki with it! Think we’ll have these again this week = yum!
Wow, it came out pretty good for my first try. Looking forward to trying more of your recipes.
ChicagoAkuAku
I will absolutely be making these! Sounds so fresh and tasty.
I don’t think you’re being dramatic about the bread at all! I’ve been making that dutch oven bread every day for the last two weeks, and it has most def changed my life!
YUM! I made these for dinner tonight! I thought they were delicious! Thanks for the great recipe!
HOLY COW! These are so good. My husband has told several people about them. I am trying to figure out just how often I could make these and get away with it. I thought there would be leftovers I could eat for lunch, but no dice. Next time I’ll be making extra. My tummy thanks you.
Danielle – your comment made me smile. You go ahead and make these every day if you want! I agree that they are one of the best meals I’ve made in a LONG time. Glad you and the husband liked them, too!
This was SO good!!! and pretty easy too 🙂 We LOVED the bread and the gyros, but best of all was the tzatziki sauce! Thanks for sharing this yummy recipe!
Jessica – I’m with you, the tzatziki sauce is a great highlight of this meal. Thanks for taking the time to let me know you enjoyed this!
Thanks for the recipe. I made these for dinner last night. They turned out pretty good. I’ve never made chicken gyros before (I usually make beef), so the change was good.
I’ve never made my own flat bread before. I doubled the recipe thinking that they would be inhaled, but I have leftovers (not a bad thing). Guess the kids will be getting pizzas soon.
It was a great meal.
Melanie-I just wanted to let you know that I made these last night and they were a hit! I also made the flat bread and oh man, they were good!
Jenn – did your kids like the mini pizzas? I’m pretty sure you could freeze the leftover flat bread and warm for another day with good results. Thanks for letting me know you liked the gyros.
Gina – glad this recipe worked out so well for you. And the flatbread, too – it is a carb-lovers dream! Thanks for letting me know.
Made this for dinner last night and they were fantastic and will be something I make over and over again. My husband is not one for moving out side of his comfort zone and trying new things, but he did well and loved them too. Thanks!
Anonymous – glad you liked these gyros. I got your comment about the flatbread, too, and I’m glad it turned out well (despite throwing the first batch away). Thanks for letting me know! Oh, and I’m glad your husband took a walk on the wild side to try these.
Do you think it’s possible to leave the cucumbers out of the tzatziki sauce? I’m very allergic, but would like to try this one…
KT – hmmm…that’s a hard question because tzatziki is traditionally a cucumber-based sauce. If you want to serve it without cucumbers, it would be more of a citrus-y creamy sauce, which may turn out ok. Let me know if you try it.
Hey Melanie! Loving your blog, just wondering what you would think about not straining the yogurt…? I know it would be runnier, but… well, I went to the store and got greek yogurt, got home and realized it was HONEY flavored (what the!) so took it back (to a different smith’s) where they did not have greek yogurt. So I got plain regular yogurt, which my four year old dropped on the floor so the container cracked. Then she consequently sippled in the spilled yogurt. And so on and so forth and I don’t know if I dare go try to get greek yogurt again! We could wind up with broken limbs. And I also have a broken container full of regular yogurt. And I am supposed to make dinner tonight for the inlaws.
Anyway : ) Sure you wanted to hear about that : )
Kristi
http://www.kristibassett.blogspot.com
http://www.itwasamazing.blogspot.com
I went ahead and tried it without the cucumber. I have no idea what it is supposed to taste like, but we liked the sauce quite a bit. So, it worked for us.
Thanks for the recipe. It’s a keeper!
KT – so glad you tried it and let me know the result! I’m very happy it was still delicious.
Kristi – I feel terrible! I have no idea how I missed your comment from a week or so ago. I’m sorry I haven’t responded!! What did you end up doing about the yogurt? SEriously, I’ve never heard of such drama surrounding yogurt and your children. So glad no one was seriously injured. 🙂 Once again, so sorry about not responding. I’m guessing the sauce would be delicious without straining the yogurt – just a bit runnier.