Chicken Gyros
Published on July 31, 2023
Quick Summary
Chicken Gyros are easy to make at home! Marinate chicken in a simple marinade made with Greek yogurt, lemon, red wine vinegar, and spices. Grill to perfection and add the juicy chicken to pita bread and top with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, feta cheese, and tzatziki sauce.
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Pin ItChicken Gyros (yee-ros) are a family favorite and surprisingly easy to make at home. If you love our Greek Chicken Kabobs, you will love our gyro recipe too! These Greek pita sandwiches are
The chicken is marinated in a simple Greek yogurt marinade that is full of flavor. The yogurt tenderizes the chicken and makes it super moist and juicy! It is the secret ingredient!
You can make this Greek chicken in a grill pan or outdoor grill, making it a great year-round recipe. If you don't have a grill or grill pan, even cast iron skillet will work.
The flavorful chicken is wrapped in warm pita bread and topped with crisp lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, feta cheese, and homemade tzatziki sauce. Don't worry, the tzatziki sauce is easy to make and SO good. You can make it in advance so it's ready to go!
These chicken gyros are perfect for meal prep, lunch, dinner, and easy entertaining! Everyone can assemble their own gyros with their favorite ingredients. A fun and delicious meal!
Table of Contents
Ingredients for the Chicken
- Chicken– you can use boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs.
- Plain Greek yogurt– I recommend using whole milk yogurt. The yogurt breaks down the protein in the chicken, leaving it super tender and moist.
- Garlic– use fresh garlic and not garlic powder.
- Olive oil– for the marinade and for brushing the grill.
- Lemon– lemon zest and fresh lemon juice!
- Red wine vinegar– to add a little tang.
- Spices– dried oregano and paprika.
Ingredients for Assembling the Gyros
- Pita bread– use pita flatbread and not pita pockets. Warm before serving!
- Tomatoes– you can use grape tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, or chop up regular tomatoes.
- Cucumber– diced!
- Lettuce– we use chopped Romaine lettuce, but any greens will work!
- Feta Cheese– I recommend buying a block of feta cheese, the good stuff, and crumbling it! It is so much better than already crumbled feta. The cheese is creamy, salty, and rich!
- Pickled Red Onions– you can also use thinly sliced red onions!
- Tzatziki Sauce– a MUST and it is easy to make! Don't skip the sauce!
How to Make Chicken Gyros
- Place the chicken in a Ziploc bag or medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine the Greek Yogurt, garlic, olive oil, lemon zest, fresh lemon juice, red wine vinegar, oregano, paprika, salt, and pepper. Whisk until smooth.
- Pour the marinade over the chicken and stir to coat. If you are using a bag, add the marinade to the bag and seal it tight, removing as much air as possible. Move the chicken around, making sure it is well coated. Seal the bag tightly.
- Place in the refrigerator and let marinate for 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.
- Preheat the grill to a medium-high heat. You can also use a grill pan. Brush the grill or grill pan with olive oil to make sure the chicken doesn't stick.
- Use tongs to remove the chicken from the marinade, place on the hot grill. Discard remaining marinade.
- Grill the chicken for 3 to 5 minutes on each side, until golden brown and cooked through, time will depend on how thick the chicken is.
- Transfer the grilled chicken to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes.
- Use a sharp knife to cut the chicken into bite-size pieces.
- To assemble, fill warm pita bread with chicken, tomato, cucumber, lettuce, pickled red onion or regular red onion, and feta cheese. Drizzle with a good amount of tzatziki sauce. It's so good!
- Fold the pita over like a sandwich and serve immediately.
Variations
- Spread hummus on the pita bread before adding the chicken.
- Add bell peppers or roasted red peppers.
- Artichoke hearts are a great addition!
- Top with pitted kalamata olives.
- Finish with fresh herbs! Dill, mint, and parsley are all good options.
- If you don't want to make a pita sandwich, make a chicken gyro salad or bowl.
What to Serve with Chicken Gyros
- Easy Green Salad
- Greek Quinoa Salad
- Greek Chickpea Salad
- Fruit Salad
- Watermelon Feta Salad
- Baked Garlic Parmesan Potato Wedges or Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges
How to Store
- After the gyros are assembled they are best eaten the same day. You can store leftover cooked chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- The tzatziki sauce will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Stir before using.
- The pickled red onions will keep in the fridge for a few weeks.
- You can freeze the chicken in a freezer bag or container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before using. Reheat and assemble gyros with toppings.
More Chicken Recipes
- Lemon Butter Chicken
- Greek Chicken Kabobs
- Easy Skillet Chicken Thighs
- Greek Chicken Bowls
- Chicken Tikka Masala
- Honey Mustard Chicken
- Fried Chicken Sandwich
Chicken Gyros
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- Olive oil, for brushing the grill
For serving:
- 6 Pita breads, warmed
- 2 medium tomatoes, diced
- 1/2 English cucumber, diced
- 1 1/2 cups shredded Romaine lettuce
- 2/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
- Pickled Red Onions, or sliced red onions
- Tzatziki Sauce
Instructions
- Place the chicken in a Ziploc bag or medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine the Greek Yogurt, garlic, olive oil, lemon zest, fresh lemon juice, red wine vinegar, oregano, paprika, salt, and pepper. Whisk until smooth.
- Pour the marinade over the chicken and stir to coat. If you are using a bag, add the marinade to the bag and seal it tight, removing as much air as possible. Move the chicken around, making sure it is well coated. Seal the bag tightly.
- Place in the refrigerator and let marinate for 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.
- Preheat the grill to a medium-high heat. You can also use a grill pan. Brush the grill or grill pan with olive oil to make sure the chicken doesn't stick.
- Use tongs to remove the chicken from the marinade, place on the hot grill. Discard remaining marinade.
- Grill the chicken for 3 to 5 minutes on each side, until golden brown and cooked through, time will depend on how thick the chicken is. Transfer the grilled chicken to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Use a sharp knife to cut the chicken into bite-size pieces.
- To assemble, fill warm pita bread with chicken, tomato, cucumber, lettuce, pickled red onion, and feta cheese. Top with tzatziki sauce. Fold the pita over like a sandwich and serve immediately.
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?
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