Green chicken gyros are way better than any sandwich and are very easy to make. They are fresh, tangy, spicy, and so flavorful! The chicken gyro marinade is the secret to making the best gyros, and this one is a winner!
Ingredients you’ll need for the best chicken gyro recipe:
- Chicken thigh fillets: I think dark meat is more flavorful than white meat, but you can use chicken breast if you’re not a fan of dark meat
- Pita bread: or flatbread
For the marinade:
- Garlic: is a key ingredient. Mince 3 cloves finely
- Lemon juice and white wine vinegar: these provide the characteristic acidity in the marinade
- Olive oil: extra virgin for flavor
- Greek yogurt: will make the chicken tender and create a coating that makes the grilled chicken taste amazing
- Oregano, cumin, coriander, and paprika: these herbs and spices will make your tastebuds happy!
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the tzatziki:
- English cucumber: you can use regular cucumber but remove the seeds. It needs to be grated and the liquid squeezed out.
- Greek yogurt: this is the base for tzatziki
- Lemon juice: provides acidity
- Garlic: one minced garlic clove for flavor
- Extra virgin olive oil: 1 tablespoon for flavor
- Salt and pepper to taste
Salad:
- Tomatoes: I like to use grape tomatoes
- Cucumber: one English cucumber, small diced
- Red onion: thinly sliced
- Parsley and mint: freshly chopped. For me adding these two herbs is a must!
- Salt and pepper to taste
How to Make Chicken Gyros?
First, we need to make the marinade:
- In a medium-sized bowl, place the minced garlic, vinegar, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, Greek yogurt, oregano, cumin, coriander, paprika, salt, and pepper. Mix everything together.
- Add the chicken thighs and make sure they are well covered with the marinade. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, but overnight is ideal.
Make the tzatziki:
- Using a box grater, grate the cucumber (skin on)
- Place the grated cucumber on paper towels or a tea towel and squeeze as much liquid out of it as you can. Place in a bowl.
- Add the yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Mix well and reserve
Make the salad:
- Combine the sliced grape tomatoes, chopped cucumbers, sliced red onion, chopped parsley, and mint in a bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Assemble the gyros:
- Grill the chicken in an outdoor grill or grill pan until browned and cooked through
- Place the grilled chicken in the middle of a pita or flatbread. Add tzatziki and salad, fold, and enjoy!
Can I Grill or Bake the Chicken Instead?
Original gyros are made with grilled chicken. Grilling the chicken makes it possible to create that brown coating and characteristic grilled flavor, but if you don’t have an outdoor grill or grill pan, I recommend you cook the chicken in a skillet rather than baking it.
If you bake it, you will not get the desired charred look and flavor.
What To Serve With Chicken Gyros?
Chicken gyros are a complete meal in themselves, but if you want to add to the meal, you can serve soup as a starter. I recommend the Best Stuffed Pepper Soup Recipe, or if you want to go meatless on the soup, The Best Broccoli Cheese Soup is to die for!
You are already serving salad inside the gyros, so all you need is a wonderful dessert. A couple of great fresh-tasting choices are: Mini Lemon Drop Cakes, Creamy Lemon Squares, Raspberry Lemon Cheesecake Tart, and Moist Lemon Pound Cake. I feel lemon-flavored desserts go perfectly well with chicken gyros!
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:
If you wish to make gyros ahead of time, I recommend marinating and grilling the chicken up to 3 days in advance, the tzatziki can be made a day in advance, but no more than that, and salad I think should be made the day you plan to serve the gyros.
Assemble them the day you plan to make them or the pita bread will become soggy.
You can freeze the grilled chicken for up to 3 months in a freezer bag. Remember to let it cool completely before storing it.
I’ll take Chicken Gyros are spicy, tangy, fresh and so flavorful!
Greek Chicken Gyros with Tzaziki
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken thigh filets
- 6 pita bread or flatbreads
- Lettuce leaves
For the marinade:
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp Greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp paprika
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the tzatziki:
- 1 large English cucumber, grated and liquid squeezed out
- 1 ¼ cp Greek yogurt
- 1 ½ tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the salad:
- 1 cp grape tomatoes, sliced
- 1 English cucumber, small diced
- ¼ cp red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp parsley, freshly chopped
- 2 tbsp mint, freshly chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Make the marinade: In a medium-sized bowl, place the minced garlic, vinegar, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, Greek yogurt, oregano, cumin, coriander, paprika, salt, and pepper. Mix everything together. Add the chicken thighs, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 2 hours up to overnight
- Make the tzatziki: Using a box grater, grate the cucumber (skin on)Place the grated cucumber on paper towels or a tea towel and squeeze as much liquid out of it as you can. Place in a bowl. Add the yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Mix well and reserve
- Make the salad: Combine the sliced grape tomatoes, chopped cucumbers, sliced red onion, chopped parsley, and mint in a bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Assemble the gyros: Grill the chicken in an outdoor grill or grill pan until browned and cooked through. Place the grilled chicken and lettuce in the middle of a pita or flatbread. Add tzatziki and salad, fold, and enjoy!
