Chargrilled marinated chicken thigh souvlaki wrapped in a whole wheat pita topped with homemade tzatziki, tomatoes, and cucumbers. A healthy and delicious Greek dish that is easy to make at home!
Chicken Gyros are my absolute favorite Greek dish. I’m not a fan of lamb, so my go to protein in a gyro is chicken and it’s SO good. Tender marinated chicken is the best when it’s wrapped in a warm pita and topped with tzatziki and fresh vegetables. What’s not to love?
Many Greek restaurants use chicken breast, but I find it to be overcooked and dry more often than not. So I like using chicken thighs at home. You can use chicken breast if you like, however the cooking time will be less. Don’t be nervous about making Gyros at home. It’s easy and delicious! You won’t regret it!
Tidbits
Marinade- Marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. I don’t recommend marinating the chicken overnight due to the lemon juice in the marinade. It will change the texture of the chicken and not in a good way 😉 It will be tough and rubbery… and we don’t want that! If you would like to prep it the night before, I recommend mixing the marinade ingredients and cut up the chicken, but keep it separated until you are ready cook it. Stir the chicken into the marinade until the chicken is fully coated and while that marinades you can prep the other ingredients.
Pita Bread– For the pita bread I use my Whole Wheat Garlic Naan recipe. I skip the garlic cilantro butter step when I want to use it for wraps and gyros.
Cooking- If cooking on a grill you can use a grill mat or put the meat on kebob sticks that have been soaked in water. If cooking on the skillet, cook the chicken in two batches. By cooking in batches it allows the chicken to become golden brown. If you put it all the chicken on the pan at once, you overcrowd the pan and the extra liquid from the chicken ends up steaming or boiling the chicken. This prevents the chicken from browning.
Tzatziki- I use my homemade Easy Tzatziki recipe. It’s quick and easy to make and SO good! You can also find pre-made Tzatziki in the produce section near the chilled dressings. But if you have the extra 10 minutes, whip it up at home! It’s worth it 🙂
Chicken Gyros
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
- 1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into 1 inch pieces
- 3 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
- 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice approximately half a lemon
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander seed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
For the Gyros
- ½ lemon to squeeze over cooked chicken
- 2 teaspoons avocado oil or olive oil optional: for cooking chicken on a skillet
- 6 pita bread rounds
- ½ cucumber diced
- 1 tomato diced
- ½ red onion sliced
- tzatziki sauce
Instructions
Marinate the Chicken at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours prior-
- In a medium bowl, combine the marinate. Mix to completely coat the chicken. Cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator to marinate.
Cook the chicken-
- If cooking the chicken on the grill you can use kebob sticks or a grill mat. Cook chicken for 5-7 minutes on each side or until chicken is cooked fully. If cooking on a skillet, cook chicken in 2 batches (see Tidbits section above). Heat skillet on medium heat and add 1 teaspoon of oil to the pan. Once oil has heated, add half of the chicken and cook for 7-8 minutes, or until chicken is fully cooked. Squeeze some lemon juice over the fully cooked chicken. Transfer cooked chicken to a plate and repeat with the second half of the chicken.
- Spoon chicken onto warm pita bread and top with tomato, cucumbers, onions, and tzatziki. Enjoy!