Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce

Jump to Recipe

Slow start to posting here, my apologies. But I have a Chicken Gyros recipe, definitely absolutely starring the tzatziki sauce. Personally, I am not huge into eating a lot of raw veggies. Usually, I need them cooked and seasoned well for me to really enjoy them. But here I am, finding myself enjoying carrots, celery, and cucumbers when I have this tzatziki sauce to dip in. What a freakin game changer. So yes, I have gone back to this recipe to just make the tzatziki sauce. It’s such a fun thing to have in the fridge.

Ingredients 

Chicken Gyros 

• Chicken thighs, 1 lb 

• 3 garlic cloves, minced 

• 2 tbsp of olive oil (the good kind) 

• Fresh oregano, 2 tbsp 

• Salt, 1 tsp 

• Freshly grated black pepper, 1 tsp 

• Red wine vinegar, 1 tbsp 

• Pita bread (In my opinion, most grocery stores don't have the best pita bread. If you can, I would recommend getting the pita bread from a Greek place. Just make sure to specify when ordering pita bread to-go that you don’t want it cut up.)

Tzatziki Sauce (Makes 2.5 Cups) 

• Diced cucumbers, 1/2 cup 

• Full-fat Greek yogurt, 2 cups 

• Fresh lemon juice, 1 tbsp 

• 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil (the good kind) 

• 2 garlic cloves, minced 

• Mayo, 1/8 cup 

• Onion powder, 2 tsp 

• Dried dill, 1 tbsp 

• Garlic powder, 1 tsp 

• Fine salt, ¼ tsp 

• Freshly ground pepper, ¼ tsp

Suggested Toppings: 

• Sliced Roma tomatoes

• Shredded lettuce 

• Red pepper, thinly sliced 

• Feta cheese 

• Fresh parsley leaves

• (I also like to have fresh carrot sticks and cucumber slices on standby to dip into the tzatziki sauce)

Directions: 

1. Let’s make the chicken marinade. In a small bowl, combine: 2 tbsp of quality olive oil, 2 tbsp of chopped fresh oregano, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp of black pepper, 1 tbsp of red wine vinegar, and the 3 garlic cloves that are minced. Give the marinade a good mix.

2. Next, cut up the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces (I did 2 in long, 1 in width pieces). I like to marinate in a large ziplock bag. I think it is always the best way to get the most amount of chicken to be swimming around in the marinade. So, that’s my suggestion. Place the pre-cut chicken into the ziplock bag. Add in the marinade. Secure the bag so it's tightly closed with minimum air inside. Make sure the marinade gets to all surface areas of the chicken. Allow the chicken to marinate at room temperature for 20 minutes.

3. While the chicken marinates, let's make the tzatziki sauce. Place all ingredients, except the diced cucumbers, into a medium bowl. Mix until evenly stirred. Then add the cucumbers and mix until they are evenly spread into the sauce. Cover and place in the fridge until serving.

4. Once the chicken has finished marinating, heat a large pan at medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add the contents of the chicken bag into the pan. While cooking, turn the chicken pieces as needed. Depending on the size of your chicken pieces, cooking time might vary (I cooked mine for around 7-10 minutes).

5. When the chicken is fully cooked, you’re ready to assemble your gyros. I like to layer the ingredients in this order: pita on plate → chicken → feta cheese → tomatoes → onions → lettuce → parsley, then top it with the tzatziki sauce. Then I have a little side sauce dish to keep dipping my gryo in extra tzatziki sauce.

Enjoy!