These Greek chicken gyros are made with the best marinade that we like to use for all kinds of recipes. This chicken gyros marinade is made with greek yogurt, garlic, red wine vinegar, olive oil, lemon, oregano, and spices.
All these flavors soak into either chicken thighs or chicken breast and create the most amazing chicken gyros ever.
These Greek chicken gyros can be made ahead easily, topped with homemade greek tzatziki sauce, vegetables, and wrapped with our homemade greek pita bread.
If you like greek cuisines, you should try our greek pasta salad, greek tzatziki sauce, bake feta pasta, and our greek pita bread recipe.
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Ingredients
Pita bread- you will need pita bread or flatbread for this recipe if you're serving this chicken gyros as a wrap.
Chicken- use either chicken thighs or chicken breast for this recipe. we used chicken thighs for this recipe, feel free to use whatever chicken part that you like most.
Greek yogurt– use refrigerated Greek yogurt. Any percent of fat will work.
Olive oil- use extra virgin olive oil for the best flavor.
Lemon juice- use lemon juice from fresh lemon for the best flavor.
Garlic- we suggest adding fresh garlic and not store-bought minced garlic for the best flavor..
Salt– for flavor. Adjust the salt to your personal taste.
Black pepper- for flavor. Adjust the black pepper to your personal liking.
Dried oregano- use dried oregano for this recipe.
Paprika- use your favorite kind of paprika for this recipe. we like to use regular paprika.
Tzatziki sauce ingredients
Cucumber- we used Persian cucumbers, but an English cucumber can work great as well.
Dill- use fresh dill for this recipe, dill adds a lot of flavor. If you don’t like dill, you can skip it or add mint instead.
Greek yogurt– use refrigerated Greek yogurt. Any percent of fat will work.
Olive oil- use extra virgin olive oil for the best flavor.
Lemon juice- use lemon juice from fresh lemon for the best flavor.
Garlic- we suggest adding fresh garlic and not store-bought minced garlic for the best flavor..
Salt– for flavor. Adjust the salt to your personal taste.
Black pepper- for flavor. Adjust the black pepper to your personal liking.
Greek gyros chicken toppings:
- Romaine lettuce.
- Tomatoes.
- Cucumber.
- Red onion.
- Tzatziki sauce
Why this recipe works:
- This chicken gyros recipe is super easy to make and comes together in a snap. The only waiting that you will need to do is for the marinade to sit in the fridge.
- This recipe is easy and healthy! This is made with healthy ingredients. You get your carb from the pita bread, protein from the chicken, and fiber and vitamins from the vegetables.
- Another great thing about this recipe is that it's made with simple ingredients that are easy to find in your kitchen or in the supermarket.
- It's completely customizable! You can make these chicken gyros into anything you want. You can serve it with rice on the side, in a wrap with veggies and tzatziki sauce, or in a bowl with homemade salad!
Instructions
Step 1: Make the marinade. In a big mixing bowl, add the greek yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, kosher salt, black pepper, dried oregano, and paprika. Mix until combined.
Step 2: Add the chicken pieces into the bowl and cover the chicken with the marinade mixture. Make sure that all the chicken pieces are completely covered with the marinade.
Step 3: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for at least 2 hours to marinade. We marinate our chicken overnight.
Step 4: Drizzle olive oil on a pan and cook the chicken for 3-4 minutes on each side on medium-high heat.
If you would like to use your outside grill to cook the chicken, simply brush the grill with oil and cook the chicken for 2-3 minutes on medium-high heat or until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through.
Step 5: Remove the chicken from the heat and let it rest on a plate for 5 minutes before serving.
How to make tzatziki sauce:
Start out by peeling and grating a cucumber. There are a few ways to prep the cucumbers, you can either chop the peeled cucumbers into small pieces or grate the cucumbers on the large holes of a box grater. We prefer grating the cucumber.
Drain the excess water from the cucumber by either squeezing out the cucumbers over a sink or by draining the excess water by placing the cucumbers over a bowl lined with a cheesecloth or a fine-mesh strainer.
In a medium mixing bowl, add the cucumbers, chopped dill, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, salt, and black pepper. Mix well with a spoon until the mixture is combined. Top with olive oil.
Assembly
Warm greek pita bread on the grill, on the stove, or in the toaster oven for 1-2 minutes. Spread homemade tzatziki sauce, and top it with your favorite vegetables.
We like to top our chicken gyros with romaine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, and red onion.
If your chicken pieces are big, you would want to cut them into smaller pieces. Then add the chicken pieces and top with more tzatziki. Enjoy!
Expert tips
- Don't skip the marinade! It's very important that you let the chicken marinate for at least 2 hours. This step is crucial and affects the flavor and the juiciness of the chicken.
- Make a homemade tzatziki sauce! If you like tzatziki sauce, you should make your own at home! It's very simple to make and takes a few simple ingredients. Click here for our greek tzatziki sauce recipe.
- Make your homemade greek pita bread! Store-bought pita bread can be dry and not that good, to be honest. We like to make our own greek pita bread at home, this recipe is really easy to make and takes a few steps. Click here for the recipe.
- If you prefer the flavor of grilled chicken, grill the chicken in your outdoor grill! Simply brush the grill with oil and cook the chicken for 2-3 minutes on medium-high heat or until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through.
Faq's
This greek chicken gyro will last in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
We like to serve the chicken as a wrap with tzatziki sauce, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, and red onion on top of homemade greek pita bread. If you want more vegetables, add this chicken to a big bowl of greek salad or greek pasta salad.
Freezing
Yes. This chicken freezes great. You can either freeze it uncooked in the marinade in an airtight freezer-friendly container for up to 3 months or freeze it cooked in an airtight freezer-friendly container for up to 2 months.
More Mediterranean recipes to try:
Tzatziki sauce- This Greek tzatziki sauce is the best thing ever. Made with grated cucumber, chopped dill, olive oil, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, and spices, this makes the best fresh sauce that goes with chicken, pita chips, gyros, veggies, grilled veggies, falafel, etc.
Greek Pasta Salad- Greek pasta salad is the perfect side dish for any occasion, make with cooked pasta, fresh veggies, kalamata olives, feta cheese, and homemade Greek salad dressing.
Greek pita bread- This greek pita bread is fluffy, soft, and delicious. After you will make this greek pita bread recipe, you will never want to buy store-bought pita bread.
Baked Feta Pasta- This baked feta pasta is incredibly delicious and easy to make. This pasta dish went viral in Finland, and because of this recipe, the grocery stores in Finland ran out of feta cheese.
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📖 Recipe
Greek Chicken Gyros
Ingredients
- 1 kg Chicken thighs or chicken breast
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoon Lemon juice
- 1 ½ tablespoon Olive oil
- 3 Garlic cloves
- ½ teaspoon Black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 2 tablespoon Red wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon Paprika
Instructions
How to make greek chicken gyros:
- The first step is to make the marinade. In a big mixing bowl, add the greek yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, kosher salt, black pepper, dried oregano, and paprika. Mix until combined.
- Add the chicken pieces into the bowl and cover the chicken with the marinade mixture. Make sure that all the chicken pieces are completely covered with the marinade. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for at least 2 hours to marinade. We marinate our chicken overnight.
- Drizzle olive oil on a pan and cook the chicken for 3-4 minutes on each side on medium-high heat. If you would like to use your outside grill to cook the chicken, simply brush the grill with oil and cook the chicken for 2-3 minutes on medium-high heat or until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through.
- Remove the chicken from the heat and let it rest on a plate for 5 minutes before serving.
Assembly greek chicken gyros:
- Warm greek pita bread on the grill, on the stove, or in the toaster oven for 1-2 minutes. Spread homemade tzatziki sauce, and top it with your favorite vegetables. We like to top our chicken gyros with romaine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, and red onion.
- If your chicken pieces are big, you would want to cut them into smaller pieces. Then add the chicken pieces and top with more tzatziki. Enjoy!
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