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This authentic chicken gyro pita recipe is super quick and easy to make at home and taste absolutely amazing with the homemade tzatziki sauce. Juicy, grilled marinated pieces of chicken in soft pita bread with vegetables and tzatziki sauce - what more can you ask for?
What I love about this chicken gyro recipe is you can use the chicken for anything - it doesn't even have to be on a pita if you want to use it for something else! It's so delicious and flavorful we also love to serve it over basmati rice or even with this couscous salad!
The chicken always comes out juicy as the lemon juice and yogurt in the marinade keep it tender and juicy. It get's nice and charred on the grill making it super flavorful! And it's super easy to whip up on a hectic weeknight!
Plus, the homemade tzatziki sauce is droolworthy, and to top it off...the whole dish is healthy!!
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Why This Recipe Works
- The chicken is marinated before grilling, making it ultra tender and juicy on the inside, with crisp, caramelized edges on the outside.
- It is ultra simple to make, only requiring a marinade and a quick toss on the grill. Much of the "time" is hands off.
- Greek chicken gyros are a healthy meal! Serve it with veggies on the side and you can even use a whole wheat pita, or just grill the chicken on skewers for carb free.
- It's great for meal planning - just cook the chicken in advance and heat it up quickly in the microwave or the oven until warmed through and serve with veggies, pitas and the tzatziki sauce.
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What is a Gyro?
A Greek gyro is basically a popular Greek takeout food item typically served in souvlaki shops made from gyro meat like chicken or pork and either wrapped in a pita to make a gyro pita sandwich, or served on skewers with pita bread, salad and tzatziki on the side.
The meat is usually marinated in a blend of spices like cumin, oregano and garlic. Many times the gyro pita or gyro skewers are also serve with fries on the side!
Ingredients
The full list of ingredients and amounts is included in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
I always use chicken thighs to make this as they come out perfectly juicy and don't dry out like chicken breast. Note, you can also make this recipe with sous vide chicken thighs or sous vide chicken breast! Just marinade it first, the sous vide it.
You can buy packages of pita bread at the store, typically in the bread aisle. You can also use any other type of flatbread. Sometimes, if we're out of pita bread, we'll even use tortillas!
Fresh sliced vegetables like tomato, lettuce, and red onion are served in the pita wrap.
I LOVE to use a sprinkle of feta cheese on mine before wrapping it up. Feta cheese is a Greek style cheese made with brined goats or sheep milk. It's crumbly, tangy and delicious!
The marinade base in plain Greek yogurt, mixed with fresh lemon juice, dried oregano, garlic cloves, a touch of honey, a good quality extra virgin olive oil, salt and black pepper, and some red wine vinegar.
Note the marinade includes lots and lots of garlic - this is a garlic heavy dish which is what makes the flavor so amazing!
We also use plain Greek yogurt (full fat) as the base of the tzatziki sauce. It's mixed with more fresh lemon juice, fresh dill, shredded cucumber, garlic powder and olive oil.
How to Make Gyros
Combine all the marinade ingredients together and pour it over the chicken thighs in a large ziplock bag or a large bowl. Marinade for 8-12 hours for best results.
To make the tzatziki sauce, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and store in the fridge until ready for use. Adjust the salt to taste if needed.
Remove the chicken from the bag and heat a grill over medium high heat.
Grill the chicken for 4-6 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature reaches 160°F.
Remove from the grill and let it rest for 5 minutes. Slice the chicken into strips or chunks.
You can also cook the chicken in the air fryer at 390° for about 8-12 minutes or the oven on a parchment paper or aluminum foil lined baking sheet at 425°F for about 20 minutes. Cut the chicken in pieces before air frying or roasting.
Serve the chicken rolled in warm pita bread with the tzatziki sauce, lettuce, thin slices of tomato and red onion, and feta cheese.
Expert Tips
- For optimal flavor, marinade the chicken for at least 8 hours, but not more than 12 as it will start to get mushy.
- The typical easy gyro sauce is tzatziki sauce, but you can use any sauce you'd like! I included some options in the serving options section of the post.
- The chicken is done cooking when the internal temperature reaches 160°F. Use a thermometer to check doneness easily.
- Squeeze as much liquid out of the cucumber as you can before adding it to the yogurt sauce - it helps ensure the sauce stays thick and creamy.
- You can substitute beef, pork or lamb for the chicken to make a beef gyro, lamb gyro or pork gyros.
Serving Options
- Serve with some French fries thrown in the wrap - make these air fryer frozen French fries while you grill the chicken!
- Instead of serving on Greek pita bread, you can serve it in tortillas to make gyro tacos, on flatbreads to make gyro pizza, on chips to make gyro nachos, or serve it in a bowl with some jasmine rice.
- Serve the gyro wrap with some of these delicious sides:
- Crispy roasted potatoes - put a squeeze of lemon on top before serving
- Greek salad
- Hummus is always a classic side and great as a smear right on your gyro!
- A nice simple tomato soup goes amazing with this
- If you're not much of a tzatziki fan (I see you), try one of these sauces:
Frequently Asked Questions
A chicken gyro is made of marinated pieces of grilled chicken wrapped in pita bread served with tzatziki sauce, lettuce, tomatoes and onions.
Basically, souvlaki is made with marinated chicken, pork beef or lamb that is grilled on skewers. The meat can be taken off the skewers and eaten on pita bread, much like a gyro. Greek gyros are basically marinated meat that is stacked and grilled, then chopped off and served on pita with vegetables and tzatziki sauce.
A chicken gyro is typically considered to be a healthy meal. Greek food is part of the Mediterranean diet which is often considered one of the healthiest ways of eating. The chicken is packed with protein, vegetables with vitamins, and the Greek yogurt in the gyro sauce has probiotics and protein.
**note I am not a medical or health professional. Please see your personal doctor for health advice.
Storage and Reheating Options
Leftover gyro meat can be stored in an airtight container for 3-5 days. Leftover vegetables should be stored separately in a a container for 2-3 days.
Reheat the chicken gyro in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time until warm, in a skillet over medium heat, or in a 400°F oven for 5 minutes, until warmed through.
You can freeze gyro meat in an airtight container for up to 60 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, then follow the above reheating instructions.
Chicken gyro meat can be made in advance and stored in the fridge for 3-5 days. Reheat according to the instructions above.
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Recipe
Easy Greek Chicken Gyro Pita with Tzatziki Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken thighs
- 8 pitas
- 1 sliced tomato
- chopped lettuce substitute shredded
- ¼ - ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1 cup chopped red onion
Marinade:
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
Tzatziki Sauce:
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- ¼ cup shredded cucumber moisture squeezed out
- ¼ teaspoon salt adjust to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon white pepper
Instructions
- Combine all the marinade ingredients together and pour it over the chicken thighs in a large ziplock bag. Marinade for 8-12 hours in the fridge.
- To make the tzatziki sauce, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and store in the fridge until ready for use. Adjust the salt to taste if needed.
- Remove the chicken from the bag and heat a grill over medium high heat.
- Grill the chicken for 4-6 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature reaches 160°F.
- Remove from the grill and let it rest for 5 minutes. Slice the chicken into strips or chunks.
- Warm the pita breads in an oven or the microwave (optional) and serve the chicken rolled in the pita bread with the tzatziki sauce, lettuce, cucumber, tomato, red onion and feta cheese.
Expert Tips:
- For optimal flavor, marinade the chicken for at least 8 hours, but not more than 12 as it will start to get mushy.
- The typical easy gyro sauce is tzatziki sauce, but you can use any sauce you'd like! I included some options in the serving options section of the post.
- The chicken is done cooking when the internal temperature reaches 160°F. Use a thermometer to check doneness easily.
- Squeeze as much liquid out of the cucumber as you can before adding it to the yogurt sauce - it helps ensure the sauce stays thick and creamy.
- You can substitute beef, pork or lamb for the chicken to make a beef gyro, lamb gyro or pork gyros.
Nutrition
harry
Loved this recipe! Came out really good 🙂
Danielle
Glad to hear it!