The marinade for the chicken for this Greek Chicken Gyros recipe isย SO GOOD that I use it even when Iโm not making Gyros. Try it once, and I think youโll be as obsessed with it as I am!
This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook โDinnerโ!
Greek Chicken Gyros recipe
Itโs been ages since I made this Greek Chicken Gyros. But the minute the chicken hit the grill, all I could think was โwhy donโt I make this more often??โ
The smell is incredible. You can REALLY smell garlic and oregano. You know how sometimes you add herbs into things and you canโt really taste it? Or you can, but itโs a very subtle flavour. Definitely not the case with this!!
What goes in Gryos
Here are the components that make up a Greek Chicken Gyros wrap:
Marinated Greek Chicken
Tzatziki
Tomato Cucumber Salad
Flatbread to roll up the gyros โ or use smaller pita breads and just fold them over
Greek Chicken Gyros Marinade ingredients
Hereโs what you need for the marinade. Thereโs LOTS of garlic and dried oregano. Lots!!
Yogurt is a magical marinade โ itโs a terrific flavour carrier and tenderises the chicken!
Yogurt is the secret ingredient in this recipe. The acid in the yoghurt breaks down the fibres so it not onlyย softens the chicken but also helps the marinade really infuse into the flesh.
Plus, the yoghurt makes this marinade โpaste likeโ so it stays slathered on the chicken when you cook it (unlike many marinades that are thin). So you have extra flavour oomph!
In the video, youโll see that I cook this indoors on a grill pan. But during the warmer months, this is a BBQ favourite!
What goes in Tzatziki for Greek Gyros
And hereโs what goes in the tzatziki.
Greek Yogurt please! Or at least Greekย style which is what I mostly use because itโs easily found at everyday supermarkets. ๐
How to make Greek Chicken Gyros
And onto the making part!! There are a few components to Gryos โ but the making part is a cinch!
GREAT meal for groups โ prepare ahead, make loads!
This Greek Chicken Gyros is a really fab recipe for entertaining. Because it is really fast to prepare and the men can BBQ while the girls sip wine and chatter. (Joke joke JOKE!!!)
Then you can just lay everything out on the table. Why should you slave away, rolling up a gyros for everyone? Make โem do it themselves!
(Few more of my favourite large format foods, DIY style, include: Chicken or Beef / Lamb Doner kebabs, Chicken Shawarma and Lamb Shawarma, Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Bowls).
What to serve on the side
I serve Greek Chicken Gyros as a complete meal in itself because thereโs a decent amount of tomato and cucumber used to stuff inside.
If you wanted to boost the fresh vegetables, a big fat juicy Greek Salad would be terrifically on theme! For something more substantial, especially if youโre making Gyros for a group, try this Greek Lemon Orzo Saladย as well.
And though not specifically a Greek-style salad, this Cucumber Salad with Garlic & Herb Dressingย OR this Creamy Cucumber Salad with Lemon Yogurt Dressing would go down a treat with this Gyros. I also offer a Greek take on my recipe for Roasted Pumpkin with Yogurt Sauce and Pine Nuts (see Customisations ideas section) that would be a great partner to the Gyros.
If youโre really wanting to impress, make Gyros using your very own homemade flatbread wraps. Theyโreย easy and theyโre madeย without yeast!!
โ Nagi x
Watch how to make it
This recipe features in my debut cookbook Dinner. The book is mostly new recipes, but this is a reader favourite included by popular demand!
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Greek Chicken Gyros with Tzaziki
Ingredients
- 2 lb / 1 kg chicken thigh fillets , boneless skinless
Marinade
- 3 large garlic cloves , minced (~ 3 tsp)
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar (or red wine or apple cider vinegar)
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp Greek yogurt , preferably full fat
- 1 1/2 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp salt
- Black pepper
Tzatziki
- 2 cucumbers (to make about 1/2 โ 3/4 cup grated cucumber after squeezing out juice)
- 1 1/4 cups Greek yoghurt , preferably full fat
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (or more if you want richer)
- 1 garlic clove , minced
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Black pepper
Salad
- 3 tomatoes , desseeded and diced
- 3 cucumbers , diced
- 1/2 red spanish onion , peeled and finely chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves (optional)
- Salt and pepper
To Serve
- 4 to 6 pita breads or flat breads
Instructions
- Place the Marinade ingredients in a ziplock bag and massage to mix. Add the chicken into the ziplock bag and massage to cover all the chicken in the Marinade. Marinate for at least 2 hours, preferably 3 hours, ideally 12 hours and no longer than 24 hours.
Make the Tzatziki
- Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise. Use a teaspoon to scrape the watery seeds out. Coarsely grate the cucumber using a box grater. Then wrap in paper towels or a tea towel and squeeze to remove excess liquid.
- Place cucumber in a bowl. Add remaining ingredients then mix to combine. Set aside for at least 20 minutes for the flavours to meld.
Salad
- Combine ingredients in a bowl.
Cook Chicken
- Brush the outdoor grill with oil, then preheat on medium high. Or heat 1 tbsp of oil in a fry pan over medium high heat.
- Remove chicken from Marinade. Cook the chicken for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until golden brown and cooked through (cooking time depends on size of chicken).
- Remove the chicken from the grill / fry pan onto a plate. Cover loosely with foil and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Assemble Gyros
- If your chicken thighs are large, you may need to cut them. Mine were small.
- Get a pita bread or flatbread (preferably warmed) and place it on a piece of parchment (baking) paper (or you could use foil). Place some Salad down the middle of the bread, then top with chicken and Tzatziki.
- Roll the wrap up, enclosing it with the parchment paper. Twist the end with the excess parchment paper to secure it and cut if desired.
- I prefer to lay everything out on a table and let everyone help themselves.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
First published June 2015. Long overdue for fresh new photos and a brand new video!!
Life of Dozer
WAY too close to the BBQ!
AMAZING!!! thank you for this recipe, the whole family enjoyed it and it was really delicious and super easy!! i marinated it in the morning and cooked it in the evening:)
Hands down one of my favourite recipes I have ever done for my family!! Healthy, perfectly laid out portions, and an incredibly tasty & delicious meal! Bravo!!
Forgot to give a star rating on my previous comment, but itโs definitely 5 stars from me!
Thanks for giving the cups for the cucumbers. Maybe I get really large cucumbers at my store, but I never need this number of cucumbers to get the volume required! the first time I made it, I had a bumch of extra cucumbers. The third time I made it, I added sweet bell peppers to the tzatziki. Not traditional bet really good.
I very rarely fault a Nagi recipe but I found the sauce on this was to be absolutely terrible. Ended up chucking it and serving with the sauce from her sharwma recipe โ probably not traditional, but at least palatable
Ignore my comment โ I was trying to post on another recipe
Delicious! We will be adding this to our weekly rotation.
Love this recipe! Just AMAZING, as all your recipes are! I was naughty and also added chips! YUM!
This recipe for both the chicken marinade & the tzatziki sauce are #1. I have tried many and I can now stop looking for the perfect recipe. HERE IT IS!!
Amazing recipe, always a crowd pleaser, but you missed the hot chips!!
Hey team! I am wanting to make this for my upcoming camping trip, can I freeze the uncooked chicken in the marinade? Or will I need to keep it separate until we use it? Iโm trying to prep some meals before we leave!
This recipe is Amazing!!! I have made it several times although itโs been a while ๐ Planning on making it Saturday and my mouth is watering as I type this lol. Thank you!!!
Tender amazing chicken! I cut up for marinade then put on kabobs for the grill! Made a bunch of extra tzatziki for crackers tomorrow!
I love this recipe and my family loves when I make it! Best gyro recipe hands down! The chicken comes out so tender after marinating. I add feta cheese for an extra special kick! I use Samโs Club brand pita bread which can be purchased at Walmart here in the states and they are perfect for this recipe.
Yum!!! So, so good. Yet another sensational recipe/meal! Comments from the family: โthis is better than a takeawayโ and โIโd pay good money for this in a restaurantโ. Praise indeed! I donโt use any other recipes than yours โ everything is delicious!
A family fave and last nights dinner. Absolutely delicious and easy to prepare and cook. Even hubby took part with preparation and couldnโt believe how easy a recipe resulted into an awesome delicious meal, which is a frequent visitor to our dinner table. Thank you Nagi, you rock ๐๐๐๐๐
Made this the other night, and had sister and BIL over to eat. I added a few thin chicken breasts as wellโฆ Wonderful flavors! Will make again and again! Reminded us of flavors (Souvlaki) in Greece last summer!
I made this and I can confirm that this is insanely delicious!
REALLY good ! I have 5 boys , and they all loved it ! Great flavor
Last week for our anniversary we had Greek for dinner from a highly rated local restaurant, It was good but we both thought these blew it away. Cooked the chicken on the grill and the marinade held up perfectly. This was fantastic. Thanks for sharing.
Used light sour cream instead, worked fine!!
Delicious! We have made this numerous times, even in the oven (400ยฐF for 20 minutes turning halfway). Thank you for the recipe.
Thanks for those instructions. I was hoping to cook in the oven so will follow this. ๐๐ฝ