Grilled Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki
Finally -- success making a Greek-inspired dish at home!
I reviewed a bunch of recipes and then decided to try my hand at making a gyro the way we like them when ordered from a Greek diner here in New York state.
Came up with a simple marinade, then Tom grilled the chicken while I made the sauce and the dressing. We assembled them at the table.
Not 100% authentic, but pretty darn good!
This dish is easy to make and will be in our roster for summer grilling.
fyi - Tzatziki is a Greek sauce served with grilled meats or as a dip. It is a refreshing, cooling counterpoint to the spicy, hot meat.
Grilled Chicken Gyros
1 soft pita (bread) per person -- we used Sahara brand
1 chicken breast per person
olive oil
garlic powder
onion powder
sweet paprika
dried oregano
dried mint
dried rosemary
salt and pepper
For the toppings:
very ripe cherry tomatoes, halved, about 4 per person
romaine lettuce, sliced crosswise into ribbons, about a 1/2 cup per person
Feta cheese, crumbled ( the dry version, not the kind in brine), a few tablespoons per person
Tzatziki (Cucumber Dill Yogurt Sauce)
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2 greenhouse English cucumber, peeled, quartered, seeds removed then chopped (or 1 regular cucumber)
Juice of one lemon
2 T. fresh dill, chopped
1 clove of garlic, grated (optional!)
extra virgin olive oil to drizzle on top
A half hour before grilling, generously coat the chicken breasts with oil. Sprinkle with garlic powder, onion powder, sweet paprika, dried oregano, dried mint, dried rosemary, salt and pepper.
Slice the tomatoes and sprinkle with salt. Put in small serving bowl.
Wash the lettuce, if needed, and slice into ribbons. Put in small serving bowl.
For the feta cheese, crumble, if needed, and put in a small serving bowl.
Make the tzatziki by peeling the cucumber, removing the seeds, then chopping into bite sizes. Wash and chop up the dill.
In a small serving bowl, add the yogurt, the juice of one lemon, the chopped cucumber, the chopped dill, and grate in the garlic, if you are using it (I like it without it but Tom likes it with it). Mix it all together and drizzle olive oil on top.
Grill the chicken breasts. When they are done, let them rest a few minutes, then cut them into chunks. And put in a serving bowl.
At the table, each person can load up their pita as they wish.
First the chicken, then the lettuce, tomato and lots of tzatziki on top.
B