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!
I just made the chicken was delicious and Iโll be definitely make it again. The chicken is juicy and tender and a winner with the family.
Made these a few nights ago & they turned out great! Will be making them many times again.
This recipe was an absolute winner. The combo of the marinated chicken with the tzatziki on the bread was mouthwatering.
As I was making this, I was thinking, how good could it be? It seemed that I was just using lemon, garlic and cucumber. Anyway, I always follow Nagiโs recipes exactly the first time I cook them. I cooked the chicken on the bbq. I didnโt have time to make my own flatbread so used lavash. I cannot believe how flavorful this was. I loved it!!! The only thing I would change is I would put MORE in and I would make my own flatbread. Perfectly balanced flavors. I made Nagiโs Schwarma before and I think I prefer the Gyros.
Made this last night using tenderloins as I have chicken phobic diners in my household. Perfect.
In future I would double flatbread recipe, as they were such a hit.
Cannot emphasise enough how much the โThis is deliciousโ comments were.
Hi Nagi! Made this and itโs so good!! Another hit recipe of yours ๐ I saw from the comments that dill can be added, which I did. I didnโt have pita bread so I used tortilla instead. Loved it! ๐
I love chicken gyros and this recipe did not disappoint. It was easy and tasted delicious.
I always have a batch of this chicken in the freezer. Delicious!
Loved the recipe, instructions were easy to follow. Chicken marinade was perfect, Loved the homemade Tzaziki sauce recipe (added a bit of oregano).
Loved this recipe. Guests raved about it. Saved time and used prepared tzaziki. Cant wait to make again.
I followed this to the gram and left to marinate overnight.
I kept smelling it to see if the flavours would develop but couldnโt smell much. HOWEVER, once this thing is cooking the smell is amazing. I cooked mine in the air fryer and had a bit of browning. Then I used a kitchen blow torch all over to get the flame cooked flavour.
All I can say is this recipe is very simple and absolutely delicious. The best chicken Iโve ever cooked and will use this as my go to from now on.
Thank you for this recipe. As one other comment below said, itโs restaurant quality. Top notch.
I did not give it stars as it would have been a 2
99% of the time I love her recipes. This one was one I was glad I did not print it out. I followed it to a T not much flavor, what I did taste was a lot of lemon, I did marinate it for 3 hours.
I wonder what went wrong with yours. Did you follow the exact steps? I tried it and I liked it.
I make this recipe all the time on the yacht I work. It is an absolute guest favorite. โฅ๏ธ
Made this tonight, whole family loved it and the kids ate it happily with no variations โ thatโs a win in my eyes!
Made tonight using chicken breasts which we grilled outside on the grill.
Excellent!!!!
So flavorful <3
I love eating gyros in restaurants so naturally I wanted to try them at home. This recipe didnโt disappoint. The marinade was spot on. I had to freeze them in the marinade because I didnโt have time to cook them. So a week later I defrosted them and massaged the marinade as you suggested and they cooked up perfectly. We were so impressed with the restaurant quality flavor. Thank youโฆthis is a keeper for me.
Delicious diner! Even made the flatbread:) We cooked our chicken on the traeger at 425 and they turned out so juicy. The herbs and garlic didnโt burn so it was so flavorful. We cooked it over charcoal the first time we made this, and it was good, but the smoker was much better!
Best Greek chicken, seriously. Iโll never make it any other way.
This recipe is delicious! Iโm wondering if I can dice the chicken and do skewers will it still turn out ok?
Wow doubled this recipe for the family and what a hit. I did the salad and also at the request of my SIL your lemon potatoes.
Everyone absolutely loved them. I also cooked on the BBQ I think it gives it that nice seared flavour. Ended up buying a really good Tzatziki as cucumbers are pretty exy as the moment plus I ran out of time ๐
These are FANTASTIC!!!! Easy to make and my entire family loved them!
Thank you!!!