This Greek-inspired Chicken Gyro Recipe is made with juicy yogurt marinated chicken, fresh veggies, and creamy tzatziki, all wrapped in a soft pita flatbread. Perfect for busy weeknights, the whole family will love the amazing flavors of this delicious 20-minute recipe.
The Best Greek Chicken Gyros
Easy dinners, ideally 30 minutes or less, are key to my sanity at the moment. Life is busy, and I haven’t felt like cooking long elaborate meals, so having a handful of simple, delicious dinners on rotation has been a true lifesaver.
These Greek chicken gyros are just one example, but they are definitely my favorite.
Easy to make ahead and perfect for meal prep, the ingredients are clean, fresh, simple, and so delicious. Perfect for kids and adults, it allows plenty of room for modifications to fit your family’s tastes and preferences.
This recipe calls for making your own homemade tzatziki sauce, but use your favorite store-bought cucumber yogurt dip if that’s easier. And while marinating the chicken is optional, I highly recommend allowing the chicken to rest in the herb and yogurt marinade for at least 30 minutes. Yogurt is one of the best meat tenderizers, practically guaranteeing juicy, tender chicken.
You may also enjoy: Tandoori Chicken Gyros with Curried Yogurt Sauce
How to Make Chicken Gyros
- Marinate the chicken: Combine the lemon juice, Greek yogurt, salt, oregano, and paprika in a medium bowl. Add the chicken and mix well to combine. Marinate for at least 30 minutes.
- Prepare the tzatziki: Tzatziki can be prepared the day before serving. Keep refrigerated.
- Cook the chicken: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 5-minutes, then flip and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes on the other side, or until cooked through.
- Assemble: Warm the pita bread in the microwave or oven and prepare the desired toppings. Build each gyro by spreading Tzatziki onto each pita bread, and top with fresh sliced tomatoes, red onion, and 2-3 chicken tenders. Wrap and serve.
Tips for Making the Best Chicken Gyro
- Marinate the chicken in yogurt. Even better, marinate the chicken for at least 4 hours. Yogurt is one of the best meat tenderizers. This is especially important if you are cooking with boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
- For even juicier chicken with more flavor, try this recipe with chicken thighs. For best results, chop the chicken thighs into large chunks before mixing them with the marinade.
- Tzatziki is a key player in this chicken gyro recipe. Unless you’re allergic to cucumber, don’t skip it.
- Find a soft and fluffy pita or flatbread. Naan or flour tortillas will also work.
- Shake off a bit of the yogurt before adding the chicken to your hot skillet.
How to Serve
Chicken gyro is a delicious and filling meal on its own. When serving a larger group, I’ll often include at least one of the following as a side: tabouli salad, Greek salad, or classic hummus.
More Mediterranean Inspired Recipes,
- Chickpea Tahini Salad Wraps
- Mediterranean Grilled Turkey Burgers
- Mediterranean Baked Fish with Artichokes and Olives
- Canned Artichoke Hearts with Parmesan Breadcrumb Topping
- Easy Mediterranean Chicken Wraps with Hummus
- Greek Lemon and Chicken Soup with Couscous and Artichokes
- Chicken Shawarma Quinoa Bowls
Have you tried making this Chicken Gyro Recipe?
Tell me about it in the comments below! I always love to hear your thoughts. And tag me #theforkedspoon on Instagram if you’ve made any of my recipes. I always love to see what you’re cooking in the kitchen.
RECIPE CARD
Chicken Gyro Recipe
Ingredients
For the Marinade + Chicken
- 1 lemon - juiced
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1.5 pounds chicken tenders - see notes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
For the Tzatziki Sauce
- ½ cucumber - seeded with skin removed
- 1 cup Greek yogurt - plain, full-fat recommended
- 3 cloves garlic - minced
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoon fresh dill - minced
- salt + pepper - to taste
For the Gyros
- 4 pita, flatbread, or naan
- 2 tomatoes - quartered or sliced
- ¼ red onion - thinly sliced
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together the lemon juice, plain Greek yogurt, salt, oregano, and paprika. Add the chicken tenders to the marinade and toss to coat. Cover the chicken tenders and transfer the bowl to the refrigerator to marinate for at least 30 minutes to overnight.
- To prepare the tzatziki sauce, grate the cucumber using a cheese grater and squeeze as much liquid from the cucumber as possible. Transfer the cucumber to a medium bowl and combine it with the Greek yogurt, garlic, red wine vinegar, fresh dill, salt, and black pepper, to taste. Cover and transfer the tzatziki to the refrigerator until ready to use (the tzatziki will keep for approximately 2-3 days when stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator).
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the chicken tenders to the skillet (working in batches if necessary). Cook the chicken for 5 minutes, undisturbed, before flipping to the other side to cook for an additional 5-10 minutes more, or until fully cooked.
- As the chicken cooks, warm the pita bread in the microwave or oven and prepare the desired toppings.
- Build each gyro by spreading Tzatziki onto each pita bread, and top with fresh sliced tomatoes, red onion, and 2-3 chicken tenders. Wrap up the pitas in parchment paper or foil and enjoy!
Video
Jessica’s Notes
- This recipe may also be made using boneless skinless chicken thighs or chicken breasts. For best results, slice the chicken into large chunks before marinating. This will increase the surface area for the yogurt sauce to marinate the chicken and decrease the total cook time.
- If you have time, marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes before cooking. The yogurt helps to tenderize the chicken, resulting in juicier, more flavorful chicken after it is cooked.
- Recommended toppings: Sliced tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, tzatziki, extra virgin olive oil, crumbled feta cheese.
- Any leftover chicken will keep for 4-5 days when stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Leftover tzatziki will keep for 2-3 days.
Nutritional Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)
Well done Jessica nice recipe. I used flat bread which although worked well, was a bit filling, so I will use wraps next time. I would also only use 2 garlic as with the dill I found 3 a bit hot. I also added thin strips of flame grilled red peppers and some green olives cut in half. 10/10 x
What you made is called chicken pita not chicken gyros ,you are writing something that is not included in your recipe, gyros is a type of meat ,pita is the one that is surrounding the chicken with the onions and the tsatziki, sorry but I am from Greece and I almost had a heart attack by the title
I tried making these and they turned out decent. I used mult Grain wrap that may have altered the taste a bit. But still tasty
Great gyros!!!!
Wow! I made these for my husband and I – we both loved them!!!
I made these for dinner tonight and they were a big hit. It was easy to make and the flavor was fantastic.
I made these for dinner tonight, and oh my are they great! I love gyros! So easy to make. I let my chicken marinate 24 hours. I don’t think there’s going to be any leftovers for the work week lol. Thanks for the great recipe! I’ll definitely be making these again.