Chicken Gyro with Tzatziki. Easy, healthy, and perfect for the kiddos, this delicious Chicken Gyro Recipe takes 20 minutes to prepare and requires just a handful of simple ingredients such as soft flatbread, chicken tenders, tomato, and red onion.
20 Minute Chicken Gyro Recipe
I am all about lazy dinners right now. I am also all about planning the perfect island getaway for a hypothetical non-existent vacation that will likely never happen, but we all need a hobby, right?
Anyway, easy dinners. Ah yes, there is nothing hypothetical about easy dinners on this blog. Easy dinners, ideally 30 minutes or less, are the key to my sanity at the moment. Dinners like this One Pot Creamy Mushroom Tortellini or this 15-Minute Lemon Honey Ginger Chicken.
Also chocolate…but I digress.
Anyway, one thing I have learned over the years is that come dinnertime, pita bread, flatbread, and tortillas are your friend. Unless you hate carbs. In that case, I recommend looking for a low-carb version like these tortillas or this flatbread.
Why do I love eating food rolled in carbs? Because it’s easy. And carbs don’t judge. In other words, you can literally wrap just about anything in a soft and fluffy pita and call it dinner.
Now that I’ve sold you on the importance of keeping at least three different kinds of flatbread or tortilla in your house (I have, right?), let’s chat about this brilliant Chicken Gyro Recipe that will only use up 20 minutes (give or take) of your life.
Ingredients in this Chicken Gyro Recipe with Tzatziki
- Lemon
- Greek yogurt
- Dried oregano
- Paprika
- Chicken tenders
- Olive oil
- Cucumber
- Garlic
- Red wine vinegar
- Fresh Dill
- Flatbread or pita
- Tomatoes
- Red onion
Tips for making the best Chicken Gyro
- Marinate the chicken in yogurt. Even better, marinate the chicken for at least 4 hours to overnight. Why? Yogurt is one of the best meat tenderizers. The last thing anyone wants is dry meat, right?
- Chicken tenders are great, but sliced chicken thighs would be better. I know, I know, you guys. Here I am changing things up on you. But I promise I’m not. Everything is the same, except for the use of boneless skinless chicken thigh meat. Of course, thigh meat isn’t as “healthy” as chicken tenders, but it is juicier. So I’ll leave this decision up to you.
- The tzatziki is a key player in this chicken gyro recipe. Unless you’re allergic to cucumber, don’t skip it. There are even non-dairy alternatives to yogurt these days, so no excuses.
- I’m only kidding!
- Find a soft and fluffy pita or flatbread. I like the super white bread version.
- Shake off a bit of the yogurt before adding the chicken to the skillet to cook. Some won’t hurt anything, but lots is eh.
- Add other veggies. I left the toppings time with the tomato and red onion, but why not add fresh lettuce, artichoke hearts, or avocado?
- Learn how to wrap your chicken gyro in parchment paper or foil. I’ll be honest, it’s a pain, but as the saying goes, practice makes perfect!
Why I love this Chicken Gyro Recipe
- It’s easy. But I think I’ve said that like 10 times already.
- There’s something for everyone. Even if the kiddos don’t jump for joy over the red onion or tzatziki, there’s a good chance they’ll love the chicken and the pita. And if not the chicken, then at least they’ll love the pita 🙂
- Joking aside, I think I served Octavian the chicken and pita with ketchup. No shame.
- You can mix the tzatziki and marinate the chicken the day before. This will shave off even more time in the kitchen for those especially busy nights.
- I love to double (or even triple!) the recipe and use the leftovers for meal prep. The chicken tastes fabulously mixed in salads, pasta, or used in other wrap recipes.
- The ingredients are clean and fresh and simple. In other words, I can send my husband to the market with the shopping list and know he will come home with the right things.
Love Chicken Gyros? Check out,
- 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
- Greek Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
- Meal Prep: Chicken Shawarma Quinoa Bowls
If you try making this 20 Minute Chicken Gyro Recipe with Tzatziki, please leave me a comment and let me know! I always love to hear your thoughts.
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20 Minute Chicken Gyro Recipe with Tzatziki Sauce
Ingredients
For the Marinade + Chicken
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1.5 pounds chicken tenders
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
For the Tzatziki Sauce
- 1/2 cucumber (seeded with skin removed)
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt (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 or flat bread
- 2 tomatoes (quartered or sliced)
- 1/4 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 with the Greek yogurt, garlic, red wine vinegar, fresh dill, salt, and pepper, to taste. Cover and transfer the tzatziki to the refrigerator until ready to use (keeps well for approximately 2-3 days).
- 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 tenders 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 pitas in parchment paper or foil and enjoy!
Video
Jessica's Notes
Nutritional Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)
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.