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Whatever you’re throwing on the grill this weekend, there’s room for Chicken Gyros. The tender, yogurt-marinated chicken tastes incredible tucked into pita with fresh veggies and slathered with an easy, homemade tzatziki sauce.
Making Chicken Gyro platter for a family of 10? Better make extra tzatziki sauce. Click and slide the number next to “servings” on the recipe card below to adjust the ingredients to match how many you’re feeding—the recipe does the math for you, it’s that easy.
Are Chicken Gyros healthy?
Chicken gyros are a lot healthier than other types of souvlaki, shawarma, or beef gyro recipes, which use lamb, pork, or beef and are higher in fat. Is this a completely authentic gyro recipe? No, because it uses lean chicken. Is this Chicken Gyros recipe tasty? Yep, it sure is.
No matter what, though, food that you make at home out of the freshest, least processed ingredients, is always the way to go!
Chicken Gyro calories: about 519 calories, depending on the size of your sandwich.
How to make Chicken Gyros:
Now on to the good stuff.
Psst! If you’re a visual learner, these pictures show you what’s up–but for the actual recipe with specific amounts, scroll down towards the bottom of the page!
Make the gyro marinade:
First, you need to make the gyro marinade. This will go fast; mix it up in a bowl or a zip-top plastic bag.
Mix together some Greek yogurt, minced garlic, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, oregano, and a little salt and pepper. If you have a little jar of traditional Greek gyro spice mix, use it!
Then add the boneless, skinless chicken breasts and coat them evenly in the marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
How to make tzatziki sauce:
To make the tzatziki sauce, chop the peeled cucumber into tiny pieces, using a food processor or the roughest blade of a food grater. Salt the cucumber, toss gently, and place in a colander, over a strainer, or inside a few pieces of paper towel.
The salt helps draw excess water out of the cucumber, which keeps the sauce tight. Let the cucumber drain for 20 to 30 minutes, then squeeze or wring out any extra liquid before transferring it to a medium- sized bowl.
To finish making the sauce, add Greek yogurt, lemon juice, white wine vinegar, chopped dill, and garlic to the cucumber. Mix well, adjust the seasoning, and drizzle with olive oil.
Grill the chicken:
Preheat a grill to medium high and cook the chicken breasts, turning occasionally, until they register 165 degrees internally, the temperature at which chicken is safe to eat.
Protip: to get crosshatched grill marks on chicken, place the chicken on the hot side of the grill, turn it 90-degrees after a couple minutes, flip it over and repeat the process.
Or, bake the chicken:
If lighting a grill sounds like work, use the oven! It will still taste wonderful.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Arrange the chicken breasts in a single layer on an oiled baking tray or baking dish. Cover with oven-safe parchment paper, tucking the edges of the paper down around the chicken. This will keep the chicken tender.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until the chicken registers 165 degrees internally.
How to assemble Chicken Gyros:
Warming pita bread in the oven or on the grill levels up this sandwich in otherworldly ways. (Highly recommended!)
Once the chicken is cooked, slice it up into thin slices or chunks. Pile it into the pita bread, then top with whatever Mediterranean ingredients you want, including, but certainly not limited to:
- Thinly sliced red onion
- Briny, crumbled feta cheese
- Chopped cherry tomatoes
- Kalamata olives or a schmear of tapenade
- Fresh herbs or Romaine lettuce
Finally, pour on a generous amount of the homemade tzatziki sauce. Fold up, as best you can, and dig in. Try not to let the juice run down your arm.
Your tastebuds will thank you.
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Chicken Gyros Recipe
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 2 teaspoons garlic minced
- 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt (see note 1)
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (see note 2)
For the tzatziki sauce:
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt (see note 1)
- 1 medium cucumber peeled
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon fresh dill (see note 3)
- 1 teaspoon garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- Olive oil
For serving:
- Pita bread and feta cheese, tomatoes, and thinly sliced red onion (see note 4)
Instructions
To marinate the chicken:
- In a large bowl, combine the garlic, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, yogurt, oregano, salt and pepper in a medium bowl and whisk well. Add the chicken pieces to the bowl and mix well to coat. Cover bowl or move into Ziploc bag and refrigerate for about 1 hour.
To make the tzatziki sauce:
- While the chicken is marinating, shred the cucumber or chop in food processor. Toss with ½ teaspoon salt and set over a strainer or paper towels (a coffee filter also works well) and let sit for 20 to 30 minutes. Squeeze cucumber to remove as much liquid as possible.
- In a medium bowl, combine yogurt, cucumber, lemon juice, dill, garlic, and white wine vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
To bake the chicken:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a baking dish with oil or nonstick spray and arrange chicken in a single layer. Cover with parchment paper, tucking the paper around the chicken so it is completely covered.
- Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the chicken reaches 165 degrees when tested with an internal thermometer. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice or chop into pieces.
- Serve on pita bread with feta cheese, tomatoes, red onion, and tzatziki sauce.
Notes
- Greek yogurt: This thick, tangy refrigerator staple stars in both the chicken marinade and the homemade tzatziki sauce. I'm fond of anything in the 2% to 5% fat arena. Sour cream is an excellent alternative.
- Chicken breasts: Quick-cooking and crowd-pleasing, I developed this Chicken Gyro Recipe with boneless chicken breasts as the base. For even more flavor, consider boneless, skinless chicken thighs.
- Fresh dill: I call for dried herbs in the yogurt marinade, but fresh dill is best to perk up the tzatziki.
- Pita bread: Follow my own Pita Bread Recipe if you're feeling ambitious, or snack a package of pita bread (or any other kind of flatbread, like naan) at the supermarket or bakery.
- Yield: This Chicken Gyros recipe makes about 24 ounces of cooked chicken, enough for 4 servings, 6 ounces of cooked chicken per serving. I suggest each person make two Gyros wraps with about 3 ounces of chicken and plenty of fresh toppings per wrap.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.