The marinade for the chicken for this Greek Chicken Gyros recipe is SO GOOD that I use it even when I’m not making Gyros. Try it once, and I think you’ll be as obsessed with it as I am!
This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!
Greek Chicken Gyros recipe
It’s been ages since I made this Greek Chicken Gyros. But the minute the chicken hit the grill, all I could think was “why don’t I make this more often??”
The smell is incredible. You can REALLY smell garlic and oregano. You know how sometimes you add herbs into things and you can’t really taste it? Or you can, but it’s 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 – or use smaller pita breads and just fold them over
Greek Chicken Gyros Marinade ingredients
Here’s what you need for the marinade. There’s LOTS of garlic and dried oregano. Lots!!
Yogurt is a magical marinade – it’s 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 only softens the chicken but also helps the marinade really infuse into the flesh.
Plus, the yoghurt makes this marinade “paste like” 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, you’ll 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 here’s what goes in the tzatziki.
Greek Yogurt please! Or at least Greek style which is what I mostly use because it’s easily found at everyday supermarkets. 🙂
How to make Greek Chicken Gyros
And onto the making part!! There are a few components to Gryos – but the making part is a cinch!
GREAT meal for groups – 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 ’em 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 there’s 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 you’re making Gyros for a group, try this Greek Lemon Orzo Salad as well.
And though not specifically a Greek-style salad, this Cucumber Salad with Garlic & Herb Dressing 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 you’re really wanting to impress, make Gyros using your very own homemade flatbread wraps. They’re easy and they’re made without yeast!!
– 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 – 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!
It’s a little hard to get Greek food in Tokyo and I was craving it so made this tonight. Wife and daughter loved it (my daughter is a picky eater)! I prepped yesterday and whipped it up tonight. So easy and delicious. Will definitely be making this again.
ありがとう!
My family is not a huge fan of dark meat- any chance these would turn out just as good using chicken breasts or is the thigh what makes it?
I’ve made this a few times now with chicken tenderloins in lieu of the chicken thighs and can attest that the tenderloins have been just as good as (more lean) just not quite as tasty as the thighs.
I love Nagi’s cooking style and always look delicious 😋 thanks 🙏🏻 Nagi for sharing great 👍🏻 food with us. You’re amazing 😉 and always inspiring me to look forward to cooking. My kids definitely love this chicken wraps 🥰
So finally made this tonight but inside on our cast iron pan, the rangehood couldn’t keep up with how much smoke filled the room but smelt divine! Overall it was delicious but I do need to ask a question. You mention 3 mins on each side, I found we needed to cook the thigh fillets for over 5 mins on each side to ensure they were cooked through. Is this normal?? I’m just really paranoid about chicken and always worry I will overcook, tasted great but just seemed to cook a lot longer than your instructions so not sure if we are doing something wrong??
Hi Maryanna, depends on the size of the thighs here – if they are large or really thick you may need to cook them slightly longer – the beauty is that thighs are hard to overcook as they are juicy anyway 🙂 N x
These look absolutely delicious!
Thanx for the lovely recipes cant wait to try them xx
thank you for these recipes, with all my heart.
Thanks so much Zehra!! N x
Thank you for sharing this recipe, absolutely delicious. Everyone in the family loved it.
This is a useful website. Love
Not the first recipe i tried. Always delicious. All family loved it. Thank you Nagi.
I made this along with your easy flatbread and tzatziki. Oh my, the flavour and tenderness of the chicken was amazing. Loved by the whole family. New favourite homemade takeaway.
Great recipe – thank you. I’ve found so many winner recipes on your website. Thank you! xx
forgot to mention the basic ingredient for the tzatziki is thick Greek yogurt
The food looks fascinating. And the formula is very detailed. Thank you
We’ve made this recipe a few times now and it is SO good!! Thank you Nagi for all of your amazing recipes…you have helped me learn to cook! xxx
Nagi, please could you let me know how long in advance I could make the tzatziki?
Hi Hj, I’ve kept mine up to 3 days in the fridge 🙂 N x
SO delicious. I didn’t have pita or flat bread for the chicken, tzatziki and cucumber-tomato salad were a perfect meal. You’re right…. the marinade is so amazing I will use just this more in the future. I cooked mine on a (well seasoned) cast iron skillet indoors with no added oil. Super yummy! The only edit was that I threw added some fresh dill to the tzatziki because I had some on hand and because I love how it tastes in tzatziki sauce.
Yum! So easy! Served with coles brand souvlaki bread.
I found some Greek oregano in a specialty shop recently – dried whole stalks, imported from Greece (god knows what I paid for it, I didn’t look, lol) – but I just had to buy it and redo this. Took it to a whole new level, thanks Nagi
Thank you for sharing this recipe, absolutely delicious. Everyone in the family loved it! Marinating the chicken yogurt made it tender and very flavorful.
Thank you so much for sharing such a FANTASTIC and easy recipe!!! My family loved it. My adult son asked when I would be repeating the recipe as he LOVED it!!!