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!
This is CRAZY delicious!! Love it. I like to add dill to my tzatziki. I created a big salad with the pita sprinkled on top and it was a hit.
Sounds yum Amelia!! N x
I have made theses several times. Always a big hit!!
I really enjoyed the recipe, the 2nd time I made it I used cayenne pepper and chopped dill to the sauce which made the sauce even better IMO
Another amazing recipe, each component is delicious! We’ll be using this Tzatziki on other dishes too as well as this Chicken Marinade. This would be a great dinner party meal (a real crowd pleaser!) & will definitely be one of our rotating meals. Thank you!
another belter many thanks onto the next tryout cheers Pete.
Absolutely delicious , I used chicken breasts instead, just cut them in half and flattened them a bit , can’t wait to try more dishes!
I made these this week and they were such a hit! I will be totally making these again. It’s cold and snowy where I live so I baked these in the oven then cooked them in the broiler for a few minutes to get crispy. Delicious!
Oh yummy! You have done it again. It’s going to be on rotation at our place. Such a great summer BBQ meal. The marinade was great. How is everything just so good using such simple ingredients? Your a genius!
Nagi you are the best thank you so much I love all your recipes!!!!
Amazing! So good. We will definitely be making this again. The sauce/marinade was delicious. Only thing I would mention is that the prep time lists it as 20 minutes. I was chopping and dicing for a LOT longer than 20 minutes. But, regardless of how long it took to make everything, it was SO worth it! Yum!!!
I love the tzatziki recipe. There is never enough garlicky sauce whenever I buy yiros and I love having extra.
Haven’t cooked it by the way but my children always eat whatever I cook from your blog. Thank you again. I cook mainly Korean dishes so sometimes forget how to cook other cuisine and I don’t like the too- salty meat when you get a yiros from the shops.
There can never be too much sauce Clara! N x
I don’t usually comment on recipes but this one needed the praise! Everyone, including kids, love this! I make it at least once a month and usually make more chicken than necessary and use it for chicken ceasar salads the next night. The flavor of the chicken is amazing!! It’s time consuming to get it all together, but super easy. My family thanks you!
Like this recipe needs yet another five star review, but here it is. Simply delicious and easy to put together!
I am glad you enjoyed it Rick! N x
I made a deconstructed version of this recipe… oh so good! Made the Greek salad linked above, basmati rice, and paired it with the chicken. Used the naan to tear apart, dip & savor all this glorious goodness. The Tzatziki is the best I’ve ever had. Snuck upstairs after dinner was cleared to eat more naan and tzatziki.
This was delicious Nagi. I made it last night for 7 fussy guests and not one of them had a complaint! Your recipes are awesome and I can say I have tried more than a dozen and never had a fail. You are my go to person for recipes and I love you!! Thanks ever so much xxx
We made this a few nights ago for dinner and it was a great meal. I prefer the chicken shawarma recipe and found myself kind of wishing this was that when I was eating it because I love it so much lol but this was still lovely and I ended up making another big batch of this tzatziki yesterday to keep in the fridge because that part of the recipe was perfect. Never buying premise tzatziki again!
Premade tzatziki*
I am happy you enjoyed it, Taysia! N x
Omg….wow is all I can say. Only thing different i did was added chopped jalapeños to the salad for some heat, and it was amazing. My family loved it so much , my daughter who gets this all the time said this version is so much better! Thanks for always sharing top notch recipes!
I cooked this tonight for our family and it is delicious 😋 Your site is in my favs…looking at your recipes for tomorrow nights dinner 🍽 Thank you Nagi!
Absolutely delicious and super easy to make! Perfect weeknight dinner for the family – will definitely be making these again
We went to Greece in August and I have to say…your tzatziki sauce and chicken marinade is better than anything we tasted in Greece over the 11 days we traveled throughout the country.
Outstanding recipe! This is now my go-to recipe for chicken and lamb gyros. And the tzatziki sauce is out of this world! Well done! I already saved about 10 of your other recipes and cannot wait to try them. Thank you for sharing your amazing recipes!
You just made my day! N x