Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki

In June of 2006, right after my son was born, my dear friend Jenni brought us Chicken Gyros for dinner. WHOA. They were so good.  I begged her for the recipe.  Ever since that day, we have been making these regularly.

The marinade is nothing more than some fresh herbs, sliced onion, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Here’s a little tip:  if you don’t have room in your fridge when marinating, place it in a rimmed baking dish topped with a freezer pack.

Another quick tip is to strain the cucumber to remove excess water.  You can do this by grating and squeezing the cucumber, or dicing it very small, tossing with at little salt and setting it in a strainer over a bowl.

These fries were amazing!  We love baking fries in the oven.  The illusion of being more healthy, I suppose.

My son is now almost 6.  He goes crazy for homemade fries.  I had to laugh when he made his own “gyro” out of fries and a pita.  That’s it.  He’s such a funny boy.  One day I know he’ll be a chef.  (Or a doctor, it depends on the day.)

While I don’t really even need a recipe anymore and have adapted it to our taste, this is a good reference, and is also the original recipe Jenni gave me.  I think this is a hard recipe to mess up–if you don’t like oregano, leave it out. If you want more dill, use more dill.  If you really like tzatziki, make a ton of it.  It’s good on just about anything.

Here’s a cute video featuring my friend Gabby’s children making tzatziki.  I can’t wait to try their recipe.  They did live in Greece after all.

Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki
adapted from a recipe by my friend Jenni from here

Ingredients:

For gyros:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/4″ strips
2 Tbsp. finely chopped dill
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 large onion, thinly sliced
a few tablespoons olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper

For Tzatziki:
8 oz. Greek Yogurt (or sour cream)
1/2 seedless cucumber, grated and squeezed to remove excess water
2-3 Tbsp. fresh dill, finely chopped
4 scallions, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press
1-2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
a drizzle of olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper–to taste

For serving:

8-10 small pitas
fresh lemon juice
sliced tomatoes
feta cheese
lettuce

Instructions:

For gyros:
Place the chicken and all other ingredients into a gallon-size freezer bag.  Allow to marinate for a few hours or overnight.

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add a little olive oil. Saute the chicken and onions until chicken is cooked through. (I sometimes remove the chicken pieces and let the onions cook a little longer.)

For Tzatziki:
Combine all the ingredients and chill for several hours to allow flavors to meld. Yields about 2 1/2 cups.

To serve:  Place some of the chicken on the pita, top with tzatziki and a little fresh lemon juice, sliced tomato, feta, and lettuce. Fold up and enjoy!