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!
Rachel says
Yum! So easy! Served with coles brand souvlaki bread.
alimak says
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
Gene Hunt says
Thank you for sharing this recipe, absolutely delicious. Everyone in the family loved it! Marinating the chicken yogurt made it tender and very flavorful.
Marisa Storer says
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!!!
vassilis says
For the original Greek taste in Tzatziki instead of lemon juice you use same amount of white vinegar, and instead of chopped cucumber in the wrap try chopped onion and parsley. Thank you for all your lovely recipes, i tried many of them and they were all delicious xxx
Fiona says
Do you mean using onion and parsley in place of the cucumber in the tzatziki ?
vassilis says
There is cucumber in the tzatziki grated and drained all the water out of it. Finely grated garlic, vinegar, olive oil and chopped dill. Thats the classic original recipe.
For the pitta filling the original recipe and wont find any differentiation in any Greek shop is the meat, chopped tomatoes chopped onions parsley and the tzatziki, in the last decade they started putting french fries in it but that is an addition if you dont want fries separately. Feel free to ask any advice of any traditional Greek dish. There are hundreds
Christina Samson says
This was so good! This was so easy. Haha the hardest part was squeezing the water out of the grated cucumbers. Defiantly making this again. The family loved it.
Barbara says
I made it with the boneless breast tenders I had, and pan fried as you suggested. They were absolutely delicious and juicy. Thank you!
Nagi says
Thanks so much for letting me know Barbara! N x
Valérie says
Hi Nagi! I was wondering, would it be possible cooking this in the oven? I don’t have a grill pan, and with yogurt marinade recipes I’ve tried in the past in a normal non-stick pan, the oil/marinade splatters all over my kitchen when cooking… Not sure how to avoid this, so I thought perhaps cooking in the oven would be a good alternative?
I absolutely loooove your recipes, have been cooking a ton lately, so was hoping to give this one a try too 🙂
Mia says
Can I bake this chicken? Just have a few guests coming over and would be much easier to cook in the oven instead of pan frying.
Chloe says
A MILLION STARS!!! Thank you Nagi! This chicken is so soft it literally melts in the mouth. My husband and children said it was the best tasting chicken they had ever had and have asked for it again for the second time this week!
I usually cook with boneless chicken thighs/legs as we find them more tender and tasty, but chicken breasts were on special at the supermarket so I used this marinade on the chicken breast fillets and hoped for the best. The results were simply incredible. You could cut the chicken with a spoon!
A few days later we used chicken breasts in a Thai curry and it was tough and dry – so we know that this marinade is the trick! I’m making this forever!
Nagi you’re the best!
Natasha says
What a fantastic recipe! The chicken turned out perfectly seasoned and tender. Thanks!
Nagi says
Wahoo! That’s great to hear Natasha! N x
Grace says
This was a hit at my house. I have 3 teenagers, all picky eaters, and they gobbled this up!! Thank you Nagi for sharing your awesome recipes. All your recipes have turned out AH-mazingly delicious!! Xoxo
Rose says
Hi Nagi, which flatbreads do you like to buy for this recipe? ( i’m in australia as well)
Nagi says
I usually make them Rose – try this recipe: https://www.recipetineats.com/easy-soft-flatbread-yeast/
Samar Shahid says
What can I use instead of Greek yogurt for the tzatziki?
Nagi says
Hi Samar, greek or natural yogurt is the best to use here. N x
Phill says
I cooked this for my family tonight, kids loved it, it was fantastic, as good as any restaurant and so easy to make. Thank you
Huong says
Can I substitute yogurt with sour cream?
Nagi says
Hi Huong – yes that should be fine – you may need to add a little water to thin it down. N x
Linda Collett says
So good, thank you
Nagi says
You’re so welcome Linda! N x
Susan Reid says
This was fantastic, a big hit as we cant eat out due to corona virus Lockdown restaurants are shut. Every bit as good as gyros I’ve eaten in Greece. Excellent explanation will keep visiting your website, thank you.
Nagi says
You’re so welcome Susan! N x
Cat G says
My husband is grilling up this chicken as a write this. The marinade smelled so good, he dumped the leftover marinade in the pot to make his rice the same flavours as the chicken. Im so excited for dinner tonight.
Nagi says
YES It smells amazing doesn’t it Cat!! Enjoy! N x
Cat G says
It was so delicious both of my picky eater kids said it smelled delicious and proceeded to gobble it up!! Thank you. Will definitely make this again xx
Jessica says
I’d be taking a wild guess to say how many times I’ve made this recipe. It is by far one of my all time favorites…which definitely means something considering I cook probably 28 out of 30 dinners each month. I haven’t always planned ahead enough to let the chicken marinate as long as it should, but I typically cut it into more bite sized strips before marinating to create more surface space when cooking this on short notice. And in a pinch have used any onion I had on hand in place of the red, but there isn’t a single thing I would change about this! Kudos to you for providing my husband and I with such an awesome mea to add to our rotation!