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My Chicken Gyros Recipe will change the way you think about chicken breast dinner ideas. The tender, yogurt-marinated chicken is juicy, flavorful, and once cooked, it’s begging to be tucked inside pita alongside fresh veggies and slathered with an easy, homemade tzatziki sauce.
A gyro (pronounced YEE-row) is a Mediterranean diet dish that’s typically made with lamb or a mix of beef or lamb. Traditionally, gyro meat is stacked into a roughly-round tower on a vertical rotisserie that spins and roasts to drippy, luscious perfection near an open flame. (“Gyro” means “round” in Greek, by the way.)
When diners are ready for a serving, the cook uses a knife to slice of pieces from that large stack of spinning roasted meat. Street cart gyros and may restaurants serve this gyro meat in a pita with a wide array of toppings, including sauces, vegetables, and pickles.
For my family-friendly and easy homemade gyro recipe, I replaced the red meat with chicken to make Greek Chicken Gyros. But there’s no need to fear that this is a ho-hum meal as a result; a chicken marinade with yogurt, lemon, and herbs infuse each ounce of the chicken gyro meat with so much flavor.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient 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. Chicken breast tenderloins (tenders) can work in a pinch too, but you’ll need to reduce your bake time.
- 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.
Step-by-step 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 vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
To bake and serve 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.
Recipe tips and variations
- 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.
- Make ahead: The tzatziki sauce and be made up to 3 days in advance and you can marinate the chicken up to 8 hours in advance.
- Spiced: Customize your chicken marinade with your favorite spices like ground coriander, ground cumin, cinnamon, thyme, a few cloves garlic, lemon zest, and kosher salt.
- Chicken Gyros in a pan: In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil until shimmering. Add chicken in a single layer (working in batches if necessary) and cook until golden brown on one side, about 4 to 5 minutes. Flip chicken, cover, and continue cooking until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees on a thermometer, about 10 to 15 minutes longer depending on the thickness of the chicken.
- Chicken Gyros on the grill: Preheat over medium-high heat. Grill the chicken, turning occasionally until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees on a thermometer, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from grill and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice or chop into pieces.
Frequently Asked Questions
Chicken breasts have a reputation for being dry and lacking flavor. The lactic acid in Greek yogurt helps to slowly tenderize the chicken, allowing it to transform into a tender, moist delight once cooked or grilled. Yogurt marinades are brilliant vehicles for other flavors, such as herbs and citrus, and also tend to help the chicken form a tempting crust as it bakes or grills.
Yogurt marinades begin working in about an hour, which is why I suggest for cooking at that time. Feel free to marinate the meat for up to 8 if you prefer. Any longer, and you risk the chicken erring on the mealy or mushy side. (P.S. No need to rinse off yogurt marinade. You’ll want to coax all the flavor you can out of the gyros!)
I’ve listed feta cheese, tomatoes, red onion, and tzatziki sauce, which are classic “condiments” for a gyro. You could also set out pickled turnips, thinly-sliced cucumbers, shredded lettuce, Hummus, sliced kalamata olives, sliced bell peppers, artichoke hearts, olives, and fresh oregano, if you have those on hand.
Of course! I love tossing leftover gyro meat into Greek Pasta Salad. Or try it atop a Mediterranean Chopped Salad, Greek Salad, or as part of a Mediterranean Buddha Bowl to crank up the protein (and your satisfaction level).
More Mediterranean recipes to try
Vegetable Recipes
Greek Roasted Potatoes
Salad Recipes
Quinoa Tabbouleh
Salad Recipes
Greek Salad
Chicken and Turkey Recipes
Sheet Pan Paprika Chicken
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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.