Grilled Greek Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce

The love for these grilled chicken gyros runs deep in my house. They are phenomenally flavorful and healthy to boot! My oldest son even has a specific tinfoil wrapper that must accompany these. Luckily, I find them at the dollar store so he can wrap to his heart's content. 

Typically, when I make these I double the recipe and put all the components into meal-prep containers for the week. Everyone can make them however they choose. ✅ Trying to watch your carbs? Pile up everything on lettuce. ✅ Want to get some added grains in your diet? Layer rice or quinoa in a bowl and top with the ingredients here serving the pita on the side. Better yet, buy whole wheat pita. ✅ Being careful about your fat intake? Go lite on the dressing and use fat-free yogurt in the tzatziki sauce. ✅ Do you prefer chicken gyros without yogurt? Just leave off the tzatziki sauce. These are truly delish no matter how you serve them. 

The versatility of these chicken gyros is what makes them so perfect for serving to a large group. In my experience meals that can be customized by each person are always the best kind to serve to a crowd. I have served this after church at one of our Family Football Sundays, and I have taken them to the lake and served a large group as one of my meals for a family vacation. Plus they are on our weeknight dinner plan at least once a month.

The inspiration for the marinade section of this recipe comes from Carlsbad Cravings. The dressing inspiration comes from The Cafe Sucre Farine and the tzatziki is all ours. This recipe is a great example of a Borrowed Bites recipe. A little from this and a little from that and now you have something all your own.

For other great grilled chicken recipes, look no further! Some of our favorites are this Hot Honey Chicken Marinade, this Lemon Marinade for Chicken, and this 4-Ingredient Chicken Marinade. All amazing for summer grilling!

Ingredients for grilled Greek chicken gyros

Chicken Marinade

• Chicken breasts: I prefer the ease of chicken breasts but thighs would also work well.
• Olive oil: Fruity and flavorful. The perfect oil for this marinade.
• Garlic: The aromatic vegetable that imparts big flavor.
• White Balsamic Vinegar: A milder flavor than regular balsamic, but either will work.
• Lemon Juice: Used to up the flavor and tenderize the meat. Fresh squeezed juice, please.
• Herbs & Spices: Dried oregano, dried basil, onion powder, sugar, salt, pepper, paprika.

Dressing

• Canola oil: A neutral flavored oil that allows the other flavors shine.
• EVOO: A fruity, flavorful oil. Regular olive oil can be substituted but will not have the same flavor.
• Red wine vinegar: White wine vinegar will work as well.
• Garlic powder: Concentrated deep garlic flavor.
• Dried basil & oregano: Intense flavors of dried herbs work best in this dressing.
• Kosher salt & pepper: To round out the dressing.

Toppings

• Tzatziki Sauce: Refreshing yogurt sauce flavored with cucumber and dill. There are so many other ways to eat tzatziki.
• Romaine: Tender but firm makes romaine the perfect choice. Iceberg can be substituted in a pinch.
• Tomatoes: Cherry tomatoes are our favorite for their intense bursts of flavor but any fresh chopped tomato will be delicious.
• Cucumber: English cucumbers are crunchy and the skin is thin enough that it doesn't need to be peeled.
• Red onion: More mild than its yellow cousin and so pretty.
• Feta: I would say this one is an option, but is it? In my book feta makes the gyro! I love President and Athenos brands. I am not being paid to say that. It's just that they are both easy to find, reasonably priced, and delicious.
• Olives: Kalamata is the classic Greek olive.

Helpful kitchen tools

How to make grilled Greek chicken gyros

This really is as easy as 1, 2, 3.
1. Combine the chicken marinade ingredients in a jar and shake. Pour over the chicken. Marinate overnight or at least 8 hours.
2. Prep the toppings, dressing, and tzatziki sauce.
3. Grill the chicken. Slice and serve.

For a Crowd

This is a great one for a crowd! A couple things to note:
1. Don't overcrowd the bags of marinated chicken breasts. They tend to stick together and marinate unevenly. Divide between multiple bags.
2. Prep the dressing, tzatziki, and fresh toppings the day before. All you have to do on the day of is cook and slice the chicken. Now that's a winner in my book!

Variations

If you don't have a grill or just do not want to use one, the chicken can be made in a skillet or on an indoor grill. I have found cast iron to be the best at mimicking a good grilled piece of chicken so please use that if you have one.

Feel free to serve this according to your needs and preferences. Sometimes I just make the chicken and serve it as a salad. Or make quinoa or rice and serve it as a bowl. To make it gluten-free leave out the pita. If you can't find pita feel free to use naan or any other flatbread.

FAQs

Tips and tricks

• When you put the chicken in the zipbag to marinate make sure you put each half in separately so that each side gets coated with the marinade.
• Keep the chicken in the marinade for at least 8 hours. It really deepens the flavor and tenderizes the meat.
• Slice the chicken very thinly. It is hard to bite into a thick piece of chicken in this situation.

Other Quick Dinner Recipes

• This 25 Minute Lemon Broccoli Pasta is a quick and nutritious recipe that every family member can agree on.
• For a truly fast dinner try these Easy Chicken Tinga Tacos (using rotisserie chicken). It's shredded rotisserie chicken bathed in a smoky, slightly spicy tinga sauce. Wicked good!
• For a tasty weeknight meal, Crazy Good Pepper Steak is the perfect combination of tender meat and colorful veggies dripping in a savory asian-inspired sauce. It is healthy AND delicious, a family winner if there ever was one!