Easy Chicken Gyros
The thing that sets this recipe apart from all others is the method of cooking the chicken. Slow and in a loaf pan. I learned to cook the meat this way via a Chicken Shwarma recipe I started making in 2020. What an absolute perfect way to keep your chicken super juicy. I have not tried chicken breasts with this method but could see it working.
Gyros are Greece’s most popular street food for good reason – they wrap up and in your hand with the freshest tomatoes and onions, warm pita and lots of tsatziki sauce. I always add french fries to the wrap. It’s the taco of Greece. Another popular meat for souvlakia and gyros is pork.
Feel free to use this marinade and grill your chicken or cook it in a skillet. The flavor will still be there and your gyro will come together beautifully with all the yummy toppings.
Thank you for swinging by Hungry Happens! If you decide to make this recipe or any other from our site, we would greatly appreciate you taking the time to comment and rate the dish! LOVE YOUR LIFE!
Easy Chicken Gyros
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 3 tbs Greek yogurt
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 tbs white wine vinegar
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 tbs dried oregano
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 lbs chicken thighs, boneless + skinless
Toppings:
- 1 large beefsteak tomato, sliced
- 1 small red onion, sliced thin
- fresh parsley for garnish
- pita flatbreads, warmed
- tsatziki
Instructions
Chicken:
- In a small bowl, whisk together everything but the chicken.
- Add the chicken to a large ziplock bag and then the marinade. Toss around to coat everything well and place in your fridge for a minimum of 2 hours. Or overnight. I marinated mine for 5 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Important: line a 9×5” loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Layer the chicken in the loaf pan and then press them down at the end.
- Bake for 1 hour or until the internal temperature reads 160° F. Remove your pan from the oven and let it rest for ten minutes. Next drain the juices carefully from the pan. Transfer gyro to a cutting board and slice as needed.
Crunch up what paper and put into what pan? This is confusing and needs clarification.
Sorry about that! Scrunch up the parchment paper and press it into the loaf pan.
You have to open it back up first. The scrunching helps to eliminate the “perma-roll” that the paper takes on right out of the box and makes it stay in the pan better.
Hi Teresa, Agreed!
Stella she wrote that in the recipe. Read everything before you bake!
trying with breasts!
Awesome! Cook time will probably be less
Me too, I can’t wait. It’s in the oven right now. It smells delicious. I found it on tiktok. 😂
Hope you enjoyed!
How many servings does this recipe make?
Hi Gloria, this makes about 3-4 servings.
LOVED this recipe but I had to bake way longer than an hour at 350. Next time going to up the temp a little. But it tastes amazing!
Hi Sara, SO happy you enjoyed the gyros! Every oven is different and cook times may vary. Thank you for taking the time to comment and rate the recipe!
Stella
Easy to make, tasty and filling. My Greek friends said it was an ingenious way to make the gyros in a bread tin and also thought the recipe was great. My go to for a healthy meal.
Hi Patricia, so happy you shared and everyone loved! This is a great recipe for sure.
Thank you for taking the time to comment and rate too!
I made this recipe, it is fantastic.
Hi Sanya! Thank you for taking the time to comment and rate! Glad you enjoyed!!
Is there a sub for white wine vinegar
Hi Jordan, sure you can use apple cider vinegar, lemon or red wine vinegar.
Oh, man. This was SO GOOD! I prepared the Tzatziki and chicken last night, so after work I only had to toss the chicken in the oven. It was a super easy, super flavorful meal.
We aren’t big salt eaters and my husband doesn’t care much for oregano so I only used half a tablespoon of each, and it was wonderful. (I’d still probably reduce the salt to 1/4 of a tablespoon though). We are also trying to reduce our fat so I used low fat plain yogurt for the chicken and the tzatziki and both were really delicious. I served this with shredded red cabbage, tomatoes, onions, a sprinkling of feta, and your amazing tzatziki.
Your food blog is the best I’ve ever found. I believe I’ve now tried 5 of your recipes and all of them were really amazing. I can’t wait to try more!
This was amazing!!!! Since the pandemic began I have cooked every meal at home. Occasionally I crave a good old fashioned Greek diner gyro.
Local store had Tsatziki on sale so I bought thighs and marinated them for 24 hours. Served in large pitas, with lettuce, tomatoes and red onions.
I give this a 15 out of 10. Incredible marinade. I love my life!
Hi Barbara, You’re awesome! I love the setup with all the accoutrement! Thanks for trying the recipe and your kind review of it!
Easy and delicious. Kept well and tasted so fresh with red onion and tomato. I made the tzatziki sauce linked to the recipe and my 10 month old LOVED it. An all around win!
Hey! I’m so happy you guys enjoyed the chicken and tzatziki! And a big thanks for taking the time to rate the recipe!
would this work with chicken breasts?
Hi Kat, it should work with breasts… Ive had people comment that it works but I personally havent tried it yet.
I’ve been religiously saving your recipes since I discovered your original website in 2014/2015. Which was right around the time I started teaching myself how to cook nutrient dense meals. I just re-made your caliente turkey chili last week for the millionth time and made this recipe for dinner tonight. And they’re ALWAYS delicious. Thank you so much for always bringing new foods into my life ❤️
Hi Morgan! Wow thanks for supporting the site for so long!! That chili is a staple in my house too! And I appreciate your kind message! Cheers!
I love the recipe! You make everything easier.
Thank you
This is delicious! I layer thin breasts and thighs, best of both worlds!
Hi Beth, That sounds delicious! I HAVE to try the combo out – thanks for sharing with us!
This looks amazing and love the different technique. I have chicken breasts on hand. If you were to attempt with breasts, how would you adjust the cooking time/temperature?
Hi Katina, Thank you! I would cook for 35 minutes. But please make sure that you check the meat’s internal temperature and make sure its at 165 or higher. All ovens are different.
Amazing!
Thats awesome! Glad you enjoyed!
Can I use the same recipe, but use beef? Thanks in advance!
Hi John ABsolutely! I have a one here:
https://hungryhappens.net/steak-tips-souvlaki-wrap/
I highly recommend reducing the salt on the marinade. I mixed some up and tasted it before adding it to the chicken and I think the recipe may have a typo. It’s so salty that I suspect 1tsp was the intended measurement.
hi jess thank you for catching that! it is 1 tsp salt! And i just corrected it!
The picture looks like chicken breasts not thighs
Its definitely thighs!
making this tonight. excited to see how it is
Hi Julie, Hope you enjoyed!
What kind of white vinegar?!!
Hi Tara, I use white wine vinegar!
I only have glass/ ceramic loaf pans, do you think it will still work? Excited to try!
Hi Martha, I would use the glass loaf pan! Enjoy!!
Made this for dinner tonight and it was ANAZING!! Will definitely be making it again and again!
Hi Dana, So happy you liked the gyros! Thanks for trying out my recipe and taking the time to rate it!!
Easy & delicious. Used breasts, sliced up thinner pieces, cooked for 35 minutes.
BEAUTIFUL! Thank you for the rating and the helpful feedback!!
Wondering if I could also try this with pork cutlets? Gonna try this for dinner this week with the chicken thighs. Thanks for the recipe.
Hi Maureen, should work with an adjusted cook time. We don’t want to dry out the pork cutlets. I would do 35 minutes. Enjoy!!
Easy to make and my entire family of 6 loved it. That never happens! This is the 2nd of your recipes that I have tried and both were amazing!
Hi Laura, AMAZING! When the whole family enjoys something its a keeper for sure!!
This looks wonderful! I am making this fir dinner tomorrow with homemade tzatziki! Can’t wait!! Thank you!
Hi Linda! AWESOME! you guys will love this and the tzatziki!
Perfect! The whole family loved it.
Hi Tiffany! Thats perfect! Thanks for the feedback!
Hi!
Can I marinade the chicken overnight?
Hi Gen, yes you can marinate over night! Enjoy!
Super good!! and easy!!! I used chicken breasts instead of thighs and cooked for the same amount of time. Turned out juicy and tender. I threw some avocado in with the tomato, red onion and Tzatiki. Can’t wait to make it again!!!
Hi Diane, glad you enjoyed this with the chicken breasts! Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback!