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.
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Easy Chicken Gyros
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 3 tbs Greek yogurt
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 tbs white wine vinegar
- 1 medium lemon, juiced
- 1 tbs dried oregano
- 2 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
- Tzatziki
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.
I’ve made this chicken several times and it’s a winner! Curious, can this be done with veal instead of chicken?
Hi Sonya, I dont see why not! I love the idea too!
My family LOVES this recipe! I make it at least once a week. The chicken is amazing for gyros or on it’s own with a salad. Also love the tsaziki recipe- so good! Thank you for sharing!
Hi Dyan, That’s awesome! Thanks for sharing with us!
I take this with thin chicken breast. It’s always been a big hit!
Hi Kynn, I’m so glad you loved it both ways! Thanks for sharing your feedback too!
Delicious chicken. I did make it on a vertical rotisserie & it came out great! Thanks again for another wonderful recipe Stella! 😃
Help please. Are you covering your chicken when you bake it? I’m about to cook it, I’m planning on covering it
No! If it doesn’t outright say to cover it. Do not cover it. Do not cover this pan
thank you!
Is it necessary to use parchment paper?
The recipe was excellent. The chicken was tender and flavorful. I guess all I saw was Gryo and got excited, because I used to just love Gyros! What I didn’t take into account was the chicken vs Gryo meat..
Hi Stella, hoping you’ll be rocking, insha’Allah ❣️
just marinated the chicken now, will bake tomorrow morning… It looked so good, I bet it will be a MUST in my everyday cooking….
you know how TEEN-AGERS are😅😅
Thank you and Stay blessed, Aameen ❣️
will post the feedback 👍🏻👍🏻
I made this with chicken breasts and cooked it in the airfryer (too hot for the oven today).
I sliced the breasts in half while they were slightly frozen to make them more thin. I marinated in the fridge for 4-5 hours.
the chicken was juicy, but I must have done something wrong or left something out, because the finished chicken was not as flavorful as I had hoped. Still, I enjoyed it with the toppings!
awesome method for preparing chicken. my family loves this recipe. we have it at least one a month. thank you.
Hi Joseph, I’m so glad its a winner with everyone! Thanks for trying out the recipe and your feedback!
This was absolutely delicious. My family devoured it. The chicken was seasoned very well and came out tender. Made some homemade tzatziki and served rice pilaf on the side. It was a hit. Thank you!
Hi Pamela, sounds amazing and i’m so happy the whole family enjoyed the meal!
Do you need to use a loaf pan?
You can use a pie dish instead!
Made this recipe and the tzatziki. I let the chicken thighs marinate overnight. Very good.
My husband said it tasted very authentic. Love how easy it is.
it looks like you cut the chicken in strips before you marinate it and bake it?
HI Dana, no these are boneless skinless chicken thighs – uncut
Help. Urgent!
I have this marinating and I am so excited to bake it. But I have a question…..do you discard the marinade or does it go in the pan with the chicken????
not my recipe but I always throw out chicken marinade …I won’t use it when I make this.
This one is on repeat in our house. So tasty! Everyone I’ve made it for loves it and asks for the recipe.