Chicken Gyro Recipe - Friday Night Dinner Ideas

Looking for something different for dinner? Try this Chicken Gyro Recipe with authentic tzatziki sauce. Incredibly easy to make. One of our favorite Friday night dinner ideas.

In ManCave land, Friday night dinner ideas can be summarized in one word: simple. We have spent the whole week dealing with work, bosses and not so happy customers. We are tired, stressed and looking forward to a couple days of rest. A perfect formula for stopping by the bag-o-burger place or tossing the frozen pizza in the oven. A while back, we discovered a chicken gyro recipe that is both simple and delivers “out of this world” taste. You have to try this recipe once!

Chicken Gyro Recipe

The Tzatziki Sauce

When it comes to gyros, it is the tzatziki sauce that makes this recipe work. You can cook the chicken a hundred different ways. You can buy 5 different types of pita bread. You can stuff the gyros with 30 different ingredients. But in the end, it will be the tzatziki sauce that makes or breaks your chicken gyro recipe.

Laura says...

"I think I would eat a shoe if I could load it up with enough tzatziki"

The Tzatziki Sauce

Prep time 30 min - Total time 30 min

Ingredients for 4 servings
1 cup of plain Greek yogurt • 1 cucumber (shredded and squeezed) • 1 teaspoon of minced garlic • 1 teaspoon of wine vinegar (red or white) • 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice

Peel and shred the cucumber. Squeeze out excess water using a wire strainer.
Tip: The more liquid you remove the better your tzatziki sauce will taste.

In a bowl, mix yogurt, shredded cucumber, garlic, wine vinegar, and lemon juice. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Seal the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.
Tip: Mix in a dash of dill weed to the sauce. (optional)

Recipe:

5.0/5 Stars (3 Votes)

The Chicken

Ingredients

2 boneless chicken breasts (thawed)
1/2 cup of Italian dressing
2 tablespoons of Greek yogurt

Step 1 - Mix Italian dressing and yogurt in a bowl. Place in plastic bag.

Step 2 - Put chicken in bag. Seal the bag and shake until chicken is well coated.

Step 3 - Place chicken in refrigerator. Allow to marinate. The longer, the better.

Humorous Note: After particularly tough weeks, the marinate time is usually 5 minutes. It has been a long week and damned if we are going to wait for some stupid chicken to marinate.

Step 4 - Remove the chicken from the bag. Discard excess marinade. Cook the chicken.

Three Options for Cooking the Chicken

Microwave (4 - 5 minutes) Fast, easy but does not deliver much flavor.
Pan Fry (8 - 10 minutes) Delivers good flavor, takes longer but adds to cleanup time.
Oven Roasted (15 - 20 minutes) The best flavor, longest cooking time and most effort.

Step 5 - Let chicken stand for 5 minutes. Cut chicken in small strips or chunks.

The Pita Wrap

Completing the Process

Ingredients

Package of Pita bread
Olive Oil
Pepper
Small red onion (cut or minced)
Optional toppings
- Lettuce
- Tomatoes
- Black Olives
- Sliced Peppers
- Feta Cheese

Step 1 - Brush or drizzle olive oil on one side of the pita bread. Sprinkle with black pepper.

Step 2 - Warm the pita bread in the microwave. (1 minute or so)

Step 3 - Layer the gyro as follows

Light coating of tzatziki sauce
Cooked chicken strips
Red onions
Additional toppings
Healthy dose of tzatziki sauce

Step 4 - Fold pita in half and serve warm

Chicken Gyro Recipe Video

Your Favorite Gyro

Greek Revival: Cooking for Life

Take eighty-seven ambrosial recipes designed for the needs and appetites of everyday cooks, leaven with delectable anecdotes about the Greek lifestyle, then pepper with revealin...

Only $9.99

View on Amazon

Friday Night Dinner Ideas

Chicken Gyro Recipe

All the people in ManCave land are happy. They now turn their focus on the weekend. Some are headed to the bar scene. Some are preparing for a tailgating feast at the big game. Some are home flipping through the ESPN channels. Chef ManCave is smiling as he sneaks out to the kitchen for another chicken gyro. Cook well, Eat well, Live well...

Chicken Gyro Recipe - Friday Night Dinner Ideas

Maine Food and Style

Updated: 11/24/2013, chefmancave

Thank you! Would you like to post a comment now?

Add Your Spicy Comments

Only logged-in users are allowed to comment. Login

Guest on 07/02/2017

Yummy this looks so delicious! I have never eaten a gyro, now I have this great recipe!

chefmancave on 11/27/2013

Thanks for the name...I will be doing a few Google searches tonight! A new cheese to play with...I am tingling all over.

Mira on 11/27/2013

I asked again and remembered the name this time. It's tirokafteri. You're right: it's based on feta cheese, but there's more to it. If you like feta cheese, you will love pita bread with tirokafteri. I have mine just with this cheese and some tomatoes. It's truly wonderful. I'll try making this cheese at home now that I know what it is.

chefmancave on 11/25/2013

@Mira - The cheese you refer to is Feta Cheese which is one of the most unique cheeses when it comes to recipes. I always keep Feta Cheese in my mind when I am trying to improve a recipe I am testing out.

@AbbyFitz - Did you watch the video? It shows you just how easy it is to make your own Gyros. Remember to pay attention to the tzatziki sauce.

Mira on 11/25/2013

I love gyros, too. I prefer them with a cheese they have, but I still don't know what it's called and why is so special. I've been ordering it a lot, though. I'll try to come back and tell you what it's called. :)

AbbyFitz on 11/24/2013

I love gyros, but I've never tried to make my own.

chefmancave on 11/24/2013

I agree. Greek food is awesome. Maybe I will post one of my favorite recipes - Lemon Greek Chicken with Garlic Roasted Potatoes. (Kotopoulo Skorthato - pronounced koh-TOH-poo-loh skor-THAH-toh)