Chicken Gyros start with soft, warmed pita bread that’s been loaded up with grilled chicken, packed with fresh chopped veggies, and coated in the best tzatziki sauce I’ve ever tasted.
These Greek Chicken Gyros can really pass as a complete meal, but if you want even more veggies, try this Greek Salad on the side or this Orzo Pasta Salad would also be great.
Chicken Gyros
Chicken Gyros are a top favorite here! I love Greek food, and this dish, with its combination of ingredients in warm pita bread, is hard to beat. Each part is easy to prepare and tastes great together without being too much. The pita, veggies, chicken, and sauce create a harmonious, flavorful yet light meal.
The chicken marinade, with herbs, lemon juice, olive oil, and Greek yogurt, is fresh and zesty. The oregano and garlic bring out an incredible aroma.
These gyros are full of great flavors, and you can spread out the prep work for easy assembly. It’s fun to lay out all the ingredients and let everyone build their own gyro with what they like.
Ingredients In Chicken Gyros
Chicken Marinade:
- Chicken breasts are the main part of the dish.
- Lemon juice, Greek yogurt, olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey, and garlic make the chicken tasty and tender.
- Dried oregano, salt, and pepper add extra flavor to the chicken.
For the Tzatziki Sauce:
- Cucumber makes the sauce crunchy and fresh.
- Greek yogurt is the creamy part of the sauce.
- Garlic, red wine vinegar, lemon (zest and juice) make the sauce zesty and flavorful.
- Olive oil helps mix everything smoothly.
For Assembly:
- Pita breads hold everything together like a sandwich.
- Red onion, cucumbers, tomatoes, and parsley are fresh veggies that add crunch and taste good with the chicken and sauce.
How to Make Chicken Gyros
One of my favorite things about this recipe is how segmented the prep time is. I love getting half of the dinner prep done in the morning, because come dinner time, the actual assembly is very easy.
- Marinate the Chicken: Mix all marinade ingredients and coat the chicken. Let it sit in the fridge.
- Make the Tzatziki Sauce: Use similar ingredients to the marinade. Prepare and refrigerate for enhanced flavor.
- Grill the Chicken: Cook the marinated chicken on a grill.
- Prepare Veggies: Mix tomatoes, cucumber, and red onion for a fresh salad.
- Assemble Gyros: Warm the pita bread, then add veggies, sliced grilled chicken, and tzatziki sauce.
Quick Tip
How do you pronounce the word “gyro”? Originating from Greek, most dictionaries concur that it is pronounced as “YEAR-O.
Tips For Success
- Marinate Chicken in a Freezer Bag: Use a gallon-sized zip-top bag for easy clean-up and to ensure the chicken is evenly coated. Mix the marinade ingredients in the bag, then add the chicken.
- Prepare Chicken Properly: Slice or pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness before marinating. This helps the chicken absorb more flavor and cook evenly.
- Rest the Grilled Chicken: After grilling, let the chicken rest covered in foil. This helps the juices spread out, making it juicier. (more of the science behind it here).
- Grill Pita Bread: Grill the pita bread for about 30 seconds on the same grill. This adds flavor and prevents the bread from breaking.
- Assembly Style Serving: Set up an assembly line with grilled chicken, pita bread, veggies, sauce, and lemon wedges for everyone to make their own gyro.
More Easy Chicken Recipes
- Peanut Chicken Lettuce Wraps with a delicious peanut dressing
- Chicken Vegetable Soup with roasted veggies
- Shish Tawook chicken on skewers
- Rotisserie Chicken Tacos ready in 20 minutes
- Crispy Chicken Salad with honey BBQ dressing
Chicken Gyros
Chicken Gyros start with soft, warmed pita bread that's been loaded up with grilled chicken, packed with fresh chopped veggies, and coated in the best tzatziki sauce I've ever tasted.
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
- 1.8 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice freshly squeezed is best
- 1/4 cup full-fat, plain Greek yogurt
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon EACH: red wine vinegar, honey, minced garlic
- Salt and pepper
Tzatziki Sauce
- 1/4th of 1 large English cucumber (1/2 cup measured after grating)
- 1/2 cup full-fat, plain Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- 1 large lemon (1/2 teaspoon zest and 1 tablespoon juice)
- 1 and 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
Assembly
- 4-6 pitas breads
- 1/2 of 1 large red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 cups diced English or Persian cucumbers
- 2 cups diced cherry tomatoes
- Fresh parsley
Instructions
- MARINATE CHICKEN: Prepare the chicken breasts by halving large breasts horizontally. Cover chicken breasts with plastic wrap (to avoid splatter). Using a meat mallet or the bottom of your frying pan, pound breasts to even thickness (not flattening the meat, just evening the thickness throughout). Pat dry with a paper towel. Place in a large zipper-top bag. In a bowl, whisk together the 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 1/4 cup Greek yogurt, 2 teaspoons dried oregano, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon honey, and 1 tablespoon minced garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Once combined, pour over the prepared chicken breasts. Turn to coat and massage into the breasts; refrigerate for 2-3 hours and up to 8 hours. I like to make the tzatziki sauce when marinating chicken because it becomes more flavorful as it sits.
- TZATZIKI: While chicken marinates, prepare the sauce so it can have a chance to chill before serving. Grate a cucumber with the large holes of a cheese grater. Line a small bowl with a few paper towels (or clean kitchen towel) and place the grated cucumber on top. Squeeze out as much extra moisture as you can from the cucumber (to keep the sauce from being watery). Once it's drained add to a medium-sized bowl. Add in the 1/2 cup Greek yogurt, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 1 and 1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 and 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover the bowl and place in the fridge until ready to serve.
- GRILL: Preheat grill to medium heat (400 degrees F). Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard any remaining marinade. Prepare the preheated grill and generously oil the grill (I drench a rolled-up paper towel in vegetable oil and, holding it with tongs, rub it over the grill grates).
- GRILL CONT.: Add the chicken to the grill. Cook the chicken for 4-5 minutes per side or until it registers 160 degrees F (carryover heat will take it to the safe temperature of 165 degrees F). Remove grilled chicken to a plate and cover with foil. Once everything is removed, give the grates a quick clean with the brush. Now add the pita bread. Grill the pita bread for 15-30 seconds per side or until toasted and warmed through.
- VEGGIES: In a large bowl, toss the sliced red onion, 2 cups diced cucumber, and 2 cups diced tomato. Season with salt and pepper (just a pinch) and toss to combine.
- ASSEMBLY: While the chicken is resting under the foil (5 minutes), set everything out: grilled/warmed pita, sauce, and veggies. Slice chicken breasts and assemble. Start with pita bread and top with veggies and fresh parsley, add chicken on top, and drizzle tzatziki sauce on top. Enjoy immediately.
Nutrition
Serving: 6servings | Calories: 427kcal | Carbohydrates: 45.7g | Protein: 27.6g | Fat: 16.8g | Cholesterol: 59.8mg | Sodium: 388.6mg | Fiber: 5.1g | Sugar: 7.2g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Chelsea – I made these for dinner last night and they were so delish!!! That sauce is to die for, I was dipping everything in it! ????
But more than that, I just wanted to thank you for all your hard work on this site. I can’t even count how many of your dishes I’ve made over the past two years or so (from all different categories) and EVERY single one has exceeded my expectations. There’s something magical about them, I swear haha! Your site is my first go-to if I’m looking for a specific dish and is the home of many of our family favorites. Your instructions are so clear and the ingredients are spot on every time. I’ve learned so much by cooking through your website! So thank you for helping me become a better home cook and for helping me serve delicious food to my family and friends. I’ll be back for more. ????
– Jessica
Wow!! Your comment seriously made my day!! Thank you so so much!! I’m so beyond happy to hear you’ve loved so many of my recipes! It means the world to me! Thanks again! 🙂
Ditto on Jessica’s comment! We use your site every week to make our favorite recipes or to find new ones and seriously, every dish is straight-up delightful. Thank you for the hard work, effort, creativity, and clear instructions! You have two super fans on the east coast!
I can’t tell you how much this means to me! Thank you so much for your kind comment! I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying my site! 🙂
DITTO! I’m working from home so I have time to cook for my family. I’ve made almost all of my dinners and goodies from your recipes, Chelsea! I’m honest, we haven’t had one bad one yet.
Thank you for saving dinner!
-Jess
You are so sweet Jessica! Thanks so much for your comment! 🙂
Likewise to the previous person. I’ve made some recipes from other people but always make yours the most. In my family people know your name because your recipees are soo good. You are like a hidden gem of recipees. I wish more people would share your stuff because your dishes are the best. You got me through Covid with the recipe and grocery prep.
This is the SWEETEST comment, you made my day! Seriously thank you so much! 🙂
great dish, I like making this at home with chicken since gyro meat is a little harder to make at home, so thank you
Now, this is my kind of dinner! All my favorite flavors!
Thank you! 🙂
These gyros are so good! I especially love the sauce, I even use it do dip vegetables!
Made it for the family and it was a hit!
hey girl- these gyros look amazing!