No wonder these are making the rounds on my food blogs — they’re delicious! My picture is pretty crappy — it was late and we were hungry!
I did a few things differently, but that’s because I ran out of time/forgot to do some of the steps.
It was still delicious!
Chicken Gyros
For the tzatziki sauce: (I halved this since it was just two of us eating, and I forgot to give myself time to strain yogurt…I used greek yogurt right out of the fridge and it was fine)
16 oz. plain yogurt (not nonfat, if possible)
1/2 hothouse cucumber or 1 regular cucumber, peeled and seeded
2-3 cloves garlic, pressed through a garlic press (or finely minced)
1 tsp. white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Extra virgin olive oil
For the chicken:
4 cloves garlic, smashed
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp. red wine vinegar
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 heaping tbsp. plain yogurt
1 tbsp. dried oregano
Salt and pepper
1 1/4 lbs chicken (I just used three chicken breasts)
Other ingredients:
Pita bread
Fresh tomatoes, seeded and diced
Red onion, sliced thin
Directions
To make the tzatziki sauce, strain the yogurt using cheesecloth over a bowl. Let strain for several hours or overnight, if possible, to remove as much moisture as possible.
Shred the cucumber. Wrap in a towel a squeeze to remove as much water as possible. Mix together the strained yogurt, shredded cucumber, garlic, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, and lemon juice. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld.
To prepare the chicken, combine the garlic, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, yogurt, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl. Whisk together until mixed well. Add the chicken pieces to the bowl and mix well to coat. Cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour.
Cook the chicken as desired, either in the skillet or with the broiler. (I chopped the chicken into small pieces when it was raw, before it went into the marinade, so I didn’t do the following) Once the chicken is completely cooked through, transfer to a plate and let rest for 5 minutes. Cut into strips.
Heat pitas (I just tossed them in the microwave, but you could warm them other ways) Top with chicken, tzatziki sauce, diced tomatoes and sliced onions. Serve immediately.
