This Greek chicken gyro recipe is prepared with ground chicken thighs mixed with my authentic gyro seasoning, perfect for weeknight dinners or casual get-togethers. Serve in warm pita bread, topped with crisp veggies and creamy tzatziki for a delicious, satisfying meal.
My family loves gyros, so it's on a weekly rotation in our house. Whether I’m whipping up my own gyros pita recipe or picking some up from the store, it’s our go-to for a quick, delicious dinner on busy weeknights. I always set aside some of the meat to make gyros pizza later, as it’s a favorite way to stretch the meal into something new and just as tasty.
This chicken gyro recipe follows a similar method to my beef and lamb version. I start by grinding chicken thighs, then mix in grated onion, fresh garlic, and a blend of gyro spices. The seasoned meat is rolled out thin, then either baked right away or frozen in strips to cook as needed. It’s versatile, too—you can even use the same mixture to make flavorful chicken kofta kebabs!
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🍗 What is Chicken Gyro?
A chicken gyro is a popular Greek dish made with marinated and grilled chicken that is typically served in a pita wrap or on a plate. Sometimes it's served whole, while other times it's ground into a paste that's mixed with herbs and spices.
The word gyro (pronounced "yee-roh") means "turn" in Greek and refers to the way the meat is usually cooked—on a vertical rotisserie that slowly turns. The roasted meat is shaved off and served in wraps or with rice and salad.
😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Making chicken gyros is more economical than going out to eat.
- Three pounds of chicken thighs make 8 servings of chicken gyros!
- This chicken gyro recipe is a lot less greasy than beef or lamb gyros, so no guilt required!
- It only requires a handful of ingredients to make!
🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Chicken thighs: I used two individual Costco packages of boneless, skinless chicken thighs (approximately 3 lbs). I don't recommend chicken breast unless you add oil or butter to make the chicken gyro meat juicier.
- Onion: One small-medium yellow onion.
- Garlic: 3 cloves of fresh garlic
- Gyro seasoning: You'll need to make a batch of gyro seasoning to season the ground chicken. To make the seasoning, you will need: Dried oregano, rosemary, thyme, and parsley. You will also need salt, black pepper, paprika, lemon pepper, ground coriander, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper (optional).
For the Tzatziki Sauce
- 1 cup Greek yogurt or homemade yogurt
- ¼ cup grated & drained cucumber: I prefer Lebanese cucumbers or English cucumbers
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill, or 1 teaspoon dill weed
- 2 teaspoon lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅛ black pepper
Additional Components
- Greek pita bread: Make your own using my Greek pita bread recipe, or use flatbread, Middle Eastern pita bread, or naan.
- Red onion: Sliced into thin rings. Or use sumac onions for even more flavor!
- Tomatoes: Sliced Roma tomatoes or grape/cherry tomatoes, sliced in half.
- Feta cheese: Crumbled Feta cheese, plain or seasoned
- Lettuce/Greens: Romaine lettuce, spinach, Arugula, or your favorite greens
- Herbs: Fresh mint
🥙 How to Make Greek Chicken Gyros
Prepare Tzatziki Sauce
Grate cucumber and squeeze out excess moisture. Mix with yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, dill, salt, and pepper. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to meld flavors.
Prepare Chicken Gyro Mixture
Step 1: Grind boneless, skinless chicken thighs using a meat grinder.
Step 2: Roughly chop the onion, then use a food processor to mince very finely. Add onion to a coffee filter or sturdy paper towel and squeeze out all the liquid.
Step 3: Add ground chicken, onion, and crushed garlic to the food processor bowl. Add 5 tablespoons of gyro seasoning. Pulse food processor until all the ingredients are combined and you're left with a paste. Place in the refrigerator and marinate for a couple of hours.
Pro Tip: Marinating the chicken mixture overnight enhances flavor!
Step 4: Add half of the chicken mixture to a piece of parchment paper (the same size as your baking sheet). Cover with saran wrap; secure plastic wrap to the counter. Gently flatten mixture with your hands, then roll with a rolling pin over the plastic to get it as thin as possible. Repeat with the remaining mixture.
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Step 5: Score with a pizza slicer into strips and freeze in the pan until hard enough to peel off the parchment paper and separate the slices.
Cooking Instructions
Cook the strips in a pan or an air fryer, or freeze in ziplock bags for future enjoyment.
Second Option: Instead of scoring, bake the entire sheet in the oven at 425 degrees for 6 to 8 minutes. Drain excess liquid halfway through, if needed. Slice into strips using a pizza slicer and enjoy!
Assembling the Gyros
Warm Greek pita bread. Layer with lettuce, approximately 6-8 chicken gyro strips, tomatoes, red onion, and crumbled feta. Drizzle with tzatziki sauce, then fold and serve.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
Pair this chicken gyro recipe with Greek cucumber salad or roasted vegetables. Serve with a side of Mediterranean loaded hummus and baked pita chips, or accompanied with lemon dill rice or couscous.
🔪 Equipment
To make this chicken gyro recipe, you'll need a meat grinder (unless you can purchase ground chicken thighs). You will also need a food processor, a pizza slicer, and a baking pan.
🤷🏻♀️ FAQs
Yes, if you are short on time, store-bought tzatziki sauce is a great option.
Store leftover chicken gyros in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months for maximum freshness and flavor.
Chicken gyros can be reheated in the microwave for 30 to 60 seconds. It can also be reheated in a hot pan, an air fryer, a toaster oven, or an oven.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- As you flatten out the meat mixture, you may occasionally need to lift the plastic and redistribute some of the meat to fill in the gaps.
- Make sure the chicken gyro strips are completely frozen before storing in a ziplock bag in the freezer, otherwise, they will stick together and be hard to separate.
- You can use the leftovers from this chicken gyro recipe to make Greek gyro pizza.
- Wrap half of the gyro sandwich with parchment paper or aluminum foil to keep the ingredients from spilling out and to make it easier to eat.
- Low-Carb Version: Serve the components over a bed of lettuce instead of pita.
- Store gyro meat leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator up to 5 days.
- Gyro meat can also be frozen in freezer bags for up to 3 months.
Chicken gyros is delicious and easy to prepare. It's also less greasy than beef or lamb gyros, and a great source of protein. Serving it with a salad makes it a great low-carb/keto lunch or dinner option. So, give this chicken gyro recipe a try, then come back and let me know what you think!
🌯 More Greek Recipes
If you enjoy this chicken gyro recipe, check out these other Greek dishes!
🍮 Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Greek chicken gyro:
📖 Recipe
Authentic Chicken Gyro Recipe Made Easy
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 small yellow onion (minced)
- 3 large garlic cloves (crushed)
- 5 tablespoon gyro seasoning
Gyro Pita Sandwich Ingredients
- 8 Greek pita bread (or flat bread)
- 1 cup tzatziki sauce (see post for recipe)
- 4 medium tomatoes (sliced)
- ½ small red onion (sliced)
- 2 cups lettuce leaves
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
- Grind boneless, skinless chicken thighs using a meat grinder.
- Roughly chop the onion, then use a food processor to mince very finely. Add onion to a coffee filter or sturdy paper towel and squeeze out all the liquid.
- Add ground chicken, onion, and crushed garlic to the food processor bowl. Add 5 tablespoons of gyro seasoning. Pulse food processor until all the ingredients are combined and you're left with a paste. Place in the refrigerator and marinate for a couple of hours.
- Add half of the chicken mixture to a piece of parchment paper (the same size as your baking sheet). Cover with saran wrap; secure plastic wrap to the counter. Gently flatten mixture with your hands, then roll with a rolling pin over the plastic to get it as thin as possible. Repeat with the remaining mixture.
- Score with a pizza slicer into strips and freeze in the pan until hard enough to peel off the parchment paper and separate the slices.
Cooking Instructions
- Cook the strips in a pan or an air fryer, or freeze in ziplock bags for future enjoyment.
- Second Option: Instead of scoring, bake the entire sheet in the oven at 425 degrees for 6 to 8 minutes. Drain excess liquid halfway through, if needed. Slice into strips using a pizza slicer and enjoy!
Notes
- Nutrition info is for gyro meat only.
- Marinating the chicken mixture overnight enhances flavor!
- As you flatten out the meat mixture, you may occasionally need to lift the plastic and redistribute some of the meat to fill in the gaps.
- Make sure the chicken gyro strips are completely frozen before storing in a ziplock bag in the freezer, otherwise, they will stick together and be hard to separate.
- You can use the leftovers from this chicken gyro recipe to make Greek gyro pizza.
- Wrap half of the gyro sandwich with parchment paper or aluminum foil to keep the ingredients from spilling out and to make it easier to eat.
- Low-Carb Version: Serve the components over a bed of lettuce instead of pita.
- Store gyro meat leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator up to 5 days.
- Gyro meat can also be frozen in freezer bags for up to 3 months or longer!
Hilda Sterner says
We hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!