How to Make Chicken Gyros: Classic Greek Gyros Recipe
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: Dec 9, 2024 • 2 min read
Learn how to make Greek chicken gyros at home with this easy recipe.
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What Are Gyros?
Gyro is a Greek dish of meat roasted on a vertical spit. The gyro is the Greek version of what is known in Turkey as doner kebab; shawarma in Arabic-speaking countries; and tacos al pastor in Mexico. Traditionally, the gyro meat mixture consists of a mixture of both thinly sliced and ground lamb or beef, but other meats, such as chicken or pork, can be used as well. The crispy meat is shaved off of the rotating spit as it browns, kept succulent by layers of fat.
A Brief History of Gyros
The technique of cooking meat on a vertical rotisserie arrived in Greece via Turkish immigrants in the 1920s (the word gyro means circle or ring, a reference to the rotisserie that cooks the meat). Around the 1970s, Greek immigrants to the United States developed the gyro sandwich, similar to the doner kebab sandwich that Turkish immigrants developed in Germany around the same time.
3 Ways to Serve Gyros
Gyros are versatile, and you can serve them in several different ways.
- 1. As a sandwich: Fold gyro meat into warm pitas with lettuce, onion, tomato, and tzatziki sauce (a yogurt sauce flavored with garlic and cucumber).
- 2. In a salad: Make a Greek salad of tomato, cucumber, kalamata olives, and feta cheese, and top it off with gyro.
- 3. Over rice: Serve gyro with orzo, rice, or couscous, pickled vegetables, and tzatziki sauce.
Classic Chicken Gyro Recipe
makes
prep time
15 mintotal time
8 hr 35 mincook time
20 minIngredients
- 1
The day before you plan to cook, make the chicken marinade. In a large bowl, combine spices, minced garlic cloves, salt, lemon juice, yogurt, and 1 tablespoon oil. Place the chicken in the bowl and coat with marinade. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight.
- 2
Let chicken breasts come to room temperature before cooking, about 30 minutes.
- 3
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm 1 tablespoon olive oil until shimmering. Add marinated chicken breasts. Cook chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit, about 5–10 minutes per side.
- 4
Transfer cooked chicken to a cutting board and cut into thin slices. Serve warm with your favorite gyro accompaniments, including homemade tzatziki, herbs like dill and marjoram, pickled red onions, and pita.
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