Greek Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce

If you’re craving the vibrant flavors of the Mediterranean, chicken gyros with tzatziki sauce are the perfect choice. Tender, seasoned chicken, tangy tzatziki sauce, fresh greek salad, and soft, pillowy pita bread pair perfectly together. This is such a popular dinner recipe!

Years ago the Mediteranean diet was all the rage. Everyone was tapping into their secrets for living healthy lives.  Since then, Greek food has been in the spotlight for it’s use of fresh herbs and spices, protein packed Greek yogurt, and flavorful meats.

I am full-on obsessed with it. Bring on the Greek food! I am pretty sure I could eat Pita Jungle every day of my life and be happy.

So, I wanted to create a homemade Greek Chicken Gyro recipe using marinated spiced chicken, grilled to perfection and topped with a homemade tzatziki sauce, fresh Greek Salad, all on a warm pita bread. Phenomenal!

This has been consistently one of the most popular dinner recipes on Modern Honey. I love that you can make a lot of it ahead of time and it is perfect for meal prep because the leftovers are delicious too!

Ingredients:

There are four parts to making homemade chicken gyros — the greek chicken, homemade tzatziki sauce, fresh greek salad, and pita bread. Everything is made from scratch which makes it extra delicious and special.

CHICKEN MARINADE:

• Chicken Breast or Thighs
• Greek Yogurt
• Fresh Lemon Juice
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Red Wine Vinegar
• Salt & Pepper
• Oregano

HOMEMADE TZATZIKI SAUCE:

• Greek Yogurt
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Lemon Juice
• Red Wine Vinegar
• Salt
• Fresh Dill diced
• Garlic Cloves finely diced
• Cucumber (grated and squeezed to drain)

GREEK SALAD:

• Tomatoes diced
• Cucumber peeled and diced
• Red Onion diced
• Fresh Italian Parsley diced
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Feta Cheese

Pita or Homemade Naan Bread

Here’s a few key tips to making an out-of-this-world Greek Chicken Gyro with Tzatziki Sauce:

1. Marinate your chicken. You want it to not only be flavorful but juicy as well. By marinating it in greek yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, spices, and red wine vinegar, it gives it time for the chicken to soak in all of those traditional Greek flavors. At least 2-4 hours is a suggested amount of time but 24 hours is ideal.
2. Make your own Tzatziki sauce. It is so easy since it is made in one bowl and uses only the freshest of ingredients. The key is to squeeze out as much water from the grated cucumber as possible. This ensures that the tzatziki sauce stays nice and creamy.  I used Fage 2% Greek yogurt but the fat-free version works well too. Taste for seasoning and salt accordingly.
3. These Greek Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki sauce can be wrapped in your favorite pita bread. You can use soft flatbread or Naan bread as well. Warm your pitas before wrapping to make them nice and soft.
4. You can also serve this chicken, Greek salad, and handcrafted tzatziki sauce in a bowl. Serve alone or on top of romaine lettuce.

How to Make Homemade Tzatziki Sauce:

1. Prepare the Cucumber
   Grate the cucumber using a box grater. Place the grated cucumber in a clean kitchen towel or paper towel and squeeze out as much water as possible.
2. Mix the Ingredients
   In a bowl, combine Greek yogurt, grated cucumber, garlic, olive oil, dill, lemon juice, garlic, red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper. Mix until well combined.
3. Chill the Sauce
   Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s):

1. What kind of bread is best for gyros?
Authentic gyros use Greek-style pita bread, which is soft, thick, and slightly chewy. If you can’t find it, any soft flatbread will work. I love to make homemade naan.

2. Can I use chicken thighs instead of breasts?
Yes, chicken thighs work well, since they are known to be juicier than chicken breast.

3. How do I store leftovers?
Store the chicken and tzatziki sauce separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator. The chicken will stay fresh for up to 3 days, and the tzatziki sauce for up to 4 days.

What to Serve with Chicken Gyros:

• Greek Salad: A mix of cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, olives, and feta cheese with olive oil and lemon dressing.
• Oven-Roasted Greek Potatoes: Seasoned with garlic, oregano, and lemon juice.
• Cilantro Lime Rice: May add fresh mint to add some extra brightness.
• Hummus and Veggies: A light and refreshing side.
• Greek Panna Cotta: For dessert, make a panna cotta made with greek yogurt.
• Baklava: Another popular dessert is to make homemade baklava with honey and walnuts.

More Greek Recipes:

Greek Salad

Greek Pasta Salad

Greek Tortellini Pasta Salad

Greek Chicken Marinade

I hope you love these homemade chicken gyros with a fresh tzatziki sauce. They are always a hit with my family and kids.

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5 from 104 votes

Greek Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce

By: Melissa Stadler, Modern Honey

Marinated Greek Chicken topped with homemade Tzatziki sauce and Greek salad in warm pita bread.

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

Equipment

• 12 inch cast iron skillet
• mixing bowl set

Ingredients  

1x2x3x

Greek Chicken Marinade:

• ▢ 2 lbs. Chicken Breast cut into pieces
• ▢ 1/4 cup Greek Yogurt
• ▢ 3 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar
• ▢ 1 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Pepper
• ▢ 2 teaspoons Oregano
• ▢
  

Tzatziki Sauce:

• ▢ 1 1/2 cups Greek Yogurt
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
• ▢ 1 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
• ▢ 1-2 teaspoons Salt
• ▢ 1 Tablespoons Fresh Dill diced
• ▢ 3 Garlic Cloves finely diced
• ▢ 1 cucumber grated and squeezed to drain
• ▢
  

Greek Salad:

• ▢ 3 Tomatoes diced
• ▢ 2 Cucumber peeled and diced
• ▢ 1/4 Red Onion diced
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons Fresh Italian Parsley diced
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• ▢ Salt and Pepper to taste
• ▢ Feta Cheese
• ▢
  
• ▢ 4-6 Greek Pita Breads Naan bread, or Flatbread

Instructions 

• Place chicken, yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and oregano in bag and let marinate at least 30 minutes, preferably 2-4 hours. The ideal time is 24 hours.
• To make tzatziki sauce, stir together yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, dill, and garlic. Stir in grated cucumber and taste for seasonings. Squeeze the cucumber to remove excess water before adding to rest of ingredients.
• To make greek salad, place tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, parsley, olive oil, salt and pepper in bowl. Stir to coat. Season to taste.
• Chicken can be cooked on grill or in skillet. To cook on grill — place chicken on kebobs and heat grill to medium heat. Cook for 5-7 minutes per side or until chicken is full cooked.
• To cook chicken on skillet. Heat skillet to medium high heat. Sprinkle with oil. Add chicken and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until chicken is fully cooked and golden brown.
• Place chicken in pita bread. You can warm the pita bread to make it pliable. Top with tzatziki sauce and greek salad. Add additional feta, if desired.

Video

Notes

May use my popular Honey Chicken Recipe for a unique chicken option as well. 

I love to make my homemade naan bread recipe. 

What to Serve with Chicken Gyros:

• • Greek Salad: A mix of cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, olives, and feta cheese with olive oil and lemon dressing.

• • Oven-Roasted Greek Potatoes: Seasoned with garlic, oregano, and lemon juice.

• • Cilantro Lime Rice: May add fresh mint to add some extra brightness.

• • Hummus and Veggies: A light and refreshing side.

• • Greek Panna Cotta: For dessert, make a panna cotta made with greek yogurt.

• • Baklava: Another popular dessert is to make homemade baklava with honey and walnuts.

Nutrition

Calories: 350kcal, Carbohydrates: 10g, Protein: 40g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 10g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 100mg, Sodium: 1174mg, Potassium: 1037mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 799IU, Vitamin C: 22mg, Calcium: 119mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Greek

Servings: 6

Calories: 350

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I hope your family loves these Greek Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce and I can’t wait to hear all about what you are making in your kitchen!