Chicken Gyros

My Time Hop app just took the time to remind me that at this point two years ago I was preparing for a 10-day trip to Greece. Ten days of sun, swimming, ancient ruins, and gyros. Oh man, so many gyros. I had even researched and made a list of where to find the best ones. I could try to blame this on living in Kyrgyzstan at the time and desperately wanting new food, but honestly, I’d do it all over again. An authentic Greek gyro is a top-5 food on my list. It’s my go to street food. And it’s nearly impossible to find in Burlington, North Carolina.

To remedy my craving, I decided to try my hand at crafting my own gyro. I knew I lacked the vertical spit of questionable meat, but it was the flavor I was going after. Luckily, my March Hatchery Box included a sample of GourmEgg’s Gracefully Greek seasoning and a quick trip to the local Harris Teeter rounded out the rest of my ingredients list.

Ingredients

Pocketless pita bread (any type of flatbread will do)

3 chicken breast

1/2 red tomato - diced

1/2 red onion - diced

Tzatziki sauce (sometimes labeled cucumber vegetable dip)

1/2 lemon

2tsp olive oil

4 cloves of garlic - minced

1tsp salt

1tsp black pepper

2tbsp Gracefully Greek seasoning

In a small bowl combine 3tbsp of tzatziki sauce with 4 cloves of minced garlic, 2 tsp of olive oil, 2 tbsp of Gracefully Greek seasoning, 1tsp salt, 1tsp black pepper, and the juice from 1/2 of a fresh lemon. This is going to be the marinade for your chicken. Mix the marinade well.

Place your 3 chicken breast in a plastic ziplock bag and pour in the marinade. Seal the bag and shake well. Release the excess air from the bag before resealing it and setting your chicken aside to rest. If your chicken is frozen, let it sit out on a cutting board while marinating. If your chicken is not frozen, place the sealed bag in your refrigerator. Let the chicken sit in the marinade for 30 minutes to an hour, flipping it over half way through.

Preheat your oven to 450°

Remove the chicken from the bag and shake off the excess marinade. Place the chicken on a lightly greased baking pan and place it in the oven for 20 minutes uncovered, turning the chicken after 10 minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing it thinly or cubing it.

Dice your red onion and tomato to prepare them for the pita.

I used pita pockets for my chicken gyros, so that I could get more use out of the pack of six. Dollop some tzatziki sauce onto your pita bread, cover it with chicken, and add the tomato and onions as a topping. Finally, fold your pita in half and dream of Santorini.