Make your kitchen smell like the streets of Athens with my chicken gyro recipe! The secret? A rich Greek yogurt marinade infused with bold Mediterranean spices and plenty of garlic!
If there is one thing I’ve learned from my many visits to Greece is there’s no friend quite like a really good marinade.
For my chicken gyro recipe, the secret ingredient is yogurt, which tenderizes the chicken while infusing it with decidedly Greek flavors from spices, lemon, garlic, and olive oil. After just 30 minutes, the chicken is perfectly prepped and practically foolproof. Throw it on the stove, on the grill, or roast it in the oven, and it will be absolutely delicious!
For this easy recipe, I keep things simple and pan-sear the chicken on the stove, but feel free to use the grill if you prefer. Tucked into a soft Pita Bread or this no-yeast Yogurt Flatbread with herby Tzatziki Sauce and crunchy fresh veggies, it’s a crowd-favorite weeknight dinner or packable lunch that’s even more delicious than takeout!
Tips
- Greek yogurt: The acidity tenderizes the chicken while imparting a rich and tangy flavor.
- Seasonings: Greek oregano, sweet paprika, ground cumin, ground coriander, and cayenne pepper bring bold Greek flavor and an aroma that will make your kitchen smell incredible. Head over to our spice shop if you need a refresh! Kosher salt and black pepper make everything more vibrant.
- Chicken: Chicken tenderloin (sometimes labeled “chicken tenders”) are nicely lean and stays juicy. You can substitute with chicken breasts, cutlets, or thighs; just be sure to adjust the time to avoid over- or under-cooking. Chicken should be 165°F at the thickest part.
How to Make a Chicken Gyro
This easy Chicken Gyro recipe comes together quickly; you just need to plan ahead. Try to give yourself at least 30 minutes to marinate the chicken for the best flavor.
Make the Chicken Gyro Marinade
- Marinate the chicken. In a large mixing bowl, add 1 cup Greek yogurt, juice of 1 lemon, 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, and 3 minced garlic cloves. Season with 1 tablespoon Greek oregano, 1 teaspoon each paprika, cumin, and coriander, a big pinch of salt and pepper, and a pinch of cayenne if you like things a little spicy. Give everything a good whisk to combine.
- Marinate the chicken. Add 1 1/2 pounds chicken tenderloin and mix, ensuring each piece of chicken is coated with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes (or overnight.) This step is totally optoinal. If you are short on time, forget the marinade time.
Cook, Assemble, and Serve
- Cook the chicken. Heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high until shimmering but not smoking. Add the chicken to the pan, shaking off any excess marinade. Cook on one side undisturbed until well-browned, about 5 minutes. Use tongs to flip the chicken and cook until cooked through, about 5 minutes more.
- Assemble the chicken gyros. Warm pita over a medium gas burner or a hot, dry skillet. Transfer to your serving plate and spread Tzatziki sauce on top, then add the chicken (about 2 to 3 tenders per bread). Top with sliced tomato, cucumber, green pepper, red onion, and olives. Wrap the pita up and enjoy!
Make it a Meal
Chicken Gyros are a convenient meal all wrapped up, so you don’t need anything more, but if you’re throwing a party and want a Greek feast, I’ve got you covered! You can mix and match mains by serving Chicken Souvlaki along with the chicken gyros, then filling with all the fun extras.
- Drinks: Ouzo for a boozy option is a must! If you abstain, something refreshing, like Iced Greek Mountain Tea is alwasy nice.
- Snacks or Appetizers: Saganaki (Greek Fried Cheese) or Greek Tomato Fritters
- Salads: Light, refreshing, and crisp Horiatiki (Traditional Greek Salad) or Maroulosalata
- For Dessert: Rizogalo (Greek Rice Pudding) or Portokalopita (Greek Orange Cake)
Ingredients
For the Chicken Gyro Marinade
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt (whole milk preferred)
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken tenderloin (often labeled "tenders")
For Serving
- Pita Bread
- Tzatziki Sauce
- 1 large tomato, sliced
- 1 cucumber, sliced
- 1 green bell pepper, cored and sliced
- 1 small red onion, halved and sliced
- Pitted Kalamata olives
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the Chicken Gyro Marinade ingredients (besides the chicken) until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the chicken and mix, ensuring each piece is well coated with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes (or overnight.)
- Cook the chicken. Heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high until shimmering but not smoking. Add the chicken to the pan, shaking off any excess marinade. Cook on one side undisturbed until well-browned, about 5 minutes. Use tongs to flip the chicken and cook until cooked through, about 5 minutes more.
- Assemble the chicken gyros. Warm pita over a medium gas burner or a hot, dry skillet. Transfer to your serving plate and spread Tzatziki sauce on top, then add the chicken (about 2 to 3 tenders per bread). Top with tomato, cucumber, green pepper, red onion and olives as you like. Wrap the pita up and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including the olive oil and spices used in this recipe.
- Other cooking options:
- To Grill Outdoors: Grill chicken over medium heat for 5 minutes on one side, and another 3 to 5 minutes on the other until chicken is fully cooked. The internal temperature should register 165°F.
- To Oven-Bake: Heat oven to 375°F. Shake excess marinade off the chicken tenders and arrange them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake until done (internal temperature should register 165°F), about 20 minutes.
- Storage: Store the chicken and fixings in separate airtight containers in the fridge for up to 4 days. Store leftover pita at room temperature. Reheat the chicken gently and assemble fresh gyros just before serving.
- Nutritional information does not include the Pita Bread or Tzatziki Sauce.
Nutrition
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*This post has recently been updated with new information for the readers’ benefit.
This is yet another Suzy favorite of mine. It has become an almost weekly event in my household. I love love love this recipe!
Awesome! I’m so happy to hear that!
Yup, thats the recipe for the greek gyro chicken. Spot on.
Thank you, Robert!
Super tasty. Exactly what I was looking for.
Awesome! Thanks so much, Amy!
It was good, my boyfriend enjoyed it 🙂
Thank you for sharing!
Awesome!
Made this with chicken breast cut into cubes and served with home made pitta, fom this site, mediterranean salad, homemade chips and tadziki. Everyone enjoyed it. Lovely flavours. Next time i will also serve home made hummus. Thankyou, great recipe.
My husband and I spent our honey moon in Greece this past September. We loved the gyro and we have been craving them ever since. I came across this recipe and thought I would give it a try. Wow it was so delicious!! We will make this again that’s for sure. We both agreed that it reminded us of the ones in Greece.
So glad! thank you for sharing
Definitely a 5 star recipe! I love love love the marinade and honestly just everything about this recipe.
(you should FOR SURE make the homemade tzatziki sauce because oh my goodness I am so happy I did, I made it with non-fat yogurt and it was awesome!)
So happy you enjoyed it, Mia!
So good!
Thanks, Joe! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
These were so good! I sliced chicken breast’s into strips and used buttermilk instead of Greek yogurt and the chicken tasted amazing. I cooked the strips in an air fryer. Thank you.
Thanks for sharing!! 🙂
Hi, this was tasty, thank you. I had a giggle when i got to the instructions (step 1) where it talks about a mixing bowel where I’m pretty sure you meant a mixing bowl 🙂
Hahaha! Good catch! I’ll have to correct that!
I made these chicken gyros last night and they turned out to be very tasty. The tztaziki sauce was perfect too!! I also made mushroom gyro, substituted the chicken for mushroom and that turned out good as well. Thank you for this recipe!
My pleasure! So glad you enjoyed it!
Have never made gyros before and this recipe was the absolute perfect introduction.
They were so flavoursome and juicy and I will be making these again.
I did mine on a rack in the oven and they crisped up nicely on the outer (some charred bits) and were still very juicy inside. I used skinless thigh chicken which was excellent with this mixture. I cooked the thighs whole and then sliced them up once cooked.
Also cooked up some hot chips with paprika and rosemary on them to add inside – so good.
I made the chicken alongside this gluten free flatbread to use as pita and it went SO welll together. Coeliacs check it out – so great to be able to replicate this delicious dish at home.
https://www.feastingonfruit.com/vegan-gluten-free-flatbread/#comment-260977
Thanks so much!
Thanks for sharing, Alex! I also have a recipe for pita bread that works well with gluten free flour: https://www.themediterraneandish.com/homemade-pita-bread-recipe/
Hello! I’m going to prep these for lunches throughout the week, and I can’t wait to try them! I was just wondering if the nutrition information is just the chicken and marinade, or does it include the “fixins” minus the tzatziki? Just asking so I can track my macros properly. Thanks!!!
Hi Jenn, the nutrition information is our best estimate using a simple program to calculate, but it does include the yogurt marinade and the fixings (if you are using Tzatziki sauce, you’ll follow that recipe for the nutrition information for the sauce).
Is there a non-dairy substitute for the yogurt?
There are non-dairy yogurt substitutes out there, but I haven’t tried them myself. You can try marinating the chicken in an olive oil and lemon juice based marinate instead like we do in this chicken Souvlaki recipe: https://www.themediterraneandish.com/greek-chicken-souvlaki-recipe-tzatziki/
I made these last night! The flavor was incredible on the chicken just the right amount of spice and acidity! The mean was super easy to make too which is great on busy nights. Can’t wait to make these again
Awesome! Thank you, Gina!
This was an excellent recipe! I did add a little more salt to each piece of chicken when it was ready to cook because my first few chicken pieces were lacking salt. I made a Lebanese garlic sauce to go with it and roast cauliflower, so good!
Thanks for sharing, Aja!
Aloha,
I made a mistake by buying cumin seeds instead of ground cumin. Is there any way I can alter the seeds or should I just go back to the store.:)
Hi there, if you have a grinder of sorts, you can grind the seeds into powder to use as directed.