Dinner · 40 min · greek

Chicken Gyros

Weeknight-friendly Greek cooking: Chicken Gyros comes together in 40 minutes with chicken thighs, plain yogurt, and not much else.

✓ USDA-verified nutrition data

Ingredients

• 2 lb Chicken thighs
• 1/2 cup Plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup Lemon juice
• 2 tbsp Dried oregano
• 4 cloves Garlic
• 2 tsp Smoked paprika
• 4 large Pita bread
• 2 Tomatoes
• 1/2 Red onion
• 1 cup Tzatziki
• 1/4 cup Extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp Salt

Steps

1. Whisk the yogurt, lemon, oregano, crushed garlic, paprika, oil, and salt into a thick marinade. Yogurt marinades tenderize gently without the mushiness that straight acid causes — marinate 2 hours, or overnight for the deepest flavor.
2. Sear the thighs in a screaming-hot cast iron skillet, 5 minutes per side, without moving them — the undisturbed contact is what builds the charred, gyro-shop crust.
3. Rest 5 minutes, then slice across the grain into thin ribbons; thin slices catch more char and more sauce in every bite.
4. Warm the pitas directly over a gas flame or in the dry skillet until they puff and blister — a limp, cold pita ruins a gyro.
5. Build: tzatziki first (it waterproofs the pita), then chicken, tomatoes, onion, and a final spoon of tzatziki. Roll tight, wrap the bottom in paper, and eat over the plate — some drip is mandatory and correct.

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