Chicken Gyros (or Gyro) is definitely one of my favorite meals to prepare on the grill, for a number of reasons. It’s very easy to make and comes together pretty quickly. It’s served in pita or other types of flat bread so no extra dishes are needed. Gyros is kids friendly too and adults love it just as much… it’s the perfect party food, to put it simply 🙂

Tip: Wanna try something else on the Grill? How about Grilled Pork Tenderloin Steaks, Marinated Chicken Wings or Grilled Chicken Salad?

Gyros is originally a Greek dish but as any good “invention” it has spread all over the world pretty quickly. These days, you can find Gyros in restaurants or fast food trucks in most countries. I prefer to use chicken thighs when making Chicken Gyros, but feel free to use breasts or other types of meat such as pork, lamb or even beef.

The important part is to use the right spices and herbs. Gyros needs to be fragrant and intense in flavors. And don’t forget the Tzaziki sauce of course, it wouldn’t be complete without it.

Enough of the theory, let’s start cooking.

Chicken Gyros Ingredients:

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Meat & Bread:

1kg (2lb) boneless chicken thighs
6-7 pieces of Tortilla, Pita or similar

Marinade: 

5 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp crushed coriander seeds
1 tsp dried oregano
3 tsp smoked red paprika
1 tsp dried thyme
3 cloves crushed garlic
juice from ½ lime
salt & pepper to taste

Tzatziki Sauce:

1 large cucumber
2 cups Greek yoghurt
1 clove crushed garlic
2-3 tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
1 tsp dried dill

Vegetable Salad:

1 head iceberg lettuce
1 red/purple onion
cherry tomatoes
1-2 tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

How To Make Grilled Chicken Gyros

Watch the video or scroll down for step by step instructions:

1. First we need to make the marinade. It’s quite easy so let’s start. Add a generous amount of olive oil into a large bowl. As I mentioned already, chicken Gyros has to be fragrant so we need some herbs. Add a teaspoon of crushed coriander seeds, one teaspoon of dried oregano and one teaspoon of dried thyme. Continue with 3 teaspoons of smoked paprika, 3 cloves crushed garlic and the juice from one half of a lime. And let’s not forget to properly season our marinade with salt and black pepper.

2. Mix everything together to make sure the salt dissolves and the spices combine. The marinade needs to be salty so feel free to give it a taste and add more salt if needed. This amount of marinade is good for about 8 smaller thighs, so prepare more if you plan to cook the Gyros for a bigger crowd.

Place the chicken thighs into the bowl now and use your hands to properly coat every bit of the meat with the marinade. And don’t forget to wash your hands afterwards. Let the thighs marinade for at least 30 minutes, in a cold place. If you have the time, let it marinade for a few hours.

3. Let’s work on the salad and tzatziki sauce, while the meat marinades. I grow some veggies in my garden so let me use what I have. One red onion, a few cherry tomatoes and a large cucumber will come in handy for sure.

Let me do the tzatziki sauce first. We need to peel the cucumber and then grate it on a grater. Using a paper or kitchen towel, squeeze out as much water as possible, otherwise the tzatziki sauce would be too thin.

4. Add 2 cups of quality greek yoghurt. 1 clove crushed garlic. Juice from the other half of the lime that we are left with from making the marinade. 2 or 3 tablespoons of olive oil. A bit of salt and black pepper. The last thing to add is a teaspoon of dried dill. Now mix everything together properly and store the finished tzatziki sauce in the fridge until we need it.

5. It’s time to prepare the grill. I’m using a simple charcoal fired old grill, but feel free to use a gas or electric grill. I prefer the charcoal fired one, because it gives the meat a touch of smoky flavor. Once the coals are ready, place the marinated thighs on the grill now, one by one.

There is quite a bit of oil in the marinade so keep an eye on the grill, we don’t want the tasty chunks of meat to burn. If the coals catch fire from the oil, move the meat to the sides of the grill for a minute.

6. Chicken Gyros is always served with some salad, so while the meat is catching some nice color on the grill, we have enough time to make a simple one.

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7. I’m using a small head of iceberg lettuce as the base. Just slice it with a knife into fine strips. Finely slice the red onion and add it to the bowl. Same with the cherry tomatoes, just slice them into small pieces again. Add a tablespoon or two of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and mix everything together properly. And that’s it, our simple salad is ready.

8. It’s time to check the thighs again. Once they catch a nice golden brown color with a bit of char on both sides, it’s time to take the meat off the grill.

9. Place the meat on a cutting board and slice it into small pieces. You will end up with a nice amount of tasty bits of chicken thighs, that are crispy on the outside but still juice on the inside.

10. Now heat some flatbread or tortilla on the grill, it will only take a few seconds per side. If you want to stay authentic, use a Pita bread for your chicken Gyros.

11. And now it’s time to assemble the gyros. Place the flatbread over aluminum foil, which will help us to wrap it up and hold the final shape better. Start with the salad, you can be generous with it. Add the chicken thighs and finish it up with a solid amount of our tzatziki sauce. Wrap it up and use the foil to secure the bottom part of the wrap. The foil will also prevent the juices from leaking.

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And there you have it, our chicken gyros is ready for serving.

Optional Tips For This Recipe:

• Did you decide to use chicken breasts instead of thighs for your Gyros? Breasts tend to become dry, so watch your grilling time.
• Don’t have Greek yoghurt for the Tzatziki sauce? Thick sour cream works just as fine.
• Feel free to use different vegetable types for the salad, I used what was growing in my garden. Alternatively, you can use a different salad completely, for example a Simple Coleslaw would work great.
• Can’t get your hands on smoked paprika? Use the regular red paprika instead.
• Working with pork, beef or lamb? These meat types need a bit longer time to absorb the flavors from our marinade, so plan accordingly. Marinate overnight for best results.