Chicken Gyros

Every year a Greek church in our area has a Greek Food Festival and during the festival they serve many kinds of Greek dishes, both sweet and savory.  Every year I look forward to the festival but like any festival, the traffic and parking are so chaotic that I have to be in the mood to deal with the crowds and lines of cars.  This past year I just couldn’t summon the motivation to get out and deal with all the chaos so I missed having my gyro, baklava and all the other Greek goodies I usually stock up on during the festival.  I tried gyros from some of the local restaurants and while they were delicious they just didn’t hit the spot, I don’t know if I was just missing the festival atmosphere or what it was but my cravings continued so when I came across this recipe for chicken gyros on Loves To Eat I knew I had to try them.

I was so excited that I came across this recipe and I couldn’t wait to try them.  They turned out fabulous!  The flavors of the tzatziki sauce is incredible.  It doesn’t get much better than shredded cucumbers and garlic in a creamy yogurt sauce accented with the juice of a lemon…yum, yum!  The only thing that makes the sauce even better is placing it atop the warm, juicy chicken that is nestled in the soft pita.  We absolutely loved everything about them and to make things even better we had enough to have leftovers and they were just as good as the night they were cooked.  I served these with homemade humus and with a green salad. 

You have to put this on you “to make” list!  You will soooo  happy that you did.

Chicken Gyros

 

Ingredients:

-For the Tzatziki sauce:

16 Ounces plain yogurt (nonfat if possible)

1/2 Hothouse cucumber or 1 regular cucumber, peeled and seeded

2-3 Cloves garlic, pressed through a garlic press (or finely minced)

1 Teaspoon white wine vinegar

Salt and Pepper

Squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Extra virgin olive oil

-For the chicken:

4 Cloves garlic, smashed

Juice of 1 lemon

2 Teaspoons red wine vinegar

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 Heaping tablespoons plain yogurt

1 Tablespoon dried oregano

Salt and Pepper

1 1/4 Pounds chicken pieces (I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts)

 

To assemble:

Pitas

Fresh tomatoes, seeded and diced

Red onion, thinly sliced

Directions:

For the tzatziki sauce-

Strain the yogurt usuing a cheesecloth over a bowl.  Let strain for several hours or overnight  if possible, to drain as much liquid as possible. 

Shred the cucumber and then wrap in papertowels and squeeze to remove liquid. 

Mix yogurt, cucumbers, garlic, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, and lemon juice.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to combine.

For the Chicken-

Combine the garlic, lemon, red wine vinegar, olive oil, yogurt, oregano, salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl.  Whisk together to mix, then add the chicken and toss to coat.  Cover the bowl and refrigerate for an hour to marinate. 

Cook the chicken as desired, either in a skillet or broiler.  Once the chicken is completely cooked through transfer to a plate and let rest for 5 minutes.  Cut the chickne into strips.  Heat the pitas.  Top pitas with chicken, sauce, diced tomatoes and onions.  Serve immediately. 

Recipe Source: Loves To Eat

                       Originally from: Elly Says Opa