Quick And Easy Greek Chicken Gyro
A quick and easy Greek chicken gyro recipe. If you have ever wanted to make gyro at home but didn’t have the right equipment you have to try this baked version. You’ll definitely appreciate the flavour and texture of the gyro in the end.
What is gyro
Gyro refers to a popular Greek fast-food dish. The word “gyro” means around, which perhaps refers to the fact that the meat spins around when cooking. Marinated meat fillets are typically stacked, cooked over the rotisserie and then strips are cut off. Meat used may be chicken, pork, lamb or even beef. The main objective when choosing the meat cuts is for them to be tender and not dry. That is the main reason using chicken thigh fillets for this recipe instead of chicken breast.
Spices used and preparation
Some very popular herbs and spices used in the Greek cuisine include thyme, paprika and oregano. Can’t go pass them when marinating meat and especially chicken. They go perfectly together! I used garlic powder in the seasoning mix, however you may choose to replace it with crushed garlic.
Ways of cooking gyro
Typically, gyro is cooked on a vertical grill rotisserie in a lot of take away shops or horizontally on a BBQ spit. Then pieces of meat are shaved off slowly as each layer browns when the stack is spun around the heat. That process does take some time to make gyro.
I’ve worked on developing my version for some time to make it more accessible – from the spice combinations to the cooking method. My quick and easy Greek chicken gyro recipe simply includes baking the marinated chicken thigh fillets at a high temperature to help crisp up the edges but yet still remain succulent.
Accompaniments
Often the gyro is wrapped in a round pita bread with refreshing tzatziki, tomatoes, onion slices and even fried chips inside. Others choose to add mustard and tomato sauce in place of tzatziki, but the latter seemed to be the most popular choice on a recent poll I did on social media. You may buy tzatziki dip from the supermarket or you can simply create your own. That is done by mixing strained yoghurt, grated cucumber, crushed garlic, salt, extra virgin olive oil and a herb like dill for the Greek version or dry mint for the Cypriot version.
2 comments
This recipe is SO GOOD. It truly is a fool-proof guide to flavorsome chicken gyro. Beautifully tender & moist on the inside, crispy and delicious on the outside. We are currently in lockdown in Melbourne and this was the perfect recipe to help us eat our feelings & pretend we were in Greece.
An overall easy delicious and flavoursome recipe. Fantastic option for a quick meal. The right amount of spices and the marinade gives it an authentic taste of your typical Gyro.