These chicken gyros smash tacos are a quick, easy twist on classic juicy chicken gyros. Made with spiced ground chicken, crispy fries, and ALL the Greek-inspired toppings. Inspired by a trip to Greece, they’re fresh, protein-packed, and perfect for quick weeknight dinners.
One of the best parts of any holiday is the food, right? And when I was in Kos – a gorgeous Greek island – I enjoyed many a beautiful gyros. Fluffy pita, creamy tzatziki sauce, juicy tomatoes, incredibly tender meat…truly heaven on earth.
But one day I spotted something a little more unexpected on a menu – gyros tacos. It was the Greek-Mexican mash-up I never knew I needed!
So fast forward to this recipe – my twist on that gorgeous dish. Think: a juicy, herb-packed ground chicken topping, smashed onto mini tortillas and pan-fried until golden and gorgeous. And then it’s ALL about the toppings. Crispy fries (because gyros isn’t gyros without them!), creamy tzatziki, juicy tomatoes, crunchy cucumber, and lovely crumbled feta.
Love Greek flavors as much as I do? Try these juicy Greek-style lamb burgers, Greek chicken meatballs, Greek quinoa salad, or Greek-inspired bread dipping oil next.
Why You’ll Love These Tacos
- Super quick and easy – they’re ready in just 30 minutes, so they’re perfect for busy weeknights.
- High in protein – thanks to the ground chicken AND Greek yogurt.
- A fun twist on a Greek classic – all those same iconic flavors, in a jazzy, easy new form.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Ground chicken. If you can’t find it, you can blitz 1 pound (500g) of boneless, skinless chicken thighs in a food processor to make your own. You could also swap it for ground turkey, beef, pork, lamb, or a plant-based alternative.
- Mini tortillas. Corn or wheat tortillas are great – I tend to go for mini tortillas, roughly 5 or 6 inches wide. You can also use larger burrito-style tortillas for larger tacos.
- Tzatziki. You can use a good store-bought tzatziki for ease, or make your own. I recommend trying this recipe for creamy tzatziki sauce – it’s truly so easy and (in my opinion) much better than store-bought.
- Potatoes. I’ve popped instructions for making the fries from scratch in the recipe at the bottom of the page (it’s very easy – especially in the air fryer), but you can of course use frozen fries if you prefer. If you’re making the fries yourself, I recommend using Russets, Maris Piper, or Agria potatoes.
How to Make Smash Chicken Gyros Tacos
This is a step-by-step photo overview of how to make the smash gyros tacos – the full instructions and ingredients list with specific quantities is at the bottom of the page for you.
1. Add all the ingredients for your chicken gyros mixture to a bowl and combine well.
2. Spread a heaped spoonful of the mixture onto each mini tortilla and smooth it out into an even layer.
3. Slice your potatoes into fries, then toss with seasoning and pop into the air fryer, ideally in a single layer.
4. Air-fry the fries until they are gorgeously golden and crispy.
5. Press the topped tacos firmly into a hot pan (this will help the meat stick to the tortilla) and cook for a few minutes.
6. Flip, then cook for a further minute on the other side.
7. Top your tacos with the creamy tzatziki, crispy fries, salad, and feta if you like, then serve.
Chicken Gyros Smash Tacos FAQs
Use a non-stick pan if possible, and a decent drizzle of oil. Make sure your pan is nice and hot before you add the topped taco onto it, and press down firmly with a spatula to really ‘smash’ the taco into the pan. This should ensure the meat sticks to the tortilla. But if it doesn’t stick, don’t stress too much. The tacos will still taste the same, and you can continue to top them as normal.
Yes! There are several ways you can do this.
– The chicken topping can be mixed and popped into the fridge in an airtight container up to two days in advance, then spread onto the tortillas and cooked when you’re ready.
– If you’re making it, the tzatziki sauce can be made up to a week in advance, then stored in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.
– The tomatoes and cucumber can be diced a couple of days in advance and stored in the fridge too.
– You can spread the chicken topping onto your tortillas 24 hours ahead of time, then layer them in between sheets of parchment paper to store in the fridge (this will prevent them from sticking together).
You can – the fries are typical of your traditional gyros, but they’re not essential (or you could serve them on the side). Add shredded lettuce, sliced red onion, crispy chickpeas or grilled halloumi – it’s really up to you!
You can – but I recommend pan-frying (or cooking them on an outdoor grill or BBQ) for the best results. If you want to air fry them, pop the tacos, chicken side up, in your air fryer basket and air fry at 400°F (200°C) for 6 to 8 minutes, until cooked through. You won’t get that same lovely ‘smashed’ element, but they’ll work!
Yes! Stick to the traditional gyros vibe and use ground pork, or go for ground beef, turkey, lamb, or a plant-based alternative.
Like This Recipe? You Might Enjoy These Smash Taco Recipes Too
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! You can leave a recipe rating and a comment below. And remember to tag @DishedByKate on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok if you’ve made one of my recipes. Seeing your recreations really makes my day 😊.
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Chicken Gyros Smash Tacos
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
These chicken gyros smash tacos are a quick, easy twist on classic juicy chicken gyros. Made with spiced ground chicken, crispy fries, and ALL the Greek-inspired toppings. Inspired by a trip to Greece, they’re fresh, protein-packed, and perfect for quick weeknight dinners.
Ingredients
For the fries –
- 1 lb (500g) potatoes (or use frozen French fries)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the tacos –
- 1 lb (500g) ground chicken
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/3 cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Black pepper
- 12 mini tortillas
For the toppings –
- Creamy tzatziki sauce
- 1/2 a cucumber, diced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, diced
- 50g feta cheese
Instructions
- Make the fries. If you’re making your fries from scratch, chop your potatoes into thin fries. I don’t peel the potatoes – but you can if you like. Pop them into a large bowl, then toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon of dried oregano, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Arrange in your air fryer basket, then air fry at 400°F (200°C) for 15 to 20 minutes, shaking them at the halfway mark, until gorgeously golden and crispy. If you’re using frozen fries, cook them according to their packet instructions.
- Prepare the chicken gyros mixture. To a large mixing bowl, add the ground chicken, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, minced garlic, 1 teaspoon each of dried thyme, dried oregano, smoked paprika, ground cumin, and salt, a good grind of black pepper, and the chopped flat-leaf parsley. Mix until well combined.
- Top the tacos. Spread a heaped tablespoon of the chicken mixture into a thin layer on each of your mini tortillas. Use the back of your spoon to spread the chicken right to the edges of the tortilla, trying to make it as even as possible.
- Cook the tacos. Set a large skillet or frying pan over medium-high heat. Drizzle a little olive oil into the pan, then place the tacos, chicken side down, into the pan. Use a spatula to really press down on the back of the taco to ‘smash’ it into the pan. This ensures even, quick cooking and helps the meat stick to the tortilla. Cook for four minutes, then flip and cook for a further minute on the other side. You should be able to cook a couple of tacos at the same time. Repeat with the remaining tacos.
- Top the tacos. Dollop a heaped spoonful of tzatziki onto each taco, then add a couple of fries, the diced tomatoes and cucumber. Finish with a sprinkling of creamy feta and a scattering of flat-leaf parsley.
Notes
HOW TO MAKE SURE YOUR MEAT STICKS TO YOUR TORTILLAS: Use a non-stick pan if possible, and a decent drizzle of oil. Make sure your pan is nice and hot before you add the topped taco, and press down firmly with a spatula to really ‘smash’ the taco into the pan. This should ensure the meat sticks to the tortilla. But if it doesn’t stick, don’t stress too much. The tacos will still taste the same, and you can continue to top them as normal.
INGREDIENT NOTES: Feel free to experiment with the toppings here – add sliced or diced red onion or red bell peppers, or skip the fries altogether (or serve them on the side). Using creamy whipped feta, spicy harissa whipped feta, or this sun-dried tomato and feta dip in place of, or as well as the creamy tzatziki sauce, is also an excellent idea.
SUBSTITUTIONS: Swap the ground chicken for ground turkey, beef, lamb, pork, or a plant-based alternative. Or, you could blitz 1 lb of skinless, boneless chicken thighs in a blender to make your own ground chicken. Swap the flat-leaf parsley for cilantro, mint, or thyme.
PREP AHEAD: The chicken topping can be mixed and popped into the fridge in an airtight container up to two days in advance, then spread onto the tortillas and cooked when you’re ready. The tomatoes and cucumber can be diced a couple of days in advance and stored in the fridge too. You can spread the chicken topping onto your tortillas 24 hours ahead of time, then layer them in between sheets of parchment paper to store in the fridge (this will prevent them from sticking together).
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 25
- Category: fakeaways
- Method: air fryer
- Cuisine: greek
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 tacos
- Calories: 622
- Sugar: 1.9g
- Sodium: 504.9mg
- Fat: 27.8g
- Saturated Fat: 8.2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 19.6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 51.6g
- Fiber: 2.2g
- Protein: 40.7g
- Cholesterol: 103.5mg
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