Transport yourself to Greece with these super juicy chicken gyros flatbreads. Charred Greek-style chicken, piled onto soft fluffy flatbreads with creamy tzatziki, sweet tomatoes, cucumber AND crispy fries? It’s so hard to go wrong with this twist on a classic.
A quintessential memory of any trip to Greece I’ve ever been on is sampling that absolute staple you’ll find all over Greece – gyros. Simply put, gyros is similar to shawarma, in that meat (usually pork or chicken) is cooked on a vertical spit, then piled into pita bread, with salad, tzatziki and fries.
You can pick them up everywhere in Greece, usually very cheaply. And while this isn’t necessarily a traditional gyros recipe in terms of the cooking technique, it has all those lovely flavors you’ll recognize in the Greek classic.
They’re also straightforward to make, and even simpler if you use a couple of shortcuts. The star is the ultra-juicy chicken, tossed in a gorgeous lemony, herby yogurt marinade and then cooked until charred and golden. I like to make the tzatziki and fries, but to make this recipe faster, just use a good store-bought tzatziki and frozen fries.
Ingredients
- Chicken thighs. I prefer using thighs here because they’re a slightly fattier cut, meaning the chicken doesn’t dry out with the high heat in the oven and stays super juicy. You can use chicken breasts, if you prefer.
- Marinade. You’ll need plain or Greek yogurt, smoked paprika, ground cumin, dried oregano (or use thyme, parsley or marjoram), lemon juice, olive oil and white vinegar (or use apple cider vinegar).
- Tzatziki. You can choose whether or not to make your tzatziki sauce or use a good quality store-bought one – I tend to make my own as it’s super easy and tastes a lot better (plus you can control the seasoning).
- Potatoes. Use a floury potato, advertised as good for roasting (like Yukon gold, Maris piper or Agria), rather than a waxy potato which won’t crisp up as well. For a shortcut, use frozen fries.
How to make them
Mix your gyros marinade, then toss through the diced chicken thighs. Par-boil your chopped potatoes, then drain, give them a little toss in the pot and lay out on a lined oven tray. Arrange the marinated chicken on a separate tray, trying to keep it on one layer for even cooking.
Cook the chicken and fries until lovely and charred – the fries will take about 10 minutes longer than the chicken, which is a good chance to let the chicken marinate for a little bit before popping it into the oven.
While your chicken and fries cook, toss the cherry tomatoes with the diced cucumber, salt, pepper and sumac if you’re using it, then set aside. Make your tzatziki sauce now too (unless you’re using store-bought).
To assemble, spread a layer of tzatziki onto the base of each flatbread, then spoon over some of the tomato cucumber salad. Top with the charred chicken and a couple of the fries. Spoon over some lovely cooking juices from the chicken, then scatter flat-leaf parsley or oregano on top to serve.
Watch how to make it
Got a question?
Yes! You can marinate it up to 24 hours ahead of time, and just store it in the fridge until you’re ready to cook. Try not to let it go longer than 24 hours as the acid in the marinade will start to impact the texture of the chicken and it won’t be as nice to eat.
You can! Once cooked, the chicken will be fine for about 4 days, stored in the fridge. The fries will keep well too, but they’ll never be QUITE as good as they were when they were fresh. You can reheat them in the microwave (though they’ll lose their crispiness this way), or pop them into the oven or air fryer for 10 minutes at 400F/180C. The tzatziki will keep for 1 week in the fridge and the salad will be fine for 4 days.
I like to use these super soft, 2-ingredient dough flatbreads, but you can use any large store-bought flatbreads, or tortilla wraps.
Like this recipe? Try these easy chicken ideas next
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 😊.
Print
Juicy Greek Chicken Gyros
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Low Fat
Description
Transport yourself to Greece with these super juicy chicken gyros flatbreads. Charred Greek-style chicken, piled onto soft fluffy flatbreadS with creamy tzatziki, sweet tomatoes, cucumber AND crispy fries? It’s so hard to go wrong with this twist on a classic.
For a shortcut version, use a good store-bought tzatziki and frozen fries.
Ingredients
For the chicken –
- 2 tablespoons plain or Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons dried oregano
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Black pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1lb/500g chicken thighs, diced
For the fries –
- 1lb/500g potatoes (Yukon gold, russet, Agria, or Maris piper are great)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
For the tzatziki (or use a good-quality store-bought tzatziki) –
- 1/2 large cucumber
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup thick Greek or Greek-style yogurt
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- Black pepper
For the toppings –
- 7oz/200g cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 large cucumber
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sumac
- Black pepper
- A handful of flat-leaf parsley
- 4 large flatbreads
Instructions
- Preheat your oil. Heat your oven to 480F/250C. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a lined lipped oven tray, or roasting dish. Pop into the oven to heat while you prep the fries and chicken. PRO TIP: Pre-heating the oil helps you get super crispy fries so I recommend this step if you have time.
- Marinate the chicken. Add 2 tablespoons of yogurt, 2 tablespoons of dried oregano, the juice of 1 small lemon, 1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, crushed garlic, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon of ground cumin and a good grind of black pepper to a mixing bowl. Mix to combine well, then add the diced chicken thighs and toss them through the marinade. Set aside for now.
- Chop your fries. Slice your potatoes into chunky fries, then place them into a large pot, along with about 1 tablespoon of salt. Fill the pot with cold water (enough so that it covers the fries).
- Par-boil the fries. Set the pot over high heat and bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat slightly then simmer the fries for about 5 minutes, until you can easily pierce them with a knife. Drain the fries in a colander, then place them back into the now-empty pot. Give the pot a shake to fluff up the edges of the fries (this helps to create lovely crispy edges in the oven).
- Cook the fries. By this time, your oil should be nice and hot in the oven. CAREFULLY transfer the par-boiled fries to the tray or dish with the hot oil (it should sizzle as you add the fries). Scatter with 1 teaspoon of salt and toss through the oil, then pop into the oven for 25 – 30 minutes, until golden and crispy.
- Cook the chicken. When the fries have been in the oven for about 10 minutes, transfer the marinated chicken to a separate lined oven tray. Try to keep the chicken on one layer so that it cooks evenly. Pop into the oven and cook for 20 minutes, until lovely and charred.
- Make your tzatziki (optional). If you’re making your own tzatziki, use the coarse side of a box grater to grate your cucumber. Use your hands to squeeze as much liquid out of it as you can, then add to a small bowl. Add 1 cup of Greek yogurt, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, crushed garlic and a good grind of black pepper. Mix to combine into a thick sauce, then taste and add a little more salt if needed.
- Prep the salad. As the chicken and fries cook, chop your cherry tomatoes into quarters, and dice your cucumber. Add to a bowl, then scatter with 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of sumac and a good grind of black pepper. Set aside.
- Assemble. Once the chicken and fries are lovely and golden, remove them from the oven. Spread a layer of tzatziki onto the base of each flatbread, then top with a couple of spoonfuls of the salad. Arrange the chicken on top, then add a few fries to each. Spoon over some of the lovely chicken cooking juices for extra flavor, then scatter with the flat-leaf parsley. Serve the extra fries and tzatziki on the side.
Notes
INGREDIENT NOTES: I prefer using chicken thighs as they’re a juicier cut than breasts, so won’t dry out in the oven. But you can use breasts if you prefer.
PREP AHEAD: The chicken can be marinated up to 24 hours ahead of time, then just cooked when you’re ready. The tzatziki will keep well for 4 -5 days in the fridge.
STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: You can enjoy any leftovers hot or cold. The cooked chicken will keep for 4 days in the fridge, as will the tzatziki. The fries will never be as delicious as when they’re freshly cooked, but you can absolutely reheat them if needed. Pop them in the microwave (though this way they’ll lose any crispiness), or pop them into the oven or air fryer at 400F/180C for 10 minutes.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 30
- Category: fakeaways
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: greek
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 flatbread
- Calories: 694
- Sugar: 10.1g
- Sodium: 1771.4mg
- Fat: 25.4g
- Saturated Fat: 6.2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 17.6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 74.1g
- Fiber: 6.8g
- Protein: 43.8g
- Cholesterol: 127.9mg
0 Comments