Description
This easy chicken gyros recipe features tender marinated chicken cooked to perfection, served in warm pita bread with fresh cucumber salad, crumbled feta, green-leaf lettuce, and a refreshing homemade tzatziki sauce. Perfect for a quick and flavorful Mediterranean-inspired meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken and Marinade
- 1 ½ pounds chicken tenderloins, cut thick ones in half lengthwise
- ½ cup olive oil
- juice of one lemon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon Herbs de Provence or Italian seasoning
Pita and Toppings
- white or whole wheat pita bread
- crumbled feta cheese
- green-leaf lettuce
- 5-Minute Tzatziki Sauce (prepared separately)
Cucumber Salad
- ½ cucumber, sliced or chopped
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- ¼ red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- salt and pepper, to taste
- pinch of fresh dill, optional
Instructions
- Prepare Marinade: Stir together olive oil, lemon juice, salt, cracked black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, minced garlic, garlic powder, and Herbs de Provence or Italian seasoning to create the marinade.
- Marinate Chicken: Add chicken tenderloins to the marinade, toss to coat evenly, cover tightly, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours for enhanced flavor.
- Make Cucumber Salad: While the chicken marinates, combine sliced cucumber, halved cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced red onion, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and optional fresh dill in a bowl; stir to mix and set aside.
- Cook Chicken: Heat a grill or skillet over medium heat. Transfer the marinated chicken using tongs and cook for 5-6 minutes on each side until fully cooked and no longer pink inside.
- Assemble Gyros: Arrange pita breads on a plate. Fill each pita with green-leaf lettuce, cooked chicken, cucumber salad, crumbled feta cheese, and tzatziki sauce as desired.
- Serve: Fold the pita like a sandwich or roll it up and enjoy the fresh, flavorful chicken gyros immediately.
Notes
- Using fresh herbs: Replace dried Herbs de Provence or Italian seasoning with 1 teaspoon each finely chopped fresh thyme, oregano, and parsley for a fresh herb flavor.
- Cucumber choice: If using a regular cucumber, peel and seed before slicing. If making tzatziki sauce with half an English cucumber, use the other half for the cucumber salad for convenience.
- Add peppers: For extra flavor, sauté bell pepper slices and add to the gyros filling—it pairs wonderfully with the other ingredients.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 400 kcal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 650 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 16 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 35 g
- Cholesterol: 90 mg
