Greek Chicken Gyros

Name: Greek Chicken Gyros
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 140 min
Ingredients: 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs; ½ cup Greek yogurt; 2 teaspoons smoked paprika; 1 ½ teaspoons salt; 1 teaspoon dried oregano; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 2 teaspoons garlic paste ((or 2 cloves, grated)); 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil; 1 tablespoon lemon juice; 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar; 6 ounces grape tomatoes ((chopped)); ½ count English cucumber ((chopped)); ⅓ count red onion ((thinly sliced)); 6 count pita flatbreads ((or naan breads)); tzatziki sauce; feta cheese crumbles

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

These Greek Chicken Gyros are so tasty and filling, you won't believe they didn't come from an authentic food truck! They're made with perfectly juicy chicken thighs, lots of fresh veggies, and a creamy tzatziki sauce to top it all off.

A plate of three chicken gyros wrapped in foil, stacked on top of each other.

This recipe for making chicken gyro meat doesn't require a vertical skewer, or any other specialty equipment. You can get that same grilled taste and texture using your oven! Most of the prep time is spent marinating the chicken for extra flavor, and then you simply cook the protein and assemble everything to your preference.

A hand picking up a foil-wrapped gyro wrap from a stack of them sitting on a plate.

The Coined Breakdown

Total Cost per serving: $2.81
Total Cost (about 6 wraps): $16.88
Those Other Guys: $14.99 per serving

Jump to:

Ingredients
Variations and Substitutions
How to Make (and Perfectly Wrap) Chicken Gyros at Home
Recipe Pro Tips
Recipe FAQs
Other Sandwich/Wrap Recipes You'll Love!
Greek Chicken Gyros

Ingredients

Chicken Thighs - I love to use juicy chicken thighs for this recipe. We're going to season them with Mediterranean-inspired spices, then brown the outsides for flavor and appearance. Let the chicken rest before slicing!
Marinade - A huge part of the flavor and texture of chicken gyro meat? The marinade. This uses Greek yogurt to tenderize, plus a well-rounded spice & herb blend, lemon juice and red wine vinegar for acidity, and olive oil to pull everything together.
Fresh Veggies - Chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, and sliced onions give the wrap a beautiful crunch.
Flatbread - You can actually make this yourself if you want - I have a delicious recipe for naan bread here - but if you're running short on time, just grab a pack of pita bread circles from the store.
Tzatziki - Check out this recipe for my homemade tzatziki sauce. The trick is to drain the shredded cucumber so you don't have all that extra moisture! The sauce is great to put on the wrap, and save some extra to dip each bite into.

Variations and Substitutions

French Fries: Some even like to add fries to the wraps themselves! But even if you just serve on the side, crispy French fries are a classic side dish for gyros.

Flatbread: Pita bread or lavash bread are other great wrap options. I love to use fluffy garlic naan.

Other Sauces: Not a huge fan of tzatziki? You can spread hummus or whipped feta on the wraps.

Cooking Methods: Below, we use the "broil" function of regular ovens. You can also grill the chicken outside, on a cast iron skillet, or even air fry.

How to Make (and Perfectly Wrap) Chicken Gyros at Home

Step 1: First, add the trimmed chicken thighs to a bowl with the yogurt-based marinade, and mix well. Cover the bowl with a lid, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (but overnight is best.)

Step 2: Take the marinated chicken and place each piece on a foil-lined sheet pan.

Step 3: Using your oven's highest "broil" setting, cook for about 20 minutes, flipping the chicken halfway. You should have a beautiful charred crust.

Let the chicken rest on a wooden board for 10 minutes before slicing.

Step 4: Finally, prepare your other veggies and sauce, then wrap each gyro right before serving.

Recipe Pro Tips

Don't marinate for over 24 hours. Due to the marinade ingredients like yogurt and lemon juice/vinegar, over-marinating your chicken can turn it mushy, rubbery, or too acidic.
Let the chicken rest for a few. This ensures all those flavorful juices redistribute throughout the meat instead of spilling out the second you cut!
Warm your pita. A warm flatbread wraps much easier and can prevent tearing.
Scoop those seeds! The cucumber and tomato seeds will make your wrap watery. Scoop the seeds out and discard before chopping the veggies.
Adjust your oven racks. The closer the chicken thighs are to the heating element on the top of your oven, the more of a grilled, charred effect you'll have on the chicken. I usually move my oven rack to the very top position during the last 10 minutes of cooking.

Recipe FAQs

How do you pronounce "gyro"?

The true Greek pronunciation is "YEE-roh", with a y-sound instead of a hard g- or j-sound.

Yiro actually translates to "turning" - and you'll usually see the meat turning on a spit in Greek shops and food carts.

Can I use other meats for gyro wraps?

Of course! You can use pork, beef, or lamb in classic gyros.

I would like to freeze my chicken gyros. Is this possible?

You can freeze the flatbreads and cooked chicken. I recommend adding the other ingredients like cucumbers and tomatoes right before serving, since they will not hold up very well after freezing and thawing.

Do I need any special equipment to make gyros at home?

Not at all! These chicken gyros are made using a regular home oven.

However, there are vertical rotisserie spits that you can use to really replicate how the restaurants prepare the chicken. You can also make a DIY rotisserie by adding skewers into a halved potato in a pan, and placing the chicken on top of the skewers.