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Greek Chicken Gyros

By The Modern Nonna

on Apr 20, 2024

5 from 20 votes

Takeout WHO??? Once you try these homemade Greek Chicken Gyros, you’ll never want to order Greek food from a restaurant again 😌.

Chicken Gyros and I actually go way back. Although I am Bulgarian 🇧🇬, my family and I lived on the Island of Crete for many years following my Dad’s Olympic career in water polo. While living there, I experienced true Greek 🇬🇷 home cooking. My mom learned how to make authentic Greek dishes from the women in Greece, which inspired most of the Greek dishes I cook and share on my page.

Recently, I saw a video of my friend Maria using her vertical gyro spit, and it immediately inspired me to dust mine off 🌬️, which had been sitting in my basement. I am happy I did because I created the most incredible homemade Greek Chicken Gyro recipe that transported me right back to my childhood and will transport you to those cobblestone streets surrounded by whitewashed buildings glistening under the Mediterranean sun ☀️ as well!

Why You’ll Love Greek Chicken Gyros

When I say this is the juiciest 💦 chicken that will ever grace your mouth, I mean it! Juicer than girl’s night gossip, these Greek Chicken Gyros are meticulously seasoned and roasted to perfection. The chicken is marinated in a combination of savory, tangy and herbaceous flavours, stacked on a spit and slow-roasted until the exterior develops a slight caramelized char while the inside remains tender and succulent 🤤. Serve this Greek Chicken Gyro on a warm pita with creamy tzatziki or on top of a salad or bowl – I promise you, you’ll never want to make chicken thighs any other way!

What is a Gyro?

A Greek Gyro, or simply “Gyro,” is a popular Greek 🇬🇷 dish made of seasoned meat (often beef, lamb, pork, or chicken) cooked on a vertical rotisserie. The meat is then thinly sliced and served wrapped in warm pita bread, with toppings such as tomato 🍅, onion, and tzatziki sauce – a creamy yogurt and cucumber sauce. Sometimes, Gyros also include lettuce, french fries 🍟, or other veggies.

The word “Gyro” comes from the Greek word for “turn” or “rotate,” describing the method used to cook the meat. The meat is stacked in a cone shape on a vertical spit, where it slowly cooks and browns as it rotates. This method allows the meat to cook evenly while remaining juicy 💦, resulting in the most tender and flavorful meat.

How to Prepare

🔥 Preheat the oven to 425F (220C).

🧄 In a bowl, mix chicken, olive oil, Dijon mustard, garlic, salt, lemon zest, and oregano. Marinate for at least one hour.

🐔 Thread marinated chicken thighs onto a Vertical Gyro Spit Plate, rotating each one opposite from the last. Cover the top thigh with a small piece of foil to prevent burning.

🧅 If you don’t have a Vertical Gyro Oven Plate, create your own spit by cutting an onion in half, placing it on a baking sheet lined with parchment or foil, and positioning two wooden skewers vertically into the onion.

💦 Place the gyro plate in the oven and add water or stock to the base of the plate for the sauce.

♨️ Bake for 1-1.5 hours or until fully cooked.

🥗 Remove from oven, let it rest, and then cut.

Variations and Substitutions for Greek Chicken Gyros

Feel free to mix and match these variations to create your own twist on this Greek Chicken Gyros recipe! Don’t forget to let me know in the comments how it turns out!

1. Instead of chicken thighs, you can use other meats like lamb, pork, or even beef. You may need to adjust the cooking time accordingly based on the type of meat used.
2. Experiment with different marinade ingredients such as 🍋 lemon juice, yogurt, vinegar, paprika, or cumin to add different flavors to the gyro.
3. Mix up the spice blend by adding or substituting spices such as paprika, cumin, coriander, or thyme.
4. Get creative with your gyro toppings and serve with chopped 🍅 tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, feta cheese, or pickled vegetables.

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Best Served With

• My Easy Greek Bowl
• Some Easiest Most Delicious Tzatziki
• My tasty Greek Lemon Potatoes
• A beautiful Greek Salad Feta Board
• Traditional pita bread or in 🥬 lettuce wraps for a low-carb option.

Common Questions

Greek Chicken Gyros

These Greek Chicken Gyros are meticulously seasoned and roasted to perfection. The chicken is marinated in a combination of savory, tangy and herbaceous flavours, stacked on a spit and slow-roasted until the exterior develops a slight caramelized char while the inside remains tender and succulent 🤤.

5 from 20 votes

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Greek, Mediterranean

Makes: 4

Author: The Modern Nonna

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 25 minutes minutes

Equipment

Vertical Spit USA

Vertical Spit Canada

Redmond Real Salt

Nakiri Knife

Measuring Cups + Spoons

Liquid Measuring Cup

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 12 boneless skinless chicken thighs, 1.3kg total
• ▢ ⅛ cup olive oil
• ▢ 2 tablespoons honey Dijon mustard
• ▢ 6 cloves minced garlic, or 3 very large ones
• ▢ lemon zest , two lemons zested
• ▢ ½ tablespoon salt, you may need less if using regular table salt
• ▢ dry oregano, to taste
• ▢ 1 cup water, or stock (for the bottom of the pan)

Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to 425F (220C).
• In a bowl add the chicken, olive oil, honey Dijon mustard, garlic, salt, lemon zest, and oregano. Mix well. You can marinate for a minimum of one hour (even overnight for best results).
• Once marinated, take the Vertical Gyro Spit Plate and thread the chicken thighs making sure to rotate each one opposite from the last.
• Note: if you don’t have a Vertical Gyro Oven Plate, cut an onion in half, place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment (or foil) and position two wooden skewers vertically into the onion and voila, you made your own spit and don’t need to buy one!
• Now, place the gyro in the oven and add 1 cup of water or stock to the base (which will create our sauce).
• Tip: you can pierce a small piece of foil making sure to cover the top chicken thigh as it will start to burn first on the top as it bakes.
• Bake for 75-90 minutes or until fully cooked. Mine took exactly 1.5 hours.
• Take it out of the oven, let it rest and cut! You can enjoy this chicken gyro with loaded Greek fries, on pita with tzatziki, on a Greek Salad and so much more!

Video

Notes

Protein Alternatives: Instead of chicken thighs, you can use other meats like lamb, pork, or even beef. You may need to adjust the cooking time accordingly based on the type of meat used.

Other Marinades: Experiment with different marinade ingredients such as lemon juice, yogurt, vinegar, paprika, or cumin to add different flavors to the gyro.

Alternative Spice Blends: Mix up the spice blend by adding or substituting spices such as paprika, cumin, coriander, or thyme.

Toppings: Get creative with your gyro toppings and serve with chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, feta cheese, or pickled vegetables.

Nutrition

Calories: 485kcal, Carbohydrates: 4g, Protein: 66g, Fat: 21g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 10g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 322mg, Sodium: 1215mg, Potassium: 849mg, Fiber: 0.1g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 82IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 41mg, Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Greek, Mediterranean

COOKED IT? SLAYED IT? 💅

Tag @themodernnonna so I can hype you up 👏 and don’t forget to rate ⭐, drop a comment 💬, and show some love right here on the recipe!