Chicken Gyros

Chicken Gyros

I know I start all of my posts off with, “it’s been a long time since I’ve posted”, so I decided to no longer start every post with that statement. 

I’ve been watching a lot of videos on unique ways to cook items. When this one came up in my feed, I was like “no way”. But this week when I was writing my menu for the week, I figured, I have a three day weekend and nothing but time, so I might as well give it a go. 

A couple callouts on this recipe, I didn’t have 10 inch wooden skewers so I bent two from my metal collection. And using that onion as a base, well it seems like a great idea, about 20 minutes into the cook time my tower tumbled over in the oven. So I ended up cooking it the remaining hour on its side flipping it wants. 

The flavor is absolutely amazing, and we have tzatziki for days.

Chicken Gyros

Ingredients

• 2 lb  boneless, skinless chicken thighs, pounded flat
• ½ large yellow onion, peeled and root side removed
• 1 wooden skewers, sturdy, roughly 10 inches

MARINADE

• 2 cups  greek yogurt
• ¼ cup  lemon juice
• ¾ cup  olive oil
• 1 tablespoon  kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon  garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon  coriander powder
• 1 tablespoon  paprika
• 1 tablespoon  ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon  cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon  cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon  black pepper

TZATZIKI SAUCE

• 1 large cucumber, shredded
• 2 cups  greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon  garlic, minced
• ¼ cup  lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons  fresh dill, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons  fresh parsley, finely chopped
• salt, to taste
• pepper, to taste
• 8 pita breads
• onion, sliced
• tomato, sliced

Preparation

1. In a large bowl, combine marinade ingredients and stir well.
2. On a cutting board, place a piece of plastic wrap over the chicken thighs and pound until about ½ inch (1 cm) thick with a meat mallet, rolling pin, or heavy pan.
3. In another large bowl or gallon plastic bag, combine chicken thighs and marinade, stirring well to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour and up to one day.
4. Preheat oven to 400°F. 
5. Shred the cucumber, be sure to squeeze out any excess liquid.
6. In a medium bowl, combine tzatziki ingredients and stir well. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
7. On a baking sheet or a large cast-iron skillet, use the onion half as a base and position the skewer vertically like a spit. Skewer the chicken thighs individually, rotating each one 90 degrees
8. Bake for 1.5 to 2 hours, until internal temperature reaches 165°F (75°C). Let cool for 10 minutes.
9. Carve off slices of chicken to fill a flat bread. Top with onion slices, tomato slices, and tzatziki sauce.