Greek Chicken Gyros

This Greek Chicken Gyros recipe is made with chicken tenderloins marinated in a delicious chicken gyro marinade and is served with authentic tzatziki sauce and fresh vegetables. 

Serve these authentic greek gyros with my Greek Pasta Salad or Creamy Cucumber Salad on the side! Then round out your delicious Greek meal with my homemade Greek Baklava.

Why This Recipe Works

• Greek style gyro. These chicken gyros are so delicious and bursting with Greek flavor thanks to the Greek marinade. The tzatziki sauce with cucumber and yogurt + the fresh vegetables is the perfect combination! 
• Great recipe for large or small groups. This is such an easy recipe to make lots of if you need it for a bigger dinner group! Or you can make the recipe as is and feed a family of 6 (1 gyro per person) or 3 adults (2 gyros per person). It still makes enough for a small group, but doubling it is super easy! You can also make this chicken gyro marinade and freeze it for meal prep! 
• Chicken tenders means quicker prep time. Using chicken tenders means the chicken doesn’t have to cook as long and you don’t even have to cut it to use it! Just place them on the pita bread and they fit perfectly!
• Best vegetable and chicken pitas! I’m always looking for a new way to incorporate good protein and vegetables into my meals for my kids. This is a great recipe for that because the chicken is marinated in fresh ingredients and the pitas are stuffed with freshly chopped or sliced vegetables. It’s also a fun, colorful meal for kids!

Ingredient Notes

• Chicken Tenderloins: You can also use chicken tenders if you want. The chicken tenderloins are easier to work with than chicken breasts for this recipe because you don’t have to cut them and they fit really well in the pita bread! 
• White Wine Vinegar: When I think of Greek salad dressings, they have the olive oil base and then a sharp vinegar in there too. The white wine vinegar provides that in this Greek chicken marinade. If you don’t have white wine vinegar than you can substitute distilled white vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
• Lemon Juice: The lemon juice provides a fresh element and flavor to the marinade. The acid in the lemon juice also helps to tenderize the chicken! 
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil: This has a sharper olive oil flavor than regular olive oil. I usually opt for extra virgin olive oil when I’m using it for flavor (like in a salad dressing, pasta sauce, etc.) rather than using it to cook with. For example, I’d use regular olive oil when cooking the chicken in this recipe and extra virgin for the marinade. 
• Plain Greek Yogurt: Did you know that Greek yogurt is in Tzatziki sauce? So by using it in the marinade, we are bringing in some of that flavor to enhance it throughout the Greek chicken gyros. The yogurt also helps to tenderize the chicken and infuses the marinade throughout the meat. 
• Homemade Tzatziki Sauce:I’m all about an excuse to make this sauce! It’s so good and fresh. It’s a must when eating gyros! 
• Pita Breads: Warm the pitas on a skillet by heating both sides or in the oven at 250°F on a baking sheet for 10 minutes. Having them warm will reduce the risk of them breaking while you are eating. 
• Toppings: Add in some fresh toppings like tomatoes, red onion, cucumbers, spinach, lettuce, kalamata olives, etc. 

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Make the Chicken gyro marinade. Add all the marinade ingredients into a Ziplock bag. Add the chicken to the bag and massage to mix. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, if possible 12 hours, but no longer than 24 hours. 

2. Cook the chicken. Remove the chicken from the marinade and cook on a grill or in a skillet over medium heat. Add two tablespoons of olive oil before adding the chicken. Cook 5-6 minutes per side or until Internal temperature reaches 160-165°F. 

3. Assemble the Greek chicken gyros. Slather the pita bread with tzatziki sauce, fresh spinach, topped with chicken, tomatoes, onions and olives if desired. Fold the pit over or roll it up. Serve immediately. 

Recipe Tips

Feel free to use tortillas instead of pita breads to make it into a chicken tzatziki wrap! 

You can cook the chicken in a skillet, on the grill or in the air fryer! 

Cut the chicken into pieces and cook or grill for chicken gyro skewers! Simply cut the tomatoes and cucumbers into chunks instead of slices and put them on a skewer with some kalamata olives and sprinkle with feta cheese! Make sure to have the sauce close by for dipping! 

Cut the cooked chicken and serve it on top of lettuce for a delicious Greek chicken salad! Add the fresh veggies to the salad plus some feta cheese. Use the tzatziki sauce as the salad dressing. So yummy!

Make Ahead, Storing, and Freezing

Store any leftover cooked chicken in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Warm in the microwave with a squeeze of lemon juice and drizzle of olive oil to maintain the moisture in the chicken. Top with fresh vegetables and more tzatziki sauce in the pita bread. 

You can make this authentic Greek chicken gyros recipe ahead of time by making the marinade and marinating the chicken for up to 24 hours. Do not marinade for longer than that. You’ll want to cook the chicken. Raw chicken should only be stored for so long before cooking it. 

You can marinate and freeze the chicken. Remove from the freezer and let thaw in the fridge. Follow the recipe as instructed. 

I recommend making the tzatziki sauce ahead of time too! The flavors will develop and get more delicious the longer it can sit in the fridge.

Recipe FAQs

More Greek Recipes

• Greek Quesadillas
• Lamb Gyros
• Chickpea Gyros

Did you make this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Click here to leave a rating and review, or scroll below the recipe card and do so there. 

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