Greek Chicken Gyros slathered with tzatziki sauce are so easy to whip up on busy nights! They’re made with yogurt-marinated grilled chicken, chopped veggies, and creamy tzatziki, all wrapped in warm pita bread. Grilled chicken gyros are always in the weeknight dinner rotation!
“Your marinade on the chicken is the best chicken marinade I think I’ve ever had. If I didn’t feel like the fresh ingredients played such a strong role in how it turned out I’d say you should bottle and sell it! 11/10, best meal we’ve made all month. Will definitely be making it many times over for many more people in the future.” – Tyler, So Much Food reader
Table of contents
Ditch the Lamb and Make Your Gyros with Chicken Instead!
I love a simple, fresh tasting dinner that’s full of flavor, and these grilled chicken gyros fit the bill.
Tender grilled chicken breast marinated in a mix of yogurt, olive oil, lemon, and herbs is my favorite way to enjoy chicken! You’re going to be blown away by how flavorful and juicy chicken breasts can be using this never-fail gyro marinade.
The grilled chicken is sandwiched in a warm pita with homemade tzatziki sauce, chopped tomatoes and cucumber, pickled onions, and crumbled feta. This is a speedy fast — and filling! — weeknight dinner that comes together so easily.
Jenny’s Tip: Serve the gyros as a build-your-own option for game days or entertaining.
The Key Ingredients (with Substitutions)
- Chicken. I prefer using chicken tenders, which are essentially the ‘filet mignon’ of the chicken breast. Chicken tenders are, like the name implies, extra tender and flavorful. Because chicken tenders are so popular, most grocery stores now sell whole packages of tenders. (You can also cut whole chicken breasts into strips, or use chicken thighs.)
- Greek yogurt. I always use plain Greek yogurt with a bit of fat. You’ll need it for the marinade and the tzatziki.
- Seasonings. Oregano, garlic, onion, and cumin give the chicken gyros tons of flavor.
- Olive oil. Use a high-temp olive oil.
- Red Wine Vinegar. I love the tangy flavor that the RWV gives the chicken. It also helps tenderize it! If you don’t have RWV, you can use lemon juice.
- Veggies. I always serve Greek chicken gyros with diced tomato and cucumber for a fresh contrast. You’ll need cucumber for the tzatziki too. I like using baby cucumbers or English hothouse cucumbers so you don’t have to peel them.
- Fresh dill. Fresh dill in the tzatziki sauce is so, so good, You can use dried dill, but fresh is always best.
Tools You’ll Need
- Mixing Bowl
- Grill or Grill Pan
- Cutting Board
- Sharp Knife
How to Make Chicken Gyros in 4 Easy Steps
- Marinate the chicken. The Greek yogurt-based chicken gyro marinade gets whisked together in less than 5 minutes.
Jenny’s Tip: The chicken needs to marinate for at least 30 minutes, but it’s safe to refrigerate in the marinade for up to 24 hours (after that, the acidic yogurt will start to break down the chicken too much and will make it mealy).
- Make the tzatziki sauce. Fun fact: tzatziki actually tastes better after it’s had time to chill for 30 minutes to an hour, so it’s perfect for prepping in advance.
- Grill the chicken. Gently shake off any excess marinade before grilling the chicken over medium-high heat. (Don’t pat it dry though!) If you don’t own an outdoor grill, use a grill pan instead.
- Assemble and dig in! Warming the pitas in a dry skillet makes them more pliable and easier to stuff. Load the juicy chicken into the pita, followed by the tzatziki, shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes and cucumber, pickled onions, and crumbled feta.
Meal Prep Tips
This recipe is easy to double or triple and reheats like a dream. I love prepping all the ingredients for the gyros and enjoying them throughout the week for lunch.
I suggest storing the cooked chicken, tzatziki sauce, and toppings in separate airtight containers and assembling day of to keep everything super fresh. Chicken gyros can be meal prepped up to 5 days in advance.
Customizing Your Gyros
Toppings, toppings, toppings: I like to treat Greek chicken gyros like a giant taco and I am a huge toppings girl! You can use all the toppings I’ve mentioned plus hummus, garlic spread or toum, kalamata olives, or even crispy chickpeas for crunch and texture. The sky’s the limit on toppings and sauces here!
Make them into bowls: We’re also big on bowls for dinner in our household, so make these chicken gyros into Greek chicken bowls! Try serving the grilled chicken over my lemon dill rice with this easy cucumber yogurt salad. Add the tzatziki and toppings and you’ve got the perfect weeknight meal!
Low-carb option: Turn the grilled Greek chicken into a Greek chicken salad! Serve the grilled chicken over chopped romaine with chopped cucumber, tomato, sliced red onion, and crumbled feta with the tzatziki sauce as dressing.
Once you’ve got the grilled chicken, it’s easy to adapt this recipe into other meals throughout the week!
Greek-Inspired Side Dishes to Serve with Gyros
Whenever we’re having Greek chicken gyros, I love having some Greek sides with it! Serving sides means I’ve also got more leftovers for meal prep throughout the week.
If you’re making gyros, try serving them with:
If you do give this recipe a try, be sure to let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. Be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter and never miss a new recipe! You can also snap a photo & tag @JENNYGOYCOCHEA on Instagram. I LOVE hearing about & seeing your SMF creations!
More Mediterranean Chicken Dinners You’ll Love
- Greek Salad with Grilled Chicken
- Spatchcock Grilled Lemon Chicken
- Harissa Chicken Bowls
- Chicken Shawarma Bowls
- Easiest Chicken Piccata
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Greek Chicken Gyros Recipe
Ingredients
Greek Chicken
- 1 1/2 lbs chicken tenders or chicken breasts cut into strips
- 1/4 cup greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dried mediterranean oregano
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Tzatziki Sauce
- 1 cup greek yogurt
- 2 baby cucumbers, grated on a box grater
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- kosher salt
- freshly ground pepper
Remaining Ingredients
- 6 pitas, warmed
- 2 cups shredded lettuce
- 1/4 cup pickled onions
- 2 baby cucumbers, diced
- 1 beefsteak tomato, diced
- 2 oz feta, crumbled
Instructions
Greek Chicken
- Whisk together the ingredients for the chicken marinade until smooth. Add the chicken and toss really well to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, up to 24 hours.
- Pre-heat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat. If you're using an outdoor grill, make sure to clean and lightly oil the grates. If you're using a grill pan, drizzle a little bit of olive oil in the pan.
- Grill the chicken for 5 minutes per side, until the chicken is cooked all the way through to 165 F.
Tzatziki Sauce
- Stir together all the ingredients until smooth. Season to taste and refrigerate until ready to use.
Gyros
- Assemble the gyros! Divide the chicken between the warm pitas and top with shredded lettuce, pickled onion, diced tomato and cucumber, feta, and tzatziki sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
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Rate & Review This Recipe
Yumm
The chicken was delicious, the sauce went in the garbage the cumin was not to my liking. Remade it and left out the cumin and used lemon juice instead of zest. The meal was a success
Terry, so happy to hear that dinner was a success! I always encourage substituting out ingredients that don’t appeal to you, so I’m glad the tzatziki worked out in the end!
I am really glad that I have found this site. Your rare awesome. awsome.
Thank you so much Deborah!
Cumin totally wrecked the taste! Too overpowering. Had to throw it out!
Hi Susan,
If cumin isn’t a flavor you like, I recommend leaving it out in the future. I always encourage my readers to adapt recipes to their tastes. I happen to love cumin, but if you don’t adjust the recipe accordingly.
Everything was delicious – the chicken was tasty and juicy. We loved the tzatziki recipe!
Will make these again for an easy weeknight dinner.
This is one of my favorites too! I love tzatziki!
Your marinade on the chicken is the best chicken marinade I think I’ve ever had. If I didn’t feel like the fresh ingredients played such a strong role in how it turned out I’d say you should bottle and sell it!
11/10, best meal we’ve made all month. Will definitely be making it many times over for many more people in the future.
Thank you so much! That makes me so happy to hear. It’s a staple in our household for sure!
All I can say is YUM!
Delicious
So happy you loved it! It’s a favorite in our house!
I was in a rush today, so I bought tzatziki sauce. But everything else was according to your recipe. It was DELICIOUS!! My whole family wants me to make this regularly! Thanks!
I made the pickled onion myself, and they set off the other ingredients perfectly! This is a great combination, and my family loves it! Thanks!