DinnerCountGreek Chicken Gyros
This is Greek street food for a weeknight. The chicken sits in lemon, oregano, and garlic for a few minutes and then browns in a hot skillet. While it cooks, you make a quick tzatziki sauce from Greek yogurt and grated cucumber. Warm the pitas, add tomato, and wrap the bottom half of each one in foil so it holds together, even for small hands.
Ingredients (serves 4)
- Chicken breasts1¼ lb
- Pita bread4 pitas
- Plain Greek yogurt1 cup
- Cucumber½ each
- Lemon1 each
- Dried oregano2 tsp
- Salt1 tsp
- Black pepper¼ tsp
- Garlic clove2 cloves
- Olive oil1 tbsp
- Tomato1 each
How Much to Make for 2, 4, 6, or 8
For 2 people, you’ll need ¾ lb chicken breasts, 2 pitas, and ½ cup plain Greek yogurt.
For 4 people, you’ll need 1¼ lb chicken breasts, 4 pitas, and 1 cup plain Greek yogurt.
For 6 people, you’ll need 2 lb chicken breasts, 6 pitas, and 1½ cups plain Greek yogurt.
For 8 people, you’ll need 2½ lb chicken breasts, 8 pitas, and 2 cups plain Greek yogurt.
| Ingredient | For 2 | For 4 | For 6 | For 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken breasts | ¾ lb | 1¼ lb | 2 lb | 2½ lb |
| Pita bread | 2 pitas | 4 pitas | 6 pitas | 8 pitas |
| Plain Greek yogurt | ½ cup | 1 cup | 1½ cups | 2 cups |
| Cucumber | ¼ each | ½ each | ¾ each | 1 each |
| Lemon | ½ each | 1 each | 1½ each | 2 each |
| Dried oregano | 1 tsp | 2 tsp | 1 tbsp | 1 tbsp + 1 tsp |
| Salt | ½ tsp | 1 tsp | 1½ tsp | 2 tsp |
| Black pepper | ¼ tsp | ¼ tsp | ½ tsp | ½ tsp |
| Garlic clove | 1 clove | 2 cloves | 3 cloves | 4 cloves |
| Olive oil | 1½ tsp | 1 tbsp | 1½ tbsp | 2 tbsp |
| Tomato | ½ each | 1 each | 1½ each | 2 each |
The amounts are rounded to what you can measure at home. Pounds are rounded to the nearest quarter or third, cups to the marks on a measuring cup, and spoons to real measuring spoons. An egg stays whole. Because of the rounding, some amounts are the same at two sizes.
- For 2: This recipe is written for 4 adult-size portions. You are cooking about 2 adult portions, which is roughly 0.5 times the recipe. This is less than the recipe assumes. The same 12-inch skillet works (a 10-inch one is better if you have it). Small amounts cook faster, so check early.
- For 6: This recipe is written for 4 adult-size portions. You are cooking about 6 adult portions, which is roughly 1.5 times the recipe. This calls for a 12-inch skillet. At about 1.5× the recipe, brown it in two batches, because a crowded pan steams the food and does not brown it. Move each batch to a clean plate as it finishes.
- For 8: This recipe is written for 4 adult-size portions. You are cooking about 8 adult portions, which is roughly 2 times the recipe. This calls for a 12-inch skillet. At about 2× the recipe, brown it in two batches, because a crowded pan steams the food and does not brown it. Move each batch to a clean plate as it finishes.
In DinnerCount, this recipe is sized to exactly who’s home tonight, whether that is a hungry teenager, a toddler, or a guest.
Open this recipe in DinnerCount for free
Forty recipes are free to read and cook, sized to your household. You don’t need an account or a card.
Steps
- Finely chop the garlic and cut the lemon in half first, while the cutting board is clean, and set half the garlic and one lemon half aside for the sauce. Then cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes. Toss the chicken with the juice of the other lemon half, the oregano, the rest of the garlic, the olive oil, the pepper, and most of the salt. Even 10 minutes in the marinade improves the flavor.
- Wash the cutting board, the knife, and your hands with hot, soapy water before you cut anything that won’t be cooked. Grate the cucumber and squeeze it dry in your fist over the sink. Stir it into the yogurt with the garlic you set aside, the rest of the salt, and a squeeze of the lemon half you set aside to make the tzatziki sauce. Chop the tomato, and cut what is left of the lemon into wedges for serving.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat for about a minute. Add the chicken in a single layer, in batches if it does not all fit, and leave it alone for the first 3 minutes so that it browns. Cook each batch for 6 to 8 minutes in all, stirring every couple of minutes after the first 3. The chicken is done when the pieces are browned at the edges and the biggest cube reads 165°F on a thermometer. Move each cooked batch to a clean plate.
- Warm the pitas in a dry skillet or in the microwave. Fill each one with chicken, tomato, and tzatziki. Wrap the bottom half in foil so the gyro holds together while you eat it.
Good to Know
- Contains Milk, Wheat. This comes from the ingredient names, so it is not a complete list. The ingredient names do not show what is inside a jar, a mix, or a sauce, and formulas change. For an allergy or intolerance, read the package every time, and never decide from this line.
- 🌡 Chicken: cook to 165°F at the thickest part, the USDA minimum for poultry. A thermometer is the test, and color is not.
