Ah, chicken gyros, my beloved food of choice in college (hi Renee and Sakina!). In Michigan, coney islands are often Greek or Arab owned, so it’s not unusual to see spanakopita, rice pudding flavored with orange blossom or rose water, and gyros on the menu right next to coney dogs, french fries, and hamburgers. For most of my life “going out to eat” meant going to a coney island. In the States, gyros are usually made with a combination of beef and lamb or just lamb. Chicken gyros can be a little harder to come across. It’s been well over a year since my last gyro, so last night’s dinner was a rush of delicious, delicious nostalgia.
Chicken Gyros
(adapted from The Food in My Beard – as a beard enthusiast [not for myself, mind you], I love that blog name!)
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2 lb chicken breast, cooked and cut into strips
salt & pepper
1 red onion, sliced
4 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
8 oz kalamata olives, pitted and chopped OR 8 oz pickles, chopped
1/4 cup chopped parsley
tzatziki
flatbread
Rub both sides of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a medium sized frying pan. When hot, add the chicken. Cook for a few minutes on each side, or until no longer pink. Remove from the pan and place on a paper-towel lined plate. Set aside and let cool.
Slice the red onion and rinse briefly in cold water. This helps take off the edge from eating them raw. Seed and chop the tomatoes and toss with the onions in a large bowl. Add a little olive oil and salt and mix.
Pit and chop the olives or chop up the pickles. Cut up parsley. Toss the feta and parsley in a bowl with the olives or pickles.
The chicken should be cool enough to handle by now. Cut the chicken into thin strips.
Warm the flatbread on the stove or for a few minutes in the oven. Add all the toppings onto the flat bread and wrap the lower half of the sandwich with aluminum foil. Enjoy!
Serves 4-6
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