The secret to these delicious Chicken Gyros is the marinade and how you cook the chicken on the grill. Cooking the chicken on a spit is the traditional way, which allows the chicken to baste itself while it is cooking, resulting in the chicken being tender, juicy, and oh-so-flavourful!
If you love Mediterranean recipes, you have to try this fantastic Smoked Beef Shawarma; it is perfection in a pita! For a lighter recipe, this Classic Greek Salad is amazing for any occasion!
Gyros can be made with chicken, beef, pork, or lamb. The meat is cooked on a vertical spit, thinly sliced, and served with various toppings. This recipe is great because it cooks the chicken on your grill using the traditional cooking method without the cost of an expensive vertical rotisserie.
HELPFUL ITEMS FOR THIS RECIPE
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What do You need to make Chicken Gyros?
There are a few major components to creating chicken gyros. The marinated chicken is important, but the cooking process and the toppings combine to create this tasty dish!
INGREDIENTS
CHICKEN
Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs – The dark meat of the chicken thighs has a great deal of flavor, tends to be juicy, and doesn’t dry out like the breast meat can.
Greek Yogurt – It is thicker and creamier than regular yogurt.
Juice of One Lemon – Always try to use fresh lemon juice, but you can use bottled lemon juice in a pinch.
Canola Oil – A healthy neutral oil that is perfect for cooking.
Kosher Salt – I always use Kosher salt for cooking. Seasoning properly is key.
Garlic Cloves, Minced – You can use fresh garlic or minced garlic from a jar. I find that it is a real-time saver using pre-minced garlic, but it is much milder in flavor.
Smoked Paprika – The hint of smoke in the paprika adds wonderful flavor to the chicken.
Ground Cumin – This adds a bit of complexity and Mediterranean flavor to the marinade.
Fresh Ground Pepper – Always use fresh ground pepper, not pre-ground.
Onion Powder – A staple in most of my marinade recipes.
Cinnamon – Often used in many Mediterranean dishes.
Oregano – A herb that is included in many recipes; I love the flavor it adds to any dish.
Assembly
Large Onion – You can use your favorite type of onion here: yellow, white, or sweet. But it must be a large onion.
Medium Onion – Again, use your favorite type of onion.
Bamboo Skewers – This makes up part of the spit you need to cook the chicken.
Serving
Pita Bread – You can use any type of pita bread or flatbread for the gyros.
Hummus – A traditional Middle Eastern dip that pairs well with chicken gyros.
Tzatziki – A must-topping for any gyro.
Feta Cheese, Crumbled – Some crumbled feta adds a little bit of tang to this recipe.
Cucumber, Chopped – Chopped cucumber adds freshness and crunch to your gyro.
Cherry Tomatoes, Halved – For brightness, color, and a little pop.
Red Onion, Thinly Sliced – Adds some punch to the gyro.
Lettuce, Shredded – Adds crunch and color.
Cilantro, Chopped – This is optional, but I like to add it as a topping for freshness.
How to make chicken gyros
In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the chicken. Whisk well until the mixture is homogeneous. Add the chicken thighs to the marinade and toss, ensuring all the chicken is coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 3 hours.
When you are ready to cook your gyros, start by preheating your grill to medium-hot; you want your grill to be 350 – 375 degrees F. You want to use the indirect cooking method. Leave the middle of the grill cool and have the heat on the sides or around the outside if using a round charcoal grill.
Now, it’s time to assemble the spit of chicken. Cut the large onion in half, trimming both ends and removing the outer skin. Place the 2 onion halves in a cast iron skillet or a baking sheet. Poke 2 bamboo skewers into the onion halves with the pointy end up.
Start layering the chicken on the skewers, placing a piece of onion between each layer. Don’t pack the meat down too tightly, or it will be difficult to cook evenly. Continue building your spit until you have all the chicken on the skewers.
Once you have finished building your spit, place the cast iron pan or baking sheet in the preheated grill and close the lid. Every 20 – 25 minutes, you should rotate the skillet or baking sheet 90 degrees. This will help to ensure even cooking. It should take about 75 – 90 minutes to cook.
Once the internal temperature of the chicken has reached 165 degrees F, remove it from the grill and let rest for 15 minutes before slicing. I check the temperature with my Thermoworks Thermapen instant-read thermometer; it works great every time!!
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Serving your Chicken gyros
After letting it rest, you can start to cut your chicken. Holding the top of the skewers and using a sharp knife, cut downward, starting on the outside of the chicken.
Rotate the spit as you go, cutting off about 1/2 an inch of meat with each cut. Continue cutting and rotating until all the meat and onion are cut into pieces.
Assemble your gyro by placing a generous amount of the chicken and onion on a pita or flatbread. Follow up with any or all of your favorite toppings!
You can prepare them for your family or guests or have everyone build their own gyros. This is a recipe that is reminiscent of the traditional gyros you might find in Greece.
You could create a gyro bowl as an alternative to making a gyro wrap. Serve the chicken and onions over brown rice, couscous, or quinoa, then add your favorite toppings. This is the perfect way to use up any leftover meat if you have any!
Pro Tips
- If your bamboo skewers are too tall to allow you to close the lid of your grill, use a shape pair of kitchen shears and cut off the top of the skewers.
- When layering the meat, try to make sure it is as straight as possible on the skewers. This will help prevent it from falling over when cooking.
- Don’t worry if your spit falls over during cooking. Simply cook it on its side on the grill, turning a quarter turn every 15 minutes or so until done.
Pin it HERE!!
Pin it HERE!!
Chicken Gyros
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- Juice of one lemon
- ½ cup oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
For assembly
- 1 large yellow onion must be large
- ½ medium yellow onion cut in big chunks
- 2 bamboo skewers
For serving
- Pita bread or flat bread
- Hummus
- Tzatziki
- Feta cheese crumbled
- Cucumbers chopped
- Cherry tomatoes halved
- Red onion sliced thin
- Lettuce shredded
- Cilantro chopped
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all the ingredients except the chicken. Once combined, add the chicken thighs and toss to combine the marinade onto each piece of chicken.
- Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 3 hours.
- Once ready to cook, turn the grill on to about a medium-high temperature. Preheat the grill for 15 minutes. You’re aiming for the internal grill temperature to be about 350 degrees; turn the middle burner(s) off. (this will help the meat cook more evenly, using indirect heat)
- While the grill is heating up, assemble the spit of chicken. Cut the large onion in half, with both ends cut off and outer skin peeled off. Cut up the smaller onion half in large pieces.
- In a cast iron skillet or on a baking sheet, place the 2 onion halves flat side down next to each other and poke skewers into each with the pointy side sticking up and out.
- Layer the chicken onto the skewers, with pieces of onion in between each layer of chicken. Don’t pack the meat down tightly against each other, or it will be harder to cook evenly. Discard the marinade.
- Once your skewer/spit is made, check your grill temperature and make adjustments to the temperature if needed.
- Place the skillet or baking sheet on the grill and grill for 15 minutes. If your skewers are too tall, cut off the ends with kitchen scissors.
- Every 20-25 minutes, rotate the skillet or baking sheet 90 degrees until it’s cooked. This will take about 75-90 minutes.
- Once the internal temperature of the middle piece reads at 165 Fahrenheit, remove from grill and let rest 15 minutes before cutting.
- Hold the top of the skewer and, using a sharp knife, cut downward, starting on the outside of the chicken. Rotate the spit as you go to cut off about ½ inch pieces of meat and onion till it’s all cut.
- Assemble your gyro by placing a generous amount of meat and onion in the middle, followed by your favorite gyro toppings.
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