Greece’s answer to the doner kebab is gyros. I don’t own a vertical rotisserie, which is how the meat would usually be cooked, so I borrowed a technique from Tasty’s chicken gyros to allow it to be made in the oven.
I slightly modified Joshua Weissman’s recipe for the pita. Given I was cooking the meat in the oven, I couldn’t use the pizza stone to make these. Instead I used a cast iron skillet, similar to my garlic naan.
Please make your own Tzatziki! It is so simple and miles better than what you can buy at the supermarket. Be sure to pick up the best quality full-fat Greek yoghurt you can find for the best results. You can substitute the dill for mint, but I far prefer the dill.
Chicken Gyros
Chicken Gyros at home with an oven
Ingredients
Marinated Chicken
- 500 g boneless chicken thighs
- 225 g Greek yoghurt
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tbsp kosher salt
- ½ tbsp garlic granules
- ½ tbsp dried oregano
- ½ tbsp paprika
- ½ tbsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ½ large onion
Pita
- 210 ml water @ 35°C
- 1½ tsp instant yeast
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 300 g plain flour
- 14 g salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Tzatziki
- 225 g Greek yoghurt
- ⅓ cucumber finely diced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ½ lemon juice & zest
- ½ tbsp fresh dill finely chopped
- ½ tbsp fresh parsley finely chopped
- Salt to taste
Assembly
- 1 tomato thinly sliced
- ½ onion thinly sliced
- French fries (optional)
Instructions
Marinated Chicken
- In a large bowl, mix together the yoghurt, lemon juice, oil, salt, herbs and spices.
- Flatten the chicken thighs to an even thickness, then add to the marinade and stir well to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, up to overnight.
- Layer the chicken thighs flat, one at a time on top of the ½ onion, rotating each one by 90 degrees. Using a few skewers at different angles, skewer through all the layers in to the onion base. Stand the skewer on a baking sheet.
- Bake the skewer at 200C for 1.5-2 hours, until the internal temperature reaches 75C, then allow to rest for 10 minutes before carving.
Pita
- Whisk the yeast and sugar into the water, allow to bloom for 10 minutes.
- In a stand mixer bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Whisk the olive oil into the yeast mixture, then add to the flour. Mix on low with a dough hook until the dough is smooth and combined.
- Shape the dough into a ball, place in a lightly greased bowl, cover with cling film and allow it to double in size (around 1 hour).
- Punch the dough down, dump onto a lightly floured work surface and cut into four equal pieces (110g each). Form into balls, place in a lightly floured container, cover and rest for 30 minutes.
- Heat a lightly oiled cast iron pan over a medium heat until hot.
- For each dough ball, lightly flour, then press and roll out until around 5mm thick. Add to the pan and allow to cook until bubbles form, then turn over. Once the underside starts to become golden, turn over again until golden on both sides. Transfer to a towel to cover and keep warm.
Tzatziki
- In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Assembly
- Lay out the sliced tomato on a baking sheet and season with salt, allowing to rest for a few minutes.
- Carve off slices of chicken from the skewer and place it in a flattened pita. Top with tzatziki, tomatoes, a little onion and optionally fresh fries.