July 9, 2021

Chicken Gyros with Pickled Onions

Chicken Gyros with Pickled Onions are one of our favorite summer meals. I love these sandwiches for several reasons. First of all, I often make these gyros ahead of time and serve them cold. In fact, the Pickled Onions and the Cucumber Yogurt Spread taste even better after I chill them for a few hours. Secondly, I like that I can cook this whole meal in less than one hour. And, lastly, I love all the fresh summer flavor in these gyros.

The Equipment I Used

A Grill Pan- I like to use a grill pan to cook my chicken. But, you could also use a cast iron skillet. Or, any large skillet would be fine, too.
A Meat Pounder- You’ll need this to pound your chicken breasts nice and thin. This will help them cook evenly.
A Grater- Use this to shred your cucumbers.

The Ingredients Needed for Chicken Gyros with Pickled Onions

Chicken- I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts for this recipe.
Dried Spices- For added flavor, I season my chicken with garlic powder, dried oregano, paprika, cumin powder, black pepper, and kosher salt.
Dill- Fresh dill adds great flavor to the chicken.
Lemon Juice- I use lemon juice to pickle the red onions and to season the chicken.
Cucumbers- English cucumbers, that come wrapped in plastic, are best for the Cucumber Yogurt Spread.
Yogurt- Use plain, whole milk Greek yogurt. I like the Fage brand.
Red Wine Vinegar- This adds lots of flavor to the Cucumber Yogurt Spread.
Tomatoes- I used cherry tomatoes, but you could also use chopped plum tomatoes.
Red Onions- You could also use yellow or Spanish onions.
Green Beans- I added a cup of steamed green beans to my onions. But, these are optional, although tasty.

How I Made my Gyros

First, I made the Pickled Red Onions. Doing this first allows the lemon juice to pickle the onions.
Next, I made the Cucumber Yogurt Spread. It’s important to really wring out the cucumbers to get all the liquid out.
Then, I grilled the chicken. Make sure the chicken is fully cooked in the middle.
Finally, I toasted my pitas and stuffed them with the chicken, the spread, the Pickled Red Onions, and the tomatoes.

If you are a gyro fan, you need to try these Chicken Gyros with Pickled Onions.

Chicken Gyros with Pickled Onions

Pita bread filled with chicken seasoned with lemon and garlic, cucumber yogurt spread, pickled onions, and tomatoes.

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Prep Time 20

Cook Time 20

Total Time 40

Course Main Course

Cuisine Greek

Servings

Calories 360 kcal

Ingredients

1 tsp. each cumin powder, garlic powder, oregano, paprika
¼ tsp. each kosher salt and black pepper
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
juice and zest of one lemon
2 tbsp. fresh dill, chopped
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
4 pita pockets

For the Cucumber Yogurt Spread:

1 tbsp. minced garlic
1 cup peeled English cucumber, shredded
1 cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt
½ tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. red wine vinegar
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

For the Pickled Red Onions:

¼ cup fresh lemon juice
½ tsp. kosher salt
1 cup red onion slices, halved

Instructions

Begin by making the Pickled Red Onions: Mix together all the ingredients in a small bowl. You can also add a cup of steamed green beans, as I did when I took the picture.
Next, prepare the Cucumber Yogurt Spread: Place the cucumber in a clean dish towel and squeeze out all the liquid. Place the cucumber in a bowl along with all the other ingredients and stir them together.
Next, prepare the chicken: Mix together all the spices. Cut the breasts in half, and then pound them with a meat pounder until they're a quarter of an inch thick. Sprinkle both sides with the spices. Heat and oil a grill pan on high heat, and cook the chicken on both sides until it's cooked through, for about 7 minutes. Cut the chicken into thin slices. Sprinkle with the lemon juice, dill and lemon zest.
Heat the pitas up in the toaster, or oven, if you wish.
Fill each pita pocket with some chicken, some pickled onions, some tomatoes and some Cucumber Yogurt Spread.