Chicken Gyros

Love chicken gyros? This delicious Greek pita wrap filled with spiced chicken, tomato, onions and potato fries is a perennial takeaway favourite. Gyros is similar to doner kebabs or shawarma. It is so easy to make at home at a fraction of the price! This is a recipe I've been testing for weeks and I'm proud to share this chicken gyros recipe with you. This is a pushy recipe Dear Reader.

Gyros or yeeros is a Greek dish made with meat on a vertical rotisserie. The word means 'circle' or 'turn' referencing the grill. While it is normally made with pork, you can also find it made with lamb and chicken.

While most of us don't have a rotisserie it's still super easy to make it either on the grill or in a frying pan.

Tips for Making Chicken Gyros

1 - I love using chicken thigh fillets for gyros but if you use you prefer white chicken, you can also use chicken tenderloins.

2 - Using a mallet on the chicken both tenderises the chicken and make it a more even thickness so that it cooks evenly and quicker.

3 - Marinate the chicken anything from 2 hours up to 24 hours.

4 - I use oven baked fries sprinkled with chicken salt. Fries add so much to gyros!

5 - You can cook the chicken on the grill or in a frying pan, it's up to you. It will take 10 minutes to cook each fillet.

6 - I also spread a thin layer of Lebanese garlic toum on the pita. If you love garlic you'll love this addition!

7 - Look for thick Greek pita breads rather than Lebanese pita breads that are thinner.

I made half a dozen batches until I arrived at this recipe. I even stopped by a popular gyros shop to see how they make theirs because I wanted this to be the best chicken gyros. When I arrived at the takeaway shop I asked for a chicken gyros. The young guy behind the counter took his tongs and used them to point at everything that came in a gyros. "Is that ok?" he asked and then set about making it. Except he did it with flair and expertise as if he were auditioning for Gyros Bae. He had clearly made quite a few in his time. "Can I get fresh chips?" I asked him because I hate it when chips aren't piping hot. "They're all fresh," he said deadpan, "We just made them."

The final flourish came at the end. He stood in front of me and looked me straight in the eyes holding up the round pita laden with filling as if to show me that they hadn't skimped. And then with a measure of ceremony not usually seen in a takeaway shop he brought up both sides with a dramatic flourish (still looking me in the eye), folded the paper, slid it into a bag and presented the chicken gyros to me. It was serious stuff.

So while my version of chicken gyros delivers in flavour, it's up to you if you want to wrap it up with a dramatic flair!

So tell me Dear Reader, what is your usual takeaway meal?

Chicken Gyros

An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott

Preparation time: 25 minutes plus 2-24 hours marinating time

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Makes: 4 gyros

• 650g/1.4lbs chicken thigh fillets (around 4)
• 1/4 cup/60g/2ozs Greek natural yogurt
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tablespoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Tzatziki

• 1/2 cup/125g/4ozs Greek natural yogurt
• 1 Lebanese cucumber (around 100g/3.5ozs)
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped dill
• 1 large clove garlic, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Black pepper
• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

For wraps

• 4 Greek pita wraps
• 2 tomatoes, sliced and halved
• 1/4 red onion (around 40g/1.4ozs)
• 1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped
• 100g/3.5ozs hot French fries
• Garlic Toum (see recipe here)

Step 1 - First mix the yogurt, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, oil, garlic, oregano, smoked paprika, salt, pepper and cinnamon together in a medium bowl. Take a thigh fillet and place under a sheet of cling film and use a kitchen mallet to flatten the fillet so that it is a more even thickness. Dip in the yogurt and then place in a ziplock bag. Repeat with remaining chicken thighs. Marinate in the fridge for between 2-24 hours.

Step 2 - 30 minutes before you want to serve it take the chicken out of the fridge and place the fries in the oven and cook according to directions. Heat up the grill and have it ready. You can also fry the chicken in a frying pan.

Step 3 - Make the tzatziki. Grate the cucumber on top of three layers of paper towels. Squeeze the cucumber water out of it and then mix with the yogurt, grated cucumber, dill, garlic, salt and pepper. Drizzle oil over.

Step 4 - When the grill is ready place the chicken on the grill and grill on high heat for 5 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Rest for 5 minutes, then slice up.

Step 5 - While the chicken is resting, slice tomatoes and mix the parsley with the red onion.

Step 6 - Heat up the pita breads on the grill and spread each with a tablespoon of toum. Add 2 tablespoons of tzatziki and add a sliced chicken thigh on each. Add sliced tomato, onion and fries and wrap up in wax paper.