When we lived in New York City, you could get a really good gyro in Queens. We lived around the corner from two really great spots. We loved them so much, we started making our own. Whenever I go grocery shopping for these, I always forget flatbread. Doing so, led me to make these chicken gyro bowls.
These are super easy to make. How are they different from our chicken gyros? Not a whole lot, except we’re not using flatbread and we’ve made rice. You need to plan a little bit in advance. Ideally, you want to prep a few hours ahead of time. Make the tzatziki and marinade the chicken. Once those are prepped, the rest can be done right ahead of dinner.
Making the Chicken Gyro Bowls
If you don’t have enough time to make the tzatziki ahead of time, no problem. Instead, prioritize the chicken marinade. It adds so much flavor to the chicken when cooked. The marinade is really easy. Just add all the ingredients into a bowl and whisk. Then, drop your cubed chicken in a heavy duty freezer bag and pour the marinade right in. I massage the bag a little to coat the chicken and place in a small bowl just in case the bag leaks. Then I place in the fridge. Any time you’re marinating meat, take it out of the fridge about 15 minutes before cooking to get the meat to room temperature.
The tzatziki and cucumber salad are also easy to make. I like to make these ahead of time, too. This way, I can just focus on making the rice and cooking the chicken. That’s usually my rule of thumb when I’m baking or cooking. I like to pre-measure and dice everything. This way, I feel like I’m on a Food Network show once I’m putting it all together. Pre-measuring also helps when you’re cooking with kids!
Chicken Gyro Bowls
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Loading...Ingredients
- Tzatziki
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup cucumber, grated
- 1 tsp garlic, grated
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- Mediterranean Chicken Marinade
- 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into pieces
- 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp oregano
- Cucumber and Tomato Salad:
- 1 cup cucumber, diced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, diced
- 1/2 cup red onion, diced
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- Kosher salt & black pepper to taste
- Other
- Store-bought frozen french fries
- Rice or your favorite grain
- Optional: lettuc
Instructions
Tzatziki Sauce
Combine Greek yogurt, grated cucumber, grated garlic, olive oil, dill, salt, and pepper. Stir in lemon juice. Taste and adjust flavors as needed. Cover and place in the fridge for a few hours or overnight (longer the better!).
Cucumber Tomato Salad
Before you cook the chicken, make the cucumber salad first. Combine diced cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions, and parsley in a small bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover and place in the fridge.
Mediterranean Chicken Marinade
Combine yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and oregano in a medium bowl. Add chicken and stir until evenly coated. Cover, place in the fridge, and marinate for at least four hours or overnight. Again, make this the day ahead!
Rice
Before you cook the chicken, make a pot of your favorite rice. It could be white, brown, or even a different grain.
Cooking the chicken
Heat a cast-iron grill pan or skillet to medium-high heat. Sprinkle with canola or vegetable oil. Add chicken and cook for 5 minutes on each side until cooked through. Chicken should have a dark golden sear on each side, too. Remove from the pan and loosely cover with aluminum foil to let the chicken rest.
Assembly
Turn the oven on according to the directions on the bag of french fries. Cook the french fries as described. Once done, remove fries from the oven and place on a rack until warmed through. In a bowl, fill half the bowl with rice and the other half with lettuce. Scoop some cucumber salad over the lettuce, and 1/2 cup of chicken over the rice. Drizzle tzatziki over the bowl and top off with fries.
Notes
Make the chicken marinade ahead of time!
