Greek Chicken Gyro (Mediterranean Dish)

Tempo

50 min

Picante

Dificuldade

Fácil

Rende

4porções

Ingredientes

Chicken

700g chicken tenders OR boneless skinless thighs cut into strips (filé de coxa de frango)

Olive oil for the pan

Marinade

240ml (1 cup) Greek yogurt (iogurte grego — full-fat or low-fat both work)

Juice of 1 large lemon

2 tbsp

extra-virgin olive oil

2 tbsp

red wine vinegar

garlic cloves, minced

Salt, generous pinch

Black pepper, generous pinch

1 tbsp

dried oregano

1 tsp

paprika doce

1 tsp

ground cumin

1 tsp

ground coriander

A pinch of cayenne (optional, for heat 1)

Gyro fixings

Pita bread (pão sírio)

Tzatziki sauce (see `iogurte_tzatziki.md` in Sauces and Sides)

large tomato, sliced

cucumber, sliced

green pepper (pimentão verde), cored and sliced

small red onion, sliced into half-moons

Pitted Kalamata olives (azeitona kalamata)

Modo de preparo

01**Marinate.** Combine all marinade ingredients in a large bowl; whisk smooth. Add chicken; mix to coat thoroughly. **Refrigerate 30 minutes minimum** (or overnight).
02**Make tzatziki** (or pull pre-made from fridge). See cross-reference card.
03**Cook chicken.** Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a non-stick skillet over **medium-high heat** until shimmering but not smoking. **Shake excess marinade** off chicken before adding to the pan (yogurt + dry pan would burn). Add chicken in a single layer; do batches if needed.
04**Sear undisturbed.** **5 minutes** on the first side until browned. Flip with tongs. **5 more minutes** on the second side until cooked through (internal 74°C). Don't crowd.
05**Warm pitas.** Wrap stack in foil; warm 3 min in 150°C oven. Or hold each over a gas flame 10 sec per side.
06
**Assemble each gyro:**
- Pita on a board
- Spread 2-3 tbsp tzatziki down the center
- 2-3 chicken tenders sliced into strips (or thigh strips as-is)
- Sliced tomato, cucumber, green pepper, red onion
- A few Kalamata olives
- Wrap and roll, or fold taco-style

Greek Chicken Gyro

Yogurt-marinated chicken tenders, packed with Mediterranean spice, pan-seared and stuffed into pita with tzatziki, tomato, cucumber, and red onion. Quick weeknight version of the spit-grilled gyro.

Heat: 1/5. Optional pinch of cayenne — easy to omit.

Variations on cooking method

Outdoor grill: medium-heat grill, 5 min one side, 3-5 min other side until 74°C internal
Oven baked: 190°C / 375°F, lay chicken on lined sheet, 20 minutes
Air fryer basket: 200°C, 12-15 min flipping at 8 min

Tame it (drop to heat 0)

Skip cayenne entirely. The marinade still has plenty of flavor from cumin + paprika + oregano.

Sub: bottled chiles only

Cayenne is the only chile. Replace with 1-2 drops of Cepera Mexicano in the marinade, or skip.

Serving

A traditional Greek salad on the side: tomato + cucumber + red onion + olives + feta + olive oil + oregano. Lemon wedges. Cold beer or a glass of dry white (Assyrtiko, Albariño).

Notes

Marinate overnight if you can. 30 min works, but 4-12 hours gives dramatically better flavor penetration.
Yogurt is tenderizer + flavor. The lactic acid breaks down protein gently; the fat carries spices. Skip-and-substitute lemon-only marinades give tougher, less flavorful results.
The tzatziki is the dish. A great chicken gyro lives or dies by the tzatziki. Use the dedicated card if you have one made; otherwise make it 30 min before serving so it can chill and flavors meld.
Compared to other shawarma-family cards:
- frango-coxa_chicken-shawarma-cottage-cheese.md — uses cottage cheese instead of yogurt-tahini; different style entirely
- frango-coxa_sheet-pan-shawarma.md (AFO) — Lebanese/Levantine spices; heavier flavor profile; tray-baked
- This (gyro) — Greek-leaning; lighter; vinegar-and-yogurt forward
- All 3 are valid; pick by mood
Freezer kit: chicken + marinade in freezer bag, freeze flat. 2 months. Defrost overnight, cook fresh.
Wine: Assyrtiko (Greek), Albariño (Spanish), or Pinot Grigio.
Cross-reference: see iogurte_tzatziki.md for the canonical tzatziki recipe.