Chicken Gyro with Tzatziki Sauce – Two Ways

5 from 5 votes
11 Comments

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This Chicken Gyro recipe starts with tender chicken cooked on the grill or in the crock pot. Top it with your choice of tomatoes, lettuce, olives, red onions, Feta cheese, or a tangy Tzatziki sauce. 

Two chicken gyros on a platter with bowls of tzatziki sauce, lemons, and dill
Featured with this recipe
  1. What is a Gyro?
  2. What is Tzatziki Sauce?
  3. Ingredients
  4. Cooking Chicken for Gyros in the Crock Pot
  5. Frequently Asked Questions
  6. More Delicious Greek Style Recipes
  7. How to Make a Chicken Gyro with Tzatziki Sauce
  8. Chicken Gyro with Tzatziki Sauce Recipe

This Chicken Gyro Recipe is one of my favorites. I love to make it when I’m in the mood for something Mediterranean. It’s healthy, vibrantly colored, and surprisingly filling. You’ll love the seasoned chicken combined with all kinds of fresh ingredients and toppings and folded into warm pita or flatbread. It is a delicious alternative to the typical sandwich.

We’ll show you two ways to make these absolutely delicious chicken gyros – the grill and the crockpot. I cook my chicken breasts or chicken thighs in the crockpot when I want to prep everything in the morning. If I don’t have things together earlier in the day, the grill is a great option as well. Either method is going to give you a flavorful, filling, healthy meal that the whole family will love.

What is a Gyro?

Traditionally, you make this popular Mediterranean sandwich using lamb, beef or pork. Then, you top it with tomatoes, onions and a yogurt-based dressing on pita or flatbread. Greek-American gyros are made from a large piece of seasoned minced lamb and beef, cooked on a rotisserie. The word ‘gyro’ comes from the Greek word for ‘circle’ or ‘turn’, which references the round rotisserie. I myself don’t know how to make the Greek-style lamb, so this is a recipe for chicken gyros.

A chicken gyro being assembled on a plate with chicken, tzatziki sauce, red onions, tomatoes, and dill


What is Tzatziki Sauce?

Basically, Tzatziki sauce is a yogurt based dressing flavored with fresh cucumbers. To the base you add garlic, salt, olive oil, lemon juice, dill, and sometimes mint or parsley. For a chunkier sauce, you can just whisk the ingredients with a spoon. However, if you want a smoother sauce, you can blend it in a food processor. It makes a delicious sauce not only for these chicken gyros, but for vegetables, chips, and pita bread. Of course you can buy Tzatziki sauce at the store, but homemade Tzatziki sauce is so much better!

Ingredients

On the Grill:

  • Balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing
  • Fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • Dried oregano
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Chicken breasts – boneless, skinless

In the Crock Pot:

  • Butter – melted
  • Onion – diced
  • Chicken – cut into cubes
  • Zest of one lemon
  • Juice of one lemon
  • Chicken broth
  • Oregano
  • Salt and pepper – to taste

Tzatziki Sauce:

  • Plain Greek yogurt
  • Cucumber – peeled, seeded, and diced
  • Fresh dill
  • Lemon juice
  • Salt and pepper – to taste

Assembling the Gyros:

  • Flatbread
  • Hearts of romaine lettuce – cut into slices
  • Red onion – thinly sliced
  • Tomato – sliced
  • Kalamata olives
  • Banana peppers – or pepperoncinis, sliced
  • Feta cheese – crumbled
  • Fresh dill

Cooking Chicken for Gyros in the Crock Pot

What better way to make these nice and tender than to throw them in the crock pot? I wasn’t quite sure how they would turn out but they were AWESOME. The chicken was perfectly moist and the flavor was infused throughout. Prep time is hardly anything and the Crock Pot does most of the work. I have tried this recipe on low and high in the crock pot and it definitely turned out a little more tender and moist on low. So, if you have the time to let it cook on low, that is ideal.

Because I have small kids at home so I made these “kid-friendly” for them by serving the chicken mixture over rice. The next day I shredded the chicken up. Then, I put it over the flatbread with the tomatoes, sprinkled some cheese over the top. Next, I microwaved them for 30 seconds. I cut them into “pizza slices” and the kids devoured them!

Frequently Asked Questions

What pairs well with tzatziki sauce?

Tzatziki tastes delicious on chicken in wraps and on gyros, but it also is great simply in pitas with hummus and olives. It is known to taste amazing with all types of meat, not just chicken, but also beef, pork, and lamb. If you want to eat something lighter, you can use it as a dip and eat tzatziki with carrots, bell pepper, cucumbers, or even radishes. And you can never go wrong with a plain pita chip dipped in tzatziki! My favorite way to eat tzatziki is with falafel and olives on a warm pita bread.

How long does tzatziki sauce last?

Tzatziki sauce should last about four days in the fridge. You can freeze it but but the texture and consistency can change when thawing it out.

How will I know if my tzatziki sauce has gone bad?

When the sauce starts to spoil, it will often smell sour or have a strong ammonia-like odor. Whenever you notice tzatziki sauce has a strange smell, it’s safest to throw it away.

Read More: 35+ Easy Lunch Ideas (Quick, Easy & Healthy)

More Delicious Greek Style Recipes

Make some of these Greek style recipes alongside your chicken gyros. Turn an ordinary night into a Mediterranean Feast!

How to Make a Chicken Gyro with Tzatziki Sauce

Two chicken gyros on a plate with a dish of tzatziki sauce, lemons, and dill

Chicken Gyro with Tzatziki Sauce

5 from 5 votes
This Chicken Gyro recipe starts with tender chicken cooked on the grill or in the crock pot. Top it with your choice of tomatoes, lettuce, olives, red onions, Feta cheese, or a tangy Tzatziki sauce. 
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 15 minutes
Crock Pot Cooking Time (optional) 4 hours
Total Time 5 hours 15 minutes
Course Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine Mediterranean
Servings 5

Ingredients

Grilling Method

Crock Pot Method

  • 2 tablespoons butter melted
  • 1 onion diced
  • 1 1/2 pounds chicken cut into ½ inch cubes
  • zest of one lemon
  • juice of one lemon
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 2 teaspoons oregano
  • salt and pepper to taste

Tzatziki Sauce

Assembling the Gyros

Instructions

Grilling Method

  • Cut up chicken into cubes and place in a large resealable plastic bag. Mix all marinade ingredients in a small bowl. Pour marinade over the chicken, seal, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Skewer chicken (remember to soak your skewers if they are wooden) and place on grill over medium-high heat, turning ¼ turn every couple minutes. When chicken is cooked through and juices run clear, remove from heat.
    Chicken Gyro with Tzatziki Sauce on the side.

Crock Pot Method

  • Add butter and onions to crock pot. Stir onions around to coat in butter.
    onions and butter in a crock pot
  • Add chicken to the bottom of the crock pot, placing the pieces evenly over the onions. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, chicken broth, oregano, and salt and pepper. Cover and cook on high for approximately 2 hours or on low for 3-4 hours.
    chicken and spices in a crock pot

Assembling the Gyros

  • While the chicken is cooking in either method, combine all tzatziki ingredients in a bowl and mix together. If you want a more smooth sauce, you can blend the sauce in a food processor. Store in the fridge until ready to eat.
    ingredients for tzatziki sauce in a bowl
  • Once the chicken is done, assemble the gyros by placing a flatbread down and topping with chicken, tzatziki sauce, and any other toppings you prefer.
    A chicken gyro being assembled on a plate with chicken, tzatziki sauce, red onions, tomatoes, and dill

Notes

Nutrition Information is for crock pot method and does not include toppings other than tzatziki sauce.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 221kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 17gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 63mgSodium: 193mgPotassium: 259mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 245IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 69mgIron: 1mg

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About the author

Erica Walker

Erica lives in Boise, Idaho with her husband, Jared, an attorney, and her three beautiful girls. Beyond the world of recipes, she loves adventuring with everything from kayaking, to cruising, to snowboarding and taking the family along for the thrill ride.

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Comments

  1. Is the flatbread included in this recipe for the carbs? Or is it 5 carbs just for the chicken mixture and sauce?

  2. 5 stars
    This is one of my favorite meals I always order when we go out. Can’t wait to try my hand at making it at home. Thanks!

  3. I love gyros! Going to try this. I needed a tzarziki sauce recipe. I’ve been lazy and buying mine but the store I get it from no longer makes their own. :'(

  4. Can’t wait to try this Recipe! I love gyro’s and that would be my fave. I am excited to try this little healthier dish, buyusing chicken. I think the only think i’d tweek is by using pulled(shredded) chicken!