Chicken gyros
- Barney Desmazery
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Serves 6 - 8
More effort
Prep: 40 mins
Cook: 1 hr
plus at least 1 hr marinating
A star rating of 4.5 out of 5.100 ratingsRate
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Make these Greek-style chicken gyros on the barbecue or grill, served with warm pittas to stuff with tomatoes, onion, tzatziki and chips. Perfect for a summer gathering
Egg-free
Nut-free
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Thyme & oregano chips
A star rating of 4.7 out of 5.8 ratings
Fluffy pittas
A star rating of 4.8 out of 5.19 ratings
Easy tzatziki
A star rating of 4.8 out of 5.8 ratings
Barney's tips for the perfect chicken gyros:
- I like to marinate the chicken for as long as possible - ideally overnight or 24 hours. This gives the lemon, herbs, spices and yoghurt time to tenderise the meat and results in even more flavour once cooked.
- Threading the chicken onto the two skewers at once can be a bit fiddly. To hold the skewers in place, you can start and finish with something more solid like half an onion or a thick slice of potato.
- If the weather isn't suitable for barbecuing, I cook the chicken in the oven instead on a high heat to get plenty of colour and charred flavour. Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 8. Sit the kebab across a roasting tin so it is suspended, or rest a wire rack over a roasting tin and place the chicken on top. Cook for 45-55 mins or until cooked through.
- To use up leftovers, I like to toss any remaining cut-up red onions, tomatoes and shredded barbecued chicken through cold cooked pasta along with some feta. Drizzle with olive oil and squeeze over a little lemon juice. Serve any leftover tzatiki on the side.
Ingredients
Nutrition
Units:
MetricUS
- 12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Chicken gyros marinade
-
500g Greek yogurt
-
2 lemons
juiced, ½ lemon zested
-
100ml olive oil
-
4 garlic cloves
very finely grated or crushed
-
1 tbsp ground coriander
-
1 tbsp ground cumin
-
1 tbsp sweet paprika
-
1 tsp dried oregano
-
1 tsp dried thyme
-
1 tsp cayenne pepper
-
1 tsp crushed black pepper
-
½ tsp ground cinnamon
To serve
-
2 red onions
halved and finely sliced
-
4 tomatoes
(plum work well) halved and sliced
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Nutrition: Per serving (8)
-
kcal368
-
fat27g
-
saturates8g
-
carbs10g
-
sugars8g
low
-
fibre3g
-
protein21g
high
-
salt1.2g
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Method
-
step 1
First, whisk all the marinade ingredients together with 1 tsp salt in a large bowl or, better still, a large plastic container that has a lid. Open out each chicken thigh, cover with a piece of baking parchment and flatten it with your hand, then lift off the paper and cut the thigh in half. Tip into the marinade and mix so it’s completely coated. Cover, chill and marinate for at least 1 hr or up to 24 hrs – the longer, the better.
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step 2
Thread all the chicken onto two skewers so that both skewers go through each piece of meat, packing down tightly as you go to make a compact kebab (see tip, below).
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step 3
Light a lidded barbecue, and let the flames die down. Once the coals have turned ashen, pile them up on one side with a single layer of coals scattered around the other side. Lay the chicken kebab on the side of the barbecue with only a few coals underneath. Put the lid down and cook for 45 mins, turning every 15 mins. To finish, lift the lid and roll the kebab over to the hotter side to char the meat, turning it every few minutes until well browned and cooked through. Prise the chicken pieces apart in the centre to check they’re cooked, or use a digital cooking thermometer – it should read 70C or more. Leave to rest for 5-10 mins while you cook the pittas (see recipe, opposite). Bring the kebab to the table and carve into thin slices with a serrated knife. Pile the carved meat into the warm pittas, then the sliced red onions and tomatoes, chips and tzatziki (see our recipes, below).
Barney Desmazery
As Good Food's longest-serving team member, Barney has written and tested thousands of recipes, worked with many of Britain's top chefs and created videos, live events and masterclasses. After gaining a chef's dipolma and working in restaurants across London, France and Australia, he joined Good Food, where he specialises in sourdough baking, foraging, seasonal ingredients and open-fire cooking. Discover more of Barney's recipes
Recipe from Good Food magazine, August 2021
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A star rating of 4.5 out of 5.100 ratings
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