Move aside dull chicken gyros! We’ve got a new pita wrap in town. And not only is this one flavor-packed bite after another, but it’s also entirely from scratch, practical and straightforward to prepare. My easy chicken gyros wraps are stuffed with a simple yogurt, herb and lemon marinated chicken with loads of creamy Greek yogurt tzatziki to cool it all down. The marinade takes, oh maybe 2 minutes to whip up because it’s as easy as whisking together pantry staples. And no, your eyes do not deceive you. Indeed, those are french fries stuffed inside my chicken gyros wraps. Yes, as in hot and crispy crinkle cut sticks of potatoes wrapped up with grilled chicken and all your favorite gyros toppings. Fries are a primary food group, and that’s just not open to debate. 🤷🏻♀️ I repeat. There are french fries in my chicken gyros, and I’m never making gyros any other way again.
Now that the hubby and I have been doing a clean food diet low in refined sugars for a whole three months, I’m starting to feel that 90-day burnout is creeping in. So instead of throwing in the towel altogether, we’re reintroducing foods we love, like easy chicken gyros, and enjoying them in moderation. Also, I hope we have the understanding that from this moment onwards, french fries are a diet lifestyle friendly food. Like with most of the recipes I share here on the blog, I wanted to make sure that this was an easy chicken gyros recipe while still maintaining my motto of food that is BIG in the flavor department. I’m happy to report that these gyros wraps are weeknight friendly and require as little as 30 minutes of marinating time. But if you can, I suggest marinating the chicken the night before and you’ll get to reap 1000% more flavor from the same ingredients and the same marinade. You’ll also be happy to know that most of these ingredients are already in your refrigerator or spice cabinet.
Watching my mom cook middle eastern and south Asian food all my life has taught me a few valuable lessons. One of the main ones being if you want the most tender chicken always marinate it in a mixture of acid and yogurt. So I used the same concept here when I was coming up with a marinade for my chicken gyros. It will work in as little as 30 minutes, but I find letting it go overnight really takes all the flavors over the top. It starts with equal parts olive oil, lemon juice and yogurt. The kind of yogurt you use is up to you. I slightly prefer greek yogurt here because it’s thicker and will stick to the chicken better but regular yogurt will also do the trick. Then come the herbs and spices. I’m using all dried herbs because it’s something most of us have in the pantry and it’s practical. You’ll find things like onion powder, ground coriander, sweet paprika, and even ground nutmeg in the recipe. Lately, I’ve been into using nutmeg in recipes like my shepherd’s pie as it’s such an aromatic spice that’s often underutilized. Trust me; you’ll be surprised how much flavor it adds to this! To keep the marinade as simple as possible, I’m even skipping the minced garlic and using garlic powder. I wasn’t kidding when I said this was an easy chicken gyros recipe!
I’m using chicken tenders for my easy chicken gyros because it’s what I had in the freezer and because they’re already portioned, it’s less chopping that I have to do but feel free to use a few chicken breasts here too. You can easily slice them down the middle or leave them whole if you’re serving this over a salad rather than the wraps. Whatever you do, don’t skip the french fries. Eat an extra salad later; I’m convinced it’ll balance itself out. For my homemade tzatziki sauce, I’m using grated hothouse style cucumbers, along with a clove of grated garlic, a squeeze of lemon juice, freshly chopped dill and tons of creamy Greek yogurt. The garlic does add a bite, so it’s optional, if you aren’t a fan, simply omit it from the recipe. For the pita wraps, I used the thinnest wrap-style bread I could find. Along with the fries, I’d be way off kilter if I went with anything more substantial. But feel free to use what you like. Go with a fiber-rich flatbread wrap, a pocket pita, or even a more traditional Greek-style pita bread. And don’t forget kids, the french fries go INSIDE the chicken gyros wraps!
You can replace the chicken tenders with boneless chicken breasts or thighs as well. Just slice them before or after cooking.Leftover Tzatziki sauce can be placed in an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 4 days.
