Grill is on! Chicken Gyro & Tzatziki
Gyro & Tzatziki – a gyro is delicious, succulent marinaded pieces of meat cooked on a 
rotisserie grill and popped into a warm pita rolled into a cone. A gyro can be dressed with with Tzatziki; a fresh and creamy cucumber mint sauce.
In my late teens at the end of High School I took a girls’ trip to the Greek Island of Corfu, post exams, where we enjoyed all the sunshine and traditional foods that the island has to offer.
The mouthwatering aroma of grilled meat wafting through the cobbled streets was hard to 
resist. Slices of lamb, pork, or chicken are stacked onto a vertical rotisserie blade and cooked gently, dripping the juices onto a plate below. When the cooking is complete the meat is shaved onto warm pita and served with tomato, onion and a garilcky yogurt Tzatziiki sauce. You might even find fries wrapped up in there too.
So as we head into a new semester and send our children off, fully laden, into schools and colleges stay tuned for some fun collaborations at Zen. Next week we kick off the month with a Zen Inspiration from our close friend and North Shore writer, Ann Marie Scheidler of Ann Marie on the Shore. Closely followed by a “how-to” video and giveaway from our friend Katie Morford at Moms Kitchen Handbook. Get to know Katie on her Instagram TV channel where she shares video tips from her cookbook Prep – The Essential College Cookbook.
In the meantime, enjoy the recipe for Chicken Gyro below using our Zen of Slow Cooking Coq au Vin Spice Blend.
Chicken Gyro
Ingredients
- 2 lb chicken thighs skin-on, boneless (or breast)
Marinade
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 2 tsp garlic 4 cloves, minced
- Zen of Slow Cooking Coq Au Vin Spice Blend
- 1/2 tsp salt
Tzatziki sauce
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium English cucumber quarter lengthways & remove seeds & discard, then shred remaining flesh and skin
- 1 tsp garlic minced
- 3 tbsp mint or dill chopped
- 1/2 tsp salt
To serve
- 6 pita bread, add onion and sliced tomato as desired
Instructions
Grilling
- Add the chicken & the marinade ingredients to a small container with a lid or a ziplog bag; massage the ingredients together & leave to rest in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.
- When ready to cook, preheat the grill to 325F.
- Cook the chicken for 8 minutes on each side (6 minutes for breast) or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F, brushing with the marinade once during cooking.
- Remove the chicken; cover & allow to rest while you prepare the Tzatziki yogurt sauce
- Slice the chicken and lay onto the wraps, spoon the yogurt sauce over the top
Slow Cooker
- Slow Cooker: 1) Add the chicken & the marinade ingredients to a small container with a lid or a ziplog bag; massage the ingredients together & leave to rest in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight. 2) Add all the chicken and marinade ingredients to the cooker, stir, cover and cook on LOW: 7 hrs / HIGH: 2½-3 hrs 3) Remove the chicken; cover & allow to rest while you prepare the Tzatziki yogurt sauce 5) Slice the chicken and lay onto the wraps, spoon the yogurt sauce over the top
Instant Pot
- Instant Pot: 1) Add the chicken & the marinade ingredients to a small container with a lid or a ziplog bag; massage the ingredients together & leave to rest in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight. 2) Add all the chicken and marinade ingredients to the cooker, secure lid, seal pressure valve; cook on Manual / Pressure for 12 minutes, Vent with Quick Pressure 3) Remove the chicken; cover & allow to rest while you prepare the Tzatziki yogurt sauce 5) Slice the chicken and lay onto the wraps, spoon the yogurt sauce over the top
Other Greek recipes you may like to try are Lemon Chicken with Olives, and Greek Beans with Chard and Feta.
Zen Moment
Sitting on hay bales while the sun shines
