Carlsbad Craving’s Greek Chicken Gyros

Manageability – Opa! (Really good and quite easy)

Last winter I bought plane tickets for a summer 2020 vacation to Greece. I was going to spend a night in Barcelona on the way, then visit Athens, Mykonos, Santorini, and Crete. There was going to be beaches and Ouzo, donkeys and dancing in a circle, and plate smashing (out of celebration). All of this was paid for, and in the books.

And then COVID.

So, screw it. Here’s my Greece vacation, summer 2020 – Carlsbad Craving’s Greek Chicken Gyro. This chicken was so tangy and sweet and tasty, there’s a great garlic and lemon flavor throughout. It finishes very juicy and the directions have it perfectly cooked. I ate the whole thing that night, and would gladly have thirds. It’s deliciously complemented by the tzatziki sauce (future post), which adds a creamy dill flavor, and brings a great texture to the pita. If this is what they eat every day in Greece, then I’m even more pissed I couldn’t go.

I highly recommend these gyros. So make them, eat them up, then realize you can’t go to Greece until 2021 and smash the plate on the ground (out of anger).

INGREDIENTS

GREEK CHICKEN

• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts pounded to 1/2″ thickness
• 1/3 cup olive oil (not popeye)
• 6 garlic cloves minced
• 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 tsp EACH cumin, dried basil, onion powder, sugar, salt
• 1/2 tsp EACH pepper, paprika

TO SERVE

• 4-6 flatbreads/pitas (future post)
• 3 Roma tomatoes sliced
• 1/2 cucumber peeled, sliced, halved (I didn’t use)
• 1/4 red onion thinly sliced (I also skipped)
• 1 1/2 cups chopped romaine lettuce (look I didn’t do everything, ok?)
• feta to taste
• 1 recipe Tzatziki sauce (another future post)

INSTRUCTIONS

GREEK CHICKEN

1. Whisk together all of the Greek Marinade ingredients in a shallow bowl or large freezer bag and add chicken. Marinate 4-8 hours in the refrigerator, or “coldy-cold box”.
2. Remove chicken from fridge and let sit at room temperature 20-30 minutes before cooking.

TZATZIKI SAUCE

1. Prepare Tzatziki Sauce according to recipe directions while the chicken marinates. Tzatziki is best made in advance and allowed to chill at least one hour in the refrigerator.
2. Look for this recipe in a future post.

SKILLET DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat one tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Once very hot, drain chicken from marinade, pat dry and add to skillet (work in batches if needed).
2. Cook undisturbed for 3-4 minutes, or until nicely browned on one side. Turn chicken over, cover, and reduce heat to medium. Cook for approximately 4-6 more minutes (depending on thickness of chicken), or until chicken is cooked through. Remove to cutting board and let rest 5 minutes before slicing.

GRILL DIRECTIONS:

1. Grease and preheat the grill to medium heat, 375-450°F.
2. Grill chicken undisturbed for for 5-7 minutes per side, or until chicken is cooked through. (An inserted thermometer should read 165 degrees F.) Remove chicken from grill and let rest 5 minutes before slicing.

ASSEMBLE

1. Top pitas with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, chicken and tzatziki sauce.
2. Dance!