As I mentioned in my last post, I wanted to share a gyro recipe that uses the sun-dried tomato pita bread recipe that I shared with you in my last post. To be perfectly honest, I don’t have a whole lot of experience with Greek food. But it has been a fun exploration so far! I am looking forward to trying my hand at baklava, moussaka, spanakopita (I must try this one soon as I love spinach), and tyropitakia. However, for now gyros seemed like a good start.
I was actually inspired to try to make my own gyros at home when I visited a new Greek restaurant that opened next door to my local shipping store. I do a fair amount of shipping and that little restaurant kept beckoning me to try it every time I was in the vicinity. I also love their name. Pita Island. Isn’t it cute? I decided to go for the grilled chicken gyro with Tzatziki sauce. It was so tasty and made for a hearty lunch. I am always looking for new lunch options and decided to try to recreate this at home.
One thing that I did change up is I decided to use whipped feta instead of Tzatziki sauce. I love the salt and tang that the feta brings to the sandwich. It provides a little extra layer of flavor. I may try it with Tzatziki the next time I make it.
This is a hearty sandwich so you might want to save it for those days when you’re engaged in a lot of physical activity or cut it in half and make a couple of meals out of it. The bread freezes well so you can easily make the bread ahead. I hope you enjoy and please let me know if you try it!
Grilled Chicken Gyros with Sun-Dried Tomato Pita Bread and Whipped Feta Spread
Equipment
Ingredients
Feta spread (yields about 1 cup)
- 3/4 cup Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup feta cheese
- 2 tsp. minced garlic
- 10 leaves fresh basil
Sandwich
- 4 Sun-dried tomato pita rounds I used homemade sun-dried tomato pita rounds. You can use prepared store-bought pita bread - not pita pockets though.
- 13 oz. grilled chicken breast, cut into small pieces
- spinach or lettuce leaves The amount depends on personal preference.
- chopped fresh tomato I used roma tomatoes. The amount depends on personal preference.
- chopped red onion The amount depends on personal preference.
Instructions
Prepare the chicken
- I marinated my chicken ahead. I like to use a simple marinade of olive oil, lemon juice, and minced garlic. Place the chicken in a zip lock food storage bag, add olive oil (about 1/2 cup), lemon juice (1-2 tablespoons) and 1 tsp. minced garlic. I buy the prepared lemon juice and minced garlic and keep them in my refrigerator. You can usually find them in the produce section of your grocery store.Seal the bag and place in the refrigerator. Allow to marinate for at least an hour. I like to do this step a day ahead so that it can marinate overnight.If not using a marinade, then season your chicken as desired.Grill your chicken either on the grill or in a grill pan. Cook for about five minutes on each side or until internal temperature reach 165°F (74°C).Remove from grill and cut into small pieces. Set aside.
Prepare the feta spread
- Add yogurt, feta, garlic and basil to a food processor or blender. Pulse or blend until smooth.
Build the sandwich
- Take one of the pita rounds and place on a microwave safe plate. Cover with a damp paper towel and microwave for 20 seconds.Remove the paper towel and spread some of the the feta mixture on the pita bread.Add chicken, spinach or lettuce, tomatoes and onion.Top with more of the feta mixture, and fold the pita bread like a taco.
Nutrition
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So I made this today, and it tastes really good. Much better than a regular old sandwich. The feta spread is refreshing on a warm day.
~P.
I love that feta spread too. Thank you for the kind words. Glad you like the sandwich!