Chicken Gyros

Ingredients:

For the tzatziki sauce: *

16 oz. plain yogurt

1/2 hothouse cucumber or 1 regular cucumber, peeled and seeded

2-3 cloves garlic, pressed through a garlic press (or finely minced)

1 t. red wine vinegar

salt and pepper

squeeze of fresh lemon juice **

extra virgin olive oil

*I halved it.

** not sure exactly how much this means, so I did almost one whole lemon

For the chicken: (didn't halve this)

4 cloves garlic, smashed *

1 lemon, juice of

2 t. red wine vinegar

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

2 heaping T. plain yogurt

1 T dried oregano

salt and pepper

1 1/4 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed **

*I just used minced garlic

** I used 3 chicken breasts

To assemble:

pita bread

fresh tomatoes, seeded and diced

red onion, thinly sliced

Recipe:

1. To make the tzatziki sauce, strain the yogurt using cheesecloth over a bowl. Let strain for several hours or overnight, if possible, to remove as much moisture as possible. If using a Greek yogurt, then staining the yogurt like this is unnecessary.*

2. Shred the cucumber. Wrap in a towel and squeeze to remove as much water as possible.

3. Mix together the strained yogurt, shredded cucumber, garlic, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, and lemon juice. Drizzle lightly with olive oil.

4. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld.

* I actually skipped this step and just took the yogurt from the top of the container. All the moisture was in a pool in the middle anyways.

5. To prepare the chicken, combine the garlic, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, yogurt, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl. Whisk together until mixed well. Add the chicken peices to the bowl and mix well to coat.

6. Cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour.

7. Cook the chicken as desired, either in the skillet or with the broiler. Once the chicken is completely cooked through, transfer to a plate and let rest for 5 minutes.

8. Heat pitas. Top with chicken, tzatziki sauce, diced tomatoes and sliced onions. Serve immediately.

Rating: 4 of 5

I've only ever had Greek food, or more specifically gyros, a few times in my life. And I love it. The flavors seem so exotic, but a safe exotic. I thought the tzatziki sauce was right on (well, except for maybe there is just a tad bit too much red wine vinegar), the chicken was delicious, and the warm pitas were perfect. I left out the red onions, because I really don't care for raw onions. Ever. If I could find a recipe that replicates Daphne's lamb gyro exactly, then that would be amazing! Overall, a very good dish.

Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe, Chicken Gyros