Tasty Chicken Gyros, Easy Gyro Meat and Pita Bread recipe

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Tasty Chicken Gyros, Easy Gyro Meat and Pita Bread recipe

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This juicy Chicken Gyro is made from herb seasoned Chicken Breast and contains a delicious salad mix, all wrapped in a soft homemade Pita Bread. We cook the meat using an improvised vertical spit in the oven using an onion.

Gyro, pronounced as yee-ro, is a popular food in Greece made from stacked meat cooked on a vertical spit which is then shaved into a pita bread along with a salad mixture that contains tomatoes, onions, lettuce, and Tzatziki.

Gyros are typically prepared using pork or chicken and include a variety of herbs like oregano, thyme, and rosemary which are frequently used in Greek cuisine.

This technique of cooking in a vertical spit originated in the early 19th century from Turkey and is called Doner Kebab. In other Middle East regions, it is known as Shawarma and is typically prepared using lamb. The difference between Doner Kebab, Gyro and Shawarma is mainly the type of meat and seasonings used.

In Sri Lanka, the terms Gyro and Shawarma are used interchangeably.

The bread we're using for this Gyro is Pita Bread which is a type of flat bread popular in the Mediterranean region and the Middle East.

Total Time: 60 minutes

Ingredients

For the Gyro Meat

  • 1kg of Chicken Breast
  • 2 cups of Yogurt
  • Some Ginger
  • Some Garlic
  • 100g of Chili Powder
  • 2 tbsp of Pepper
  • 1 tbsp of Raw Curry Powder
  • 1 tbsp of Coriander Powder
  • Some dried Rosemary, Thyme, and Oregano
  • Salt
  • 3 tbsp of Olive Oil
  • Juice from 1 Lemon

For the Pita Bread

  • 1 tsp of Yeast
  • Half a cup of lukewarm Milk
  • 1 tbsp of Sugar
  • 300g of All Purpose Flour
  • Salt
  • 2 tbsp of Olive Oil (you can also use Coconut Oil instead)

For the Salad Filling

  • Some shredded Cabbage
  • Some shredded Carrots
  • Some thinly sliced Bell Peppers from 2 different colors (optional)
  • Some thinly sliced Tomatoes
  • Some diced Onions
  • Some shredded Lettuce
  • Juice from 1 Lemon
  • Salt
  • Some Pepper
  • Some Mayonnaise or Tzatziki (optional)

Instructions

For the Gyro Meat

  1. Wash and clean 1kg of Chicken Breast.
  2. Cover the Chicken Breast in some plastic wrap.
  3. Use a rolling pin or mallet to hit the Chicken Breast and tenderize it.
  4. Now add 1 cup of Yogurt into a bowl.
  5. Blend some Ginger and some Garlic into a paste and add it.
  6. Add 100g of Chili Powder.
  7. Add 2 tbsp of Pepper.
  8. Add 1 tbsp of Raw Curry Powder.
  9. Add 1 tbsp of Coriander Powder.
  10. Add some dried Rosemary, Thyme, and Oregano.
  11. Add Salt to taste.
  12. Add 3 tbsp of Olive Oil.
  13. Add the juice from 1 Lemon.
  14. Now mix everything together thoroughly using a spoon.
  15. Once mixed, add 1 more cup of Yogurt and mix together again thoroughly.
  16. Add the Chicken into the mixture and mix until all of the Chicken pieces are covered with the mixture.
  17. Set it aside for half an hour to marinate.
  18. Cover a baking tray with parchment paper.
  19. Now cut 1 large onion in half and place on the baking tray with the root side sticking up.
  20. Take the 2 skewers and drive it into the middle of the 2 Onion halves.
  21. Distance the 2 skewers apart according to the length of your Chicken Breast pieces.
  22. Take each Chicken Breast piece and stack it through both skewers so it is held firmly in place by both skewers.
  23. Preheat the oven to 200 celsius.
  24. Bake for about 1 hour.
  25. After baking and let it cool down for a bit, slice the Chicken from the skewers into a bowl.

For the Pita Bread

  1. Add 1 tsp of Yeast into a bowl.
  2. Add half a cup of lukewarm Milk.
  3. Add 1 tbsp of Sugar.
  4. Mix and set it aside for about 10 minutes to activate the Yeast.
  5. After 10 minutes, pour the Yeast mixture into a bowl.
  6. Add 300g of All Purpose Flour.
  7. Add Salt to taste.
  8. Stir everything together using a spoon.
  9. Add 2 tbsp of Olive Oil (you can also use Coconut Oil instead).
  10. Stir everything together using a spoon.
  11. When it starts clumping together, add some lukewarm Water little by little while mixing by hand to form the dough.
  12. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes.
  13. Now rub some Olive Oil on the inside of the bowl and on top of the dough.
  14. Cover the bowl and set it aside for 1 hour to let the dough rise.
  15. After letting the dough rest, cover a preparation board with some Flour.
  16. Place the dough on the board and then shape it into a long piece.
  17. Now cut the dough into 7 pieces.
  18. Take each piece and shape it into a ball.
  19. Cover the balls and let it rest for about 10 minutes.
  20. Now take a rolling pin and flatten each dough piece to about half an inch thickness.
  21. Heat some Oil in a saucepan over low heat.
  22. Add 1 flattened dough piece at a time into the saucepan and cook both sides.

For the Salad Filling

  1. Add some shredded Cabbage into a bowl.
  2. Add some shredded Carrots.
  3. Add some thinly sliced Bell Peppers from 2 different colors (optional).
  4. Add some thinly sliced Tomatoes.
  5. Add some diced Onions.
  6. Add some shredded Lettuce.
  7. Add the juice from 1 Lemon.
  8. Add Salt to taste.
  9. Add some Pepper.
  10. Mix everything together by hand.
  11. Add some Mayonnaise or Tzatziki (optional)

Final Steps

  1. Rub some Mayonnaise or Tzatziki on the Pita Bread.
  2. Add some of the Gyro meat in the middle.
  3. Add some of the Salad filling in the middle.
  4. Now fold in half from the edges.

Photos

Chicken Gyro Close Up Of Chicken Gyro Gyro Meat After Cooking Gyro Meat Before Cooking

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