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Sheet Pan Chicken Gyros with Feta Tzatziki. Street food inspired, oven roasted marinated chicken stuffed inside fresh pitas with all the “extras”. Add delicious creamy feta tzatziki sauce, spicy harissa, and all of the desired toppings you love. This Greek-inspired loaded chicken gyro recipe is SO GOOD. It makes for a quick, fun, delicious, and different weeknight dinner. Serve each gyro with homemade fries for a meal that everyone will truly love.
I’m starting to feel like every recipe these days starts out similar…Creighton inspired this one. Having him home in Colorado means the dinner requests come in regularly every morning. He loves to try new things, and ethnic foods are his favorite. His favorite cuisine is probably a toss-up between Greek and Indian dishes. He loves all the flavors, spices, and sauces that are traditionally used.
And I can’t blame him, Greek especially, is one of my favorites too. I love the freshness, bright herbs, garlic, and lemon that’s widely used. And of course, we all know I love feta cheese.
Every time Creigh is in town, without a doubt he requests a gyro. He loves any kind of loaded “street food” style wrap/sandwich/bowl. Of course, he’d love a lamb gyro, which I’m sure is delicious, but chicken is what I had on hand!
The idea with these greek chicken gyros is that they’re simple. Nothing too fancy, but they use such delicious flavors. I wanted to roast up the chicken on a sheet pan to keep things really quick and easy.
And then incorporate a super special element that’s a little different from your average gyro, and that’s the feta tzatziki.
Here are the details
The yogurt, lemon, olive oil, and seasonings are key to good flavoring of the gyro meat. Also, lots of smoked paprika and oregano with garlic. I love to add shallots to the mix too. These marinade ingredients are tossed with cubed chicken and a splash of lemon juice. Then let the chicken thigh sit for a bit to really soak up the wonderful spices.
While the chicken is resting, I usually make up a batch of fries to serve alongside.
Traditionally most gyro meat is roasted vertically like you would a rotisserie chicken. But since my variation is being made at home, I roasted mine in the oven until it got a slight char. ‘Tis delicious, but again, this is not traditional, just a little bit easier.
The Tzatziki
This creamy tzatziki sauce is probably my favorite element of these gyros. It’s your classic homemade tzatziki sauce, but with the addition of salty, whipped feta cheese.
To be honest, this sauce is really why I made these gyros. Once I had the idea to incorporate whipped feta into tzatziki I was sold.
Everything is blended until creamy, then at the end stir in the cucumbers and a pinch of chili flakes. So simple, but it works so wonderfully with these flavors and really steps up the tzatziki sauce!
Finish These Up!
As with any gyro, you can pick and choose your toppings/sauces. I used a bit of spicy harissa on top. And the feta tzatziki sauce on the bottom of my warmed pita bread. Then just stuff the cooked chicken inside and add whatever extra toppings you enjoy. SO DELICIOUS!
So full of flavor, and layered with texture. Not to mention, they’re just a fun way to switch up your average weeknight dinner!
Looking for other easy dinners? Here are some favorites:
Easy Greek Sheet Pan Chicken and Potatoes
30 Minute Spicy Indian Butter Chicken
Sheet Pan Sticky Sweet and Sour Chicken
Lastly, if you make these Sheet Pan Chicken Gyros with Feta Tzatziki be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Where does the name “gyro” come from and what does it mean?
Gyro means “to turn” in Greek and it refers to the way the meat is traditionally cooked in rotation on a spit.
How are gyros typically prepared?
The definition of gyro in the Britannica dictionary is a “Greek food that consists of a pita wrapped around a filling of usually lamb, onion, tomato, and a yogurt sauce.” The meat (whether it be lamb, pork, chicken, or beef) is deliciously well-seasoned and the yogurt sauce is called tzatziki.
What cut of meat is used for gyros?
I used boneless, skinless chicken breast for these gyros, since I was making them at home and wanted to keep it simple on a sheet pan in the oven. Traditional gyros are made with lamb, but chicken, pork, beef flank steak or skirt steak are great alternatives.
Sheet Pan Chicken Gyros with Feta Tzatziki.
Servings: 3
Calories Per Serving: 1205 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup full-fat plain Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cubed
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 6 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 shallots, chopped
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
- red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 6 fresh pitas or naan warmed,
- pickled red onion, lettuce, dill, and parsley for serving
Feta Tzatziki
- 8 ounces feta cheese
- 1/4 cup + 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 cloves garlic grated
- juice from 1 lemon
- 1-2 Persian cucumbers, shredded
- kosher salt
Instructions
- 1. In a bowl, combine the yogurt, olive oil, cubed chicken, lemon juice, garlic, shallots, paprika, oregano, chili flakes, and a large pinch each of salt and pepper. Let marinate for 15 minutes at room temperature or up to overnight in the refrigerator.2. Preheat the oven to 425° F. Arrange the chicken on a baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes, toss and bake another 5-10 minutes, or until cooked through. Switch the oven to broil. Broil 1-2 minutes, until the chicken chars on the edges (watch carefully) 3. Meanwhile, make the Tzatziki. Combine the feta, 1/4 cup yogurt, garlic, and lemon juice in a blender and blend until creamy. Stir in 1/3 cup more yogurt, the cucumbers, and a pinch of salt and red pepper flakes.4. To assemble, stuff/spread each pita with tzatziki, then lettuce, and chicken. Add red onions and herbs. Drizzle over more tzatziki and if desired, harissa (recipe in notes).
Notes
Spiced Harissa Sauce: combine 1/3 cup harissa, 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/4 teaspoon turmeric, and a pinch of salt
This post was originally published on February 17, 2022
Very tasty! ? when I baked the chicken I also baked some sweet peppers and onions in a separate pan and added them to the gyro. Agree the tzatziki really rounds this meal off. Bonus the house never smelled so good ?
Hey Diego,
Happy Sunday!! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
Made for dinner, absolutely delicious!
Hey Scherrie,
Happy Sunday!! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
Hi! I am vegetarian do you have any suggestions on what to swap the chicken for? Thank you!
Hey there,
Cauliflower would be a great option. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Delicious! Made it for dinner last night the Tzatziki sauce was yummy ! I also love the pickled red onion !Everything is always better with pickled onions !
Hey Pamela,
Happy Sunday!! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
Nice! Easy and flavorful. I cut the chicken in bite size pieces before I baked it.
Next time I will not add Feta to the tzatziki and add it with onions as a garnish. I also used sliced tomatoes.
Very nice!
Hey Tricia,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a bunch for giving it a go! Have the best weekend! xxT
Delicious and easy! Thank you for recipe!
Do You cut the chicken in smaller pieces before cooking it or cook the entire breast. Cooking time I’m assuming will be affected.
Sorry i see the answer to this below
Hey Cheryl,
Yes, you will cut the chicken before marinating:)
Hey Becky,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a bunch for giving it a go! Have the best weekend! xxT
This was a wonderful Friday night dinner to make after a hard week!!! Great flavors!! We will definitely make this again!! We made our homemade pickled red onions and I would say they were perfect for this dish!
Hey Kittie,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a bunch for giving it a go! Have the best weekend! xxT
Sounds good, but I couldn’t see where you mention how to serve the chicken. Do you cut up the chicken breast or thighs, and when? Thanks!
Hey Zoe,
Yes, I cut the chicken before marinating. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
This recipe was so easy & delicious! Chicken was so juicy!!
Hey Sarah,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a bunch for giving it a go! Have the best weekend! xxT
Do you have a recommendation as to what I could use to make this meatless. It just looks so delish!!
Hey Natalie,
I would use cauliflower in place of the chicken. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Harissa paste or powder? 🙂 Can’t wait to make this!!
Hey Jennifer,
For this recipe, you will want to use harissa paste. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Do you cut up the chicken before or after cooking?
I saw on IG that it is before 😉
Hi Pam,
You will want to cut the chicken before marinating. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
The recipe does not say to cut up chicken before marinating.
Hi! When you say “toss” again do you mean after 15 min of chicken cooking toss it in some marinade again? Or does that mean simply move chicken around? Thanks!!
Hi Whitney,
Just toss it around so the chicken can cook evenly. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Made tonight for dinner and it was delicious!
One recommendation is to press the water out of the cucumber using paper towels first because ours was quite watery, but I’ve had that issue with tzatziki before so I wish I’d remembered.
Excellent overall!
Liberaly salt the shredded cucumber. It will draw out water. Then rinse with water and squeeze dry. While re wetting seems counterintuitive, excess salt draws out internal moisture. Pat dry with a towel. While you rinse off most salt, it will still serve to salt and dry out the cucumber. Standard in most traditional recipes.
Hey Julia,
Happy Friday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
Do you have a recipe for the fresh pita? Yours look homemade and so good! Thanks!
https://fett-weg.today/traditional-greek-pita-bread/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Hey Gen,
I sure do! You could also use naan too!
https://fett-weg.today/herbed-garlic-butter-naan/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> https://fett-weg.today/traditional-greek-pita-bread/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> Please let me know if you have any other questions!! xTieghan