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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
I just made this tonight and the whole family loved it! Even our 2 1/2 year old daughter ❤️ The sauce is EVERYTHING!
Hi Janee,
Fantastic!! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xTieghan
Made it tonight! Such a great and flavorful recipe! My family and I can’t wait to eat our way through your recipes!
Hi Kelly,
Fantastic!! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xTieghan
Hi there,
I don’t see where you mention cutting the chicken. Do you do that before or after cooking the chicken?
Thanks
Hi Kristen,
I like to cut my chicken before marinating. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Made this tonight for dinner and it was delicious. It was quick and the family raved about it.
Hi Jane,
Fantastic!! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xTieghan
Outstanding!
Hey Gwen,
Fantastic!! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xTieghan
Made it last night – everyone loved it! Used chicken tenders and they worked well – might cut them a little smaller next time (may also try the chicken on the grill)
I had to use English Cucumbers and I let them drain for quite a while
Found a very simple recipe for Pickled Onions and they really went well
Will definitely make again!
Hey Maria,
Fantastic!! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xTieghan
This was killer! As a Greek I was skeptical, but it was soooo delicious despite being non-traditional. The pickled onions were key. Thanks for sharing!
Hey Alexa,
Awesome!! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was a hit. Have the best week:) xx
This recipe was so good! I was so impressed by myself that i had made such a delicious meal, including home made naan. Will definitely be making this again! Thanks for sharing!
Hey Gabrielle,
Awesome!! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was a hit. Have the best week:) xx
Tried this tonight and realized a little too late that we didn’t get our pitas in our grocery order yesterday so we served it as a bowl over the sweet potato fries and now I don’t know if I’ll ever put it in a pita! So good!
Hi Courtney,
Awesome!! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was a hit. Have the best week:) xx
Easy and delish! So much flavor and great spice with the smoke paprika. Fries are a nice addition with the tzatziki!
Hey Diane,
Awesome!! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was a hit. Have the best week:) xx
The harissa sauce seems to be missing an ingredient? This isn’t sauce, just a lot of spices and a little oil?
Hi Taylor,
You are using 1/3 cups of harissa paste, that should help to make the sauce. Please let me know if you have any issues. xTieghan
Do you happen to have a pita bread recipe? Excited to try this!
Hey Bekah,
I sure do:
https://fett-weg.today/traditional-greek-pita-bread/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi, maybe I missed it in the recipe but at what point do you cut up the chicken? Thanks, looking forward to making this!
Jody, did you ever get the answer?
I was wondering this too! I made it today and cooked the whole breasts and then cut up the chicken afterwards. It was DELISH! However, I’ll probably cut the chicken up before baking next time – I supposed the cooking time will need to be adjusted.
Hi Taylor,
Sorry for the confusion, yes cut the chicken before marinating next time:)
I saw this recipe on her Instagram and it looks like she cut up the chicken before it marinated.
Hey Jody,
You are going to cut the chicken before marinating:) Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Wondering the same thing as Jody. Do you cut it before roasting or after?
Hi Margaret,
I like to cut the chicken before marinating. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Hi Teighan,
This Gyro recipe sounds amazing. Which recipe of fries do you use for this dinner?
Delicious Wishes
Yvonne
Hey Yvonne,
Thanks so much!! Here is a recipe for the fries:
https://fett-weg.today/chicken-meatball-pita-bowls/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This was absolutely delicious! There are so many wonderful layers of flavor. I will absolutely make this again.
Hey Michelle,
Happy Sunday!! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan