Hearty Chicken Gyros Food

CHICKEN GYROS

Steps:

• In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the lemon juice, oil, 1/2 teaspoon garlic, mustard and oregano; add chicken. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for at least 1 hour. In a small bowl, combine the cucumber, yogurt, dill and remaining garlic; cover and refrigerate until serving. , Drain and discard marinade. In a large nonstick skillet, cook and stir the chicken for 7-8 minutes or until no longer pink. Spoon onto pita breads. Top with yogurt mixture and onion; fold in half.

HEALTHY CHICKEN GYROS

Steps:

• Place chicken in bowl and toss to coat with 2T olive oil, Italian seasoning and salt and pepper.
• Coat the chicken evenly. Let sit 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in food processor, combine feta, yogurt, garlic and 1/8 t black pepper. Mix until combined. Set aside.
• In a skillet over med-high heat use remaining 2T of olive oil and saute chicken until browned and cooked through.
• Wrap pitas in foil and warm pitas in the oven.
• Mix cucumber and tomatoes into the yogurt sauce.
• Place cooked chicken in pitas, top with sauce.
• Serve warm.

HERBY CHICKEN GYROS

Steps:

• Cut the chicken breast in half lengthways, then cover with cling film and bash with a rolling pin to flatten it. Brush with some oil, then cover with the garlic, oregano and some pepper. Heat a non-stick frying pan and cook the chicken for a few mins each side. Meanwhile, mix the yogurt, cucumber and mint to make tzatziki.
• Cut the tops from the pittas along their longest side and stuff with the chicken, tomato, pepper and tzatziki. Poke in a few mint leaves to serve. If taking to the office for lunch, pack the tzatziki in a separate pot and add just before eating to prevent the pitta going soggy before lunchtime.

TRADITIONAL GREEK CHICKEN GYRO WITH TZATZIKI SAUCE

Steps:

• In a small bowl combine Greek yogurt, garlic, cumin, sugar, cucumber, and salt and pepper. Stir and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Pound chicken as thin as you can get it. Even if you have purchased the thin sliced chicken you still want to get it as thin as possible. Place chicken in a bowl and combine with vinegar, oregano, paprika, and salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• In the mean time, peel you potato and cut into 1/4 inch strips. Place cut potato in cold water for at least 15 minutes. Blanching the potatoes before frying will ensure a crispier fry.
• In a large skillet heat vegetable oil. Personally, I regulate the temperature by instinct. I let the oil heat up and test it with a drop of water; if the water shoots back I know the oil is hot enough. If you aren't comfortable with this method you want the oil to stay around 360 degrees. When the oil is hot enough drop fries inches Depending on the thickness of your fry and your temperature control your fries will take anywhere from 10-20 minutes. You want your fries to have a deep golden brown. Keep a careful eye on them and flip if necessary.
• Heat a medium DRY skillet. No oil is necessary to sauté the chicken. Begin to sauté chicken. It should only take about 1 minute on each side depending upon how thinly you pounded it. Let chicken rest under tin foil until you are ready to assemble.
• You can either toast your pita or microwave it. I prefer to microwave it so it is more pliable (only about 20 seconds). Place 2 heaping tablespoons of the tzatziki sauce and spread over pita. Then place half of the chicken, place mostly in the center, making sure that you are able to fold in the sides. Traditionally, fries are to be placed on top of chicken WITHOUT drying off the oil; however this is entirely up to you. Place fries on top of chicken and top with tomatoes, lettuce, and red onions. Serve with extra tzatziki sauce on the side for dipping.

BIG BARBECUE CHICKEN KEBAB

Steps:

• First, whisk all the marinade ingredients together with 1 tsp salt in a large bowl or, better still, a large plastic container that has a lid. Open out each chicken thigh, cover with a piece of baking parchment and flatten it with your hand, then lift off the paper and cut the thigh in half. Tip into the marinade and mix so it's completely coated. Cover, chill and marinate for at least 1 hr or up to 24 hrs - the longer, the better.
• Thread all the chicken onto two skewers so that both skewers go through each piece of meat, packing down tightly as you go to make a compact kebab (see tip, below).
• Light a lidded barbecue, and let the flames die down. Once the coals have turned ashen, pile them up on one side with a single layer of coals scattered around the other side. Lay the chicken kebab on the side of the barbecue with only a few coals underneath. Put the lid down and cook for 45 mins, turning every 15 mins. To finish, lift the lid and roll the kebab over to the hotter side to char the meat, turning it every few minutes until well browned and cooked through. Prise the chicken pieces apart in the centre to check they're cooked, or use a digital cooking thermometer - it should read 70C or more. Leave to rest for 5-10 mins while you cook the pittas (see recipe, opposite). Bring the kebab to the table and carve into thin slices with a serrated knife. Pile the carved meat into the warm pittas, then the sliced red onions and tomatoes, chips and tzatziki (see our recipes, below).

HEARTY CHICKEN GYROS

Steps:

• Place chicken, marinade and mint in a shallow dish and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate up to 6 hours., Drain chicken, discarding marinade. Place a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook and stir until no longer pink, 4-6 minutes., In a small bowl, mix sauce ingredients. In another bowl, combine cucumber, tomato and onion. Serve chicken in pita pockets with sauce, vegetable mixture and cheese.