Traditional Greek Chicken Gyro With Tzatziki Sauce Food

GREEK CHICKEN GYROS WITH TZATZIKI SAUCE

Steps:

• Place chicken, yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and oregano in bag and let marinate at least 30 minutes, preferably 2-4 hours. The ideal time is 24 hours.
• To make tzatziki sauce, stir together yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, dill, and garlic. Stir in grated cucumber and taste for seasonings. Squeeze the cucumber to remove excess water before adding to rest of ingredients.
• To make greek salad, place tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, parsley, olive oil, salt and pepper in bowl. Stir to coat. Season to taste.
• Chicken can be cooked on grill or in skillet. To cook on grill -- place chicken on kebobs and heat grill to medium heat. Cook for 5-7 minutes per side or until chicken is full cooked.
• To cook chicken on skillet. Heat skillet to medium high heat. Sprinkle with oil. Add chicken and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until chicken is fully cooked and golden brown.
• Place chicken in pita bread. You can warm the pita bread to make it pliable. Top with tzatziki sauce and greek salad. Add additional feta, if desired.

GREEK CHICKEN GYROS RECIPE WITH AUTHENTIC TZATZIKI SAUCE

Steps:

• Make the Tzatziki SauceMake this Authentic Greek Tzatziki Sauce a few hours in advance or overnight.
• Marinate the Chicken
• Measure the marinade ingredients and put them into a 1 gallon zip top bag, close the bag and then massage the bag to mix well.
• Add the chicken tenders to the zip top bag, close the bag and then massage the bag so that each chicken tender is well covered by the marinade.
• Place the bag in the refrigerator and let it marinate for at least 3 hours. 12 hours works the best, but don't marinate it longer than 24 hours or your chicken will be too mushy.
• Warm the Pita Bread
• Preheat your oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Just before you cook the chicken, place the pita breads on a baking sheet and place them in the oven to be warmed.
• Cook the Chicken
• You can cook the chicken on an outdoor grill or an indoor grill pan. Brush the grill / grill pan with olive oil, then preheat using medium high heat.
• After the grill / grill pan is hot, remove the chicken from the marinade bag and place on the grill / grill pan.
• Cook the chicken for 3 to 5 minutes on each side (cooking time depends on the size of chicken tenders), until they are golden brown and thoroughly cooked with an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Remove the chicken from the grill / grill pan and place onto a cutting board. Cover with foil and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
• Slice the chicken tenders and put on a serving plate.
• Assemble the Gyros
• Lay out a warmed pita bread.
• Place sliced chicken down the middle of the pita bread.
• Top the chicken with an ample amount of tzatziki sauce.
• Garnish the top of the tzatziki sauce with cucumber, tomatoes, red onions, feta cheese and optionally parsley.
• Fold up the pita bread and enjoy!

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.

GYRO MEAT WITH TZATZIKI SAUCE

Steps:

• Process the onion in a food processor for 10 to 15 seconds and turn out into the center of a tea towel. Gather up the ends of the towel and squeeze until almost all of the juice is removed. Discard juice.
• Return the onion to the food processor and add the lamb, garlic, marjoram, rosemary, salt, and pepper and process until it is a fine paste, approximately 1 minute. Stop the processor as needed to scrape down sides of bowl.
• To cook in the oven as a meatloaf, proceed as follows:
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Place the mixture into a loaf pan, making sure to press into the sides of the pan. Place the loaf pan into a water bath and bake for 60 to 75 minutes or until the mixture reaches 165 to 170 degrees F. Remove from the oven and drain off any fat. Place the loaf pan on a cooling rack and place a brick wrapped in aluminum foil directly on the surface of the meat and allow to sit for 15 to 20 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 175 degrees F. Slice and serve on pita bread with tzatziki sauce, chopped onion, tomatoes and feta cheese.
• To cook on a rotisserie, proceed as follows:
• Form the meat mixture into a loaf shape and place on top of 2 overlapping pieces of plastic wrap that are at least 18 inches long. Roll the mixture in the plastic wrap tightly, making sure to remove any air pockets. Once the meat is completely rolled in the wrap, twist the ends of the plastic wrap until the surface of the wrap is tight. Store in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or up to overnight, to allow the mixture to firm up.
• Preheat the grill to high.
• Place the meat onto the rotisserie skewer. Place a double-thick piece of aluminum foil folded into a tray directly under the meat to catch any drippings. Cook on high for 15 minutes. Decrease the heat to medium and continue to cook for another 20 to 30 minutes or until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 165 degrees F. Turn off the heat and allow to continue to spin for another 10 to 15 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 175 degrees. Slice and serve on pita bread with tzatziki sauce, chopped onion, tomatoes, and feta cheese.
• Place the yogurt in a tea towel, gather up the edges, suspend over a bowl, and drain for 2 hours in the refrigerator.
• Place the chopped cucumber in a tea towel and squeeze to remove the liquid; discard liquid. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the drained yogurt, cucumber, salt, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and mint. Serve as a sauce for gyros. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week.
• Yield: 1 1/2 cups