Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki

I love gyros. Love love love them. We used to have a great little Greek/Mediterranean food place that we would go to all the time when we lived down in Phoenix and they had the BEST food ever. Just thinking about it makes me salivate.
Needless to say I have been craving some gyros lately but I'm way to cheap to buy lamb (which is what we always ordered at that restaurant) so when making it myself  I always opt to use this chicken gyros recipe. It is so good. I have also included a fantastic Tzatziki sauce recipe that goes wonderfully with it.
 I like to add some fresh red onion, tomatoes and sumac and served them on homemade Pita bread.
I also like to pair this up with my favorite Lemon Butter Rice as a side.
Tzatziki Sauce:

1 cucumber
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. dried dill or 1 tsp fresh chopped dill
Salt and pepper
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Extra virgin olive oil

1- Wash your cucumber and chop into very small pieces. I like to do this by using my mandolin to get long skinny pieces and then I chop by hand those pieces into very small minced pieces (probably 1/8 inch squares). You could also shred the cucumber instead of doing cubes, I just prefer the texture of cubes myself.

2- Place minced cucumber into some cheesecloth or thin dishtowel and and squeeze carefully to remove as much water as possible without squishing the cucumber.

3- In a small mixing bowl combine the cucumber, yogurt, garlic, vinegar, salt, pepper, dill, fresh lemon juice and a small drizzle of olive oil. (I'm sorry I've never measured the lemon juice or olive oil, just take half a lemon and give it one or two good squeezes and maybe a tsp. of olive oil)

4- Cover and place sauce in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to combine.

Chicken:

2 teaspoons minced garlic
Juice of 1 lemon (2-3 TBSP)
2 tsp red wine vinegar
2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
2 heaping TBSP plain Greek yogurt
1 TBSP Greek Seasoning
Salt and pepper
1 1/4 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts

To assemble: Pita bread
Fresh tomatoes, seeded and diced
Red onion, sliced thin
Sumac Seasoning for added flavor


1- Start by combining the marinade ingredients. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, oil, yogurt, Greek seasoning, salt and pepper. Whisk together until well mixed.

2- Trim your chicken breasts (remove fat) and pound out so that it is even in thickness all the way around.

3- Add chicken to the marinade, cover, and refrigerate a minimum of 1 hour, but I prefer to have it marinate all day to soak up more flavor!

4- When ready to cook the chicken, use your favorite method. I bounce between roasting it in the oven at 350 for 25-30 minutes and grilling it. Just make sure your chicken is cooked through and has an internal temperature of 165.

5- When cooked, remove from heat and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes. Then slice chicken into strips and place on pita bread along with Tzatziki sauce and other favorite toppings.


**Randi's Side Notes**
~ Pounding the chicken helps even cooking and won't have bits that are dried out while other parts aren't cooked.
~ The longer the chicken has to marinade the better. I usually will get the chicken in the marinade first thing in the morning. You could do it the night before as well.

Recipe adapted from  The Girl Who Ate Everything.