Chicken Gyros with Homemade Tzatziki Sauce

Ingredients:

For the Chicken

• 1.5 lb Chicken tenders
• Extra virgin olive oil for the pan

For the Chicken Gyro Marinade

• 1 cup Greek yogurt (you can use reduced fat or fat free Greek yogurt if you like)
• Juice of 1 large lemon
• 2 tbsp Greek extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• Kosher salt, generous pinch to taste
• Black pepper, generous pinch to taste
• 1 tbsp oregano
• 1 tsp sweet paprika 
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• pinch cayenne pepper, optional

Other Gyro Fixings 

• Pita bread
• Homemade Tztaziki Sauce (Recipe Below)
• 1 large Tomato, sliced
• 1 cucumber, sliced
• 1 green pepper, cored and sliced
• 1 small red onion, sliced into half moons
• pitted kalamata olives

For the Tzatziki Sauce

• 3/4 English cucumber, partially peeled (striped) and sliced
• 1 tsp kosher salt, divided
• 4 to 5 garlic cloves, peeled, finely grated or minced (you can use less if you prefer)
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• 1 tbsp Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 cups Greek yogurt (I used organic fat free Greek yogurt, but you can use 2% or whole milk Greek yogurt, if you like)
• 1/4 tsp ground white pepper

Instructions:

For Gyros

1. Marinate chicken and prepare gyro fixings. In a larger mixing bowl, combine the marinade ingredients, mix well. Add the chicken tenders and mix to make sure chicken is well coated with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes (or refrigerate overnight.) Meanwhile, make Tztaziki sauce (recipe below) and prepare the pita and other gyro fixings.
2. Cook chicken. Heat 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high until shimmering but not smoking. Add chicken tenders to the pan (make sure to shake off any excess marinade before adding chicken to the pan.) Cook on one side undisturbed for 5 minutes until browned. Using a pair of tongs, turn chicken over and cook on other side for another 5 minutes or until chicken is done. (See notes for outdoor grilling)
3. Assemble the chicken gyros. Warm up some pita. Spread Tztaziki sauce on top, then add chicken (about 2 to 3 tenders) and top with tomato, cucumber, green pepper, red onion and olives as you like. Wrap the pita up and enjoy!

For Tzatziki Sauce

1. Prep the cucumber. In a food processor, grate the cucumbers. Toss with 1/2 tsp kosher salt. Transfer to a fine mesh strainer over a deep bowl to drain. Spoon the grated cucumber into a cheese cloth or a double thickness napkin and squeeze dry. Set aside briefly.
2. In one large mixing bowl, place the garlic with remaining 1/2 tsp salt, white vinegar, and extra virgin olive oil. Mix to combine.
3. Add the grated cucumber to the large bowl with the garlic mixture. Stir in the yogurt and white pepper. Combine thoroughly. Cover tightly and refrigerate for a couple of hours.
4. When ready to serve, stir the tzatziki sauce to refresh and transfer to serving bowl, drizzle with more extra virgin olive oil, if you like.