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Sheet Pan Chicken Gyros with Feta Tzatziki. Street food inspired, oven roasted 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 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 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. This mix is tossed with cubed chicken and a splash of lemon juice. Then let the chicken 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 sauce is probably my favorite element of these gyros. It’s your classic 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 pitas. Then just stuff the 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.
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
I made this yesterday for my frienda along with your naam recipe and it was delicious. Both of the recipes are easy to make. I will definitely be making this again!
Hi Rose,
Happy Friday!! I am so glad to hear this recipe was a winner, thanks for giving it a go:) xTieghan
I’d say this is typically a good go to for us. If you’re out of lemon juice for whatever reason, I highly don’t recommend exchanging with apple cider vinegar. Bad decisions there.
Hey Michelle,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear that it was enjoyed!! Good to know about the ACV:) xx
Michelle – my wife can’t have lemon juice – and we’ve found champagne vinegar is a reasonable substitute.
So easy! So delicious!
Hi Jennifer,
Happy Wednesday!! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed!! xT
Amazing dish, I wish I would of seen the recipe for the spicy harissa in the ingredients, but my family engulfed that dinner
Hi Aaron,
Wonderful!! Love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks a lot for giving it a go:) xTieghan
So delicious. I didn’t have access to pita or time to make my own, so I made bowls with the chicken and sauces instead. Added some couscous. It was delightful. A new staple in our house!
Hi Mara,
Wonderful!! Love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks a lot for giving it a go:) xTieghan
So delicious!! I just realized I missed the harissa but honestly didn’t even notice! Thank you!
Hi Ellen,
Wonderful!! Love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks a lot for giving it a go:) xTieghan
Absolutely delicious!!!!! Will make again and again!! Thanks!
Hey Katie,
Wonderful!! Love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks a lot for giving it a go:) xTieghan
This recipe is so good! I did follow other comments and halved the sauce and still had a ton left, but whatever. It was an amazing dish. I marinated the chicken for about 6 hours and it was so tender and flavorful. I also subbed plain nonfat Greek and it didn’t seem to make a difference flavor wise – the 1/4 cup of oil prob is the reason for that! 10/10 Tieghan 🙂
Hey there,
Wonderful!! Love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks a lot for giving it a go:) xTieghan
How long can I store the tzatziki in refrigerator?
Hi George,
I would say for 1 week. Let me know if you give the recipe a try! xx
This was a great recipe! So flavorful and will certainly make again. Instead of fries, made Greek lemon potatoes and added pickled turnip to the toppings of pickled red onion and lettuce and parsley. The few extra minutes under the broiler are perfect for the char and flavor. Will ALWAYS make feta Tzatziki going forward – delicious. Thank you again
Hi Lynne,
Awesome!! I am thrilled that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Have a great week:) xx
Such a great recipe! I had a Harissa infused olive oil we used with the recipe and it was a game changer
Hey Barbara,
Awesome!! I am thrilled that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Have a great week:) xx
Hi
Do you strain the cucumbers? My tzatziki way too runny…And I just read a comment here saying they did, darn too late
Hi Sheila,
I did not, but you totally can. Sorry to hear it made the Tzatziki runny! xT
Hi
I just realized you do not add the cucumbers to the blender! Duh lol
I hope you love the recipe Sheila!!
I made this last week, super yummy. I really enjoyed the feta tzatziki. I did squeeze the liquid out of my cucumbers first. I also, made my Naan, which was easier than I thought. I truly enjoy your recipes!
Hey Julia,
Awesome!! I am thrilled that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Have a great week:) xx
Just got done inhaling this. So. Incredibly. Good. I didn’t change much of anything. Included the harissa sauce. Perfection! Can’t wait to make more of your recipes!!
Hey Manda,
Happy Sunday!! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks a lot for giving it a try! xxT
I loved these so much. The chicken had great flavor and you always come up with the best sauces. There were 4 of us and there was plenty with some leftovers for lunch,YAY! They received rave reviews from our guests. I also made your pitas and they were so much fun to make. It took me 4 pitas to get the hang of it and when the 5th one puffed I was so excited my husband had to come see what was going on in the kitchen. Even the non puffed pitas were still delicious. I don’t think I will ever buy store ones again.
Hi Suzanne,
Happy Sunday!! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks a lot for giving it a try! xxT