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Updating the gyro with these Panini Style Chicken Gyros. Yogurt marinated grilled chicken, peppers, tzatziki, cheese, and fresh pita all pressed together to create the ultimate cheesy chicken gyro. Finish these off with all the fresh toppings you love most plus a side of homemade french fries for the perfect summertime meal that’s so DELICIOUS! These gyros make for a fun and healthy dinner any night of the week. Bonus? The leftovers make a great lunch salad the following day.
Happiest June everyone! I’m pretty excited summer is (basically) here. With summer comes long days, fresh produce, flowers, and of course, delicious recipes. I’m, feeling a new burst of inspiration and that’s always, always a welcomed and happy feeling!
I hope you all had a nice long weekend with much, much nicer weather than we’ve had the last two days. As often happens, Sunday and Monday were pretty cold and rainy. But on the bright side, at least it wasn’t snowing like last year!
The great news is that everything around here is beginning to look lush and green. Come next week or so, I think our trees will have fully blossomed.
So all in all, good things happening!
And today I have a recipe that I’ve been wanting to share for quite some time, but only just now got around to making it. So with that, I’m diving right into the details.
It’s no secret that I love a good Mediterranean recipe. They’re always fresh and so full of color, my favorite!
My older brother Creighton, who has been spending a lot of time in Colorado this last year (plus) loves, loves…and I mean LOVES…a gyro. Of course, he prefers the traditional lamb meat, but he’ll accept and be excited about chicken too.
He also has his spot, Joe’s Deli in Rocky River, Ohio, that he loves to go to when in Cleveland. They make a panini-pressed gyro. And though that’s not his typical order, it sounds insanely delicious to me.
So, I made my own version and it’s a new go-to for sure. A cross between a gyro, a panini, and a grilled cheese.
Start with the chicken. Marinate it in olive oil, yogurt, and spices. You can do a quick fifteen minutes marinate or up to overnight. Longer is ideal, but do what works for your time frame.
While the chicken marinates, I toss together some cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and fresh dill plus basil for serving. It’s a nice fresh topping that’s pretty classic for a gyro.
Next, grill the chicken up with a couple of green bell peppers. Give the chicken a really thin slice and chop the peppers.
Stuff the chicken, the peppers, and plenty of cheese inside the pita pockets. If you can’t find pitas with a pocket, just make them quesadilla style. Then just fold one-half of the pita over the filling.
I used my Staub grill press and Staub grill pan to make these panini-style. If you have a panini maker, use that! And if all you have is a skillet, just cook these up grilled cheese style. Either way, they’re going to be delicious.
I serve these with homemade Tzatziki, lettuce, herbs, lemons, olives, and if you’re into them, pickled red onions too. The more toppings the better, but the Tzatziki is KEY. You need that creamy sauce for dolloping and dipping on each panini.
And that’s it. These are really quick and simple to make, yet SO DELICIOUS. I highly recommend a side of homemade oven fries too. Or go the traditional route and stuff the fries inside your gyro.
I love these gyros so much. A gyro is great, but add some melty cheese with a side of homemade fries? Oh my goodness, you just can’t beat that. DELICIOUS!
Looking for other summer sandwich recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Everything Cheddar Tomato Bacon Grilled Cheese
Artichoke and Broccoli Pesto Brie Panini with Thyme Honey
Honey, Peach, and Brie Panini with Bacon Butter
Lastly, if you make these Panini Style Chicken Gyros, 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!
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Yummy yum!
Thanks so much Dawn!
Delicious but takes much longer than directions ! We added lemon and evoo to cucumber tomato mix and used a mix of oregano, basil, chives and curley parsley for herbs!
Hey Jillian,
Fantastic! I am thrilled that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! Sorry this took you longer than expected. xxTieghan
Hi there, what a great recipe! I deleted the green peppers due to family tastes, but perhaps could have subbed red or yellow. I used Beecher’s Cheese and Feta because that is what I had, very yummy, and used cilantro and fresh basil as the herbs. I made a bowl of the tomatoes, pickled red onion, kalamata olives, coarsely chopped cucumbers. Very colorful as a topping along with the tzatiki! My daughter added olive tapenade hummus to her pita before grilling. The flavor of the chicken was superb! Very tasty recipe! Thank you!!
Hey Patsy,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a wonderful day:) xTieghan
Would like it if you linked the recipe for the tzatziki sauce please – thank you
Hey Anne-Marie,
Here you go:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/greek-lamb-souvlaki-plates-with-avocado-tzatziki/#wprm-recipe-container-37829
I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This was super delish! It would be great with feta cheese instead of the motz if you prefer.
I also added some chopped romaine.
I used mint,chives, and basil for my herbs because it’s what I have in my garden.
Make sure you press it! That is what gives it that little extra something for sure!!
Red onion is a must. If you don’t have Pickled just add a little sugar and red wine vinegar to the salad mixture. I will definitely make this again! Yum!
Hey Stephanie,
Happy Sunday!! I am thrilled this recipe was enjoyed. Thanks so much for giving it a go! xxTieghan
quick question….do you grill your chicken breasts on direct or in-direct heat?
Hey Lorrie,
I use a grill pan on my stove top. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
What herb mix did you use? This looks amazing, I can’t wait to try it!
Hey Christina,
I really like to switch it up, but I love using dill, chives, basil, parsley! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Saw these in IG stories yesterday, and made them last night with a variation on your homemade tzatiki. Really good and my honey loved them 😉
Hey Lisa,
Happy Thursday! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am delighted that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
The marinade is soo good! A new favorite. This was such a delicious recipe, thank for sharing!!
P.S. I did chop the chicken and cooked it on the skillet, and used cauliflower veggie-herb sandwich thins, since the store didn’t have pitas.
P.S.S. I love all of your recipes and am so glad my friend shared your blog!
Hey Caitlin,
Happy Thursday! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am delighted that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Which brand of pitas do you like to use? Yours always look so fluffy but all we seem to find are small really flat pitas (that are difficult to pull apart to fill).
Hey Mikaela,
I’ve actually been using a recipe from this cookbook: https://shopstyle.it/l/br1Kg
Please let me know if you have any other questions! I hope you give the recipe a try:) xTieghan
I don’t see where the red wine vinegar is used. I’m so excited to make this for dinner. I love the sandwiches u make!!
Hey Lori,
So sorry for any confusion, you can add this in step 1 of the marinade. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Does the red wine vinegar go in the marinade? I didn’t see it any of the steps and wasn’t sure if it was for the marinade or the tomato mix.
Hey Britt,
So sorry for any confusion, yes you will add that to the marinade. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Thank you for making more sandwiches. Yummy ones too.
Hey Joyce,
Wonderful!! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe, I am so glad that it was enjoyed! ☀️xTieghan
I know you have said before that you do not make many sandwiches because you don’t like how the pictures turn out, but these look absolutely incredible! Thanks for the daily culinary inspiration!!
Thank you so very much Jocelyn! I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
Always love a gyro anything! Need to try this asap. Looks so good and crunchy!
xo Jessica
an indigo day
Thanks so much Jessica! I hope you love the recipe:) xTieghan