Skillet Chicken Gyros

Photo from Closet Cooking

I had lunch today with the fabulous Meg-a-rooni, and as usual, our conversation found it’s way to food. I told her all about the shawarma I was planning to make for dinner that night, talking it up like I had my whole evening mapped out.

Well… turns out I wasn’t making shawarma at all. I was making chicken gyro. Very different flavor profile, and honestly, not what I had been craving all day.

Once I got home and started throwing together the marinade, I realized my mistake. By then I was committed, so gyro it was.

One thing about me: I do not love frying meat. Give me a grill any day of the week. I grill year round even in questionable Seattle weather and would rather do that than stand over a frying pan splattering oil everywhere. But I decided to trust the process and cooked the chicken exactly as the recipe instructed — right in the skillet.

I let the chicken marinate for my usual two hours, then sautéed it up in the pan. The end result? It was… fine. Not bad, not amazing, just kind of there.

What this recipe desperately needed was a sauce. Some sort of creamy garlic sauce or tzatziki would have brought everything together and added the punch of flavor it was missing. Had I realized that sooner, I could’ve whipped a garlic sauce up in no time. Instead, halfway through dinner, I grabbed some hummus from the fridge in an attempt to save things.

It helped, but not enough to make this a repeat recipe for me.

In the end, it wasn’t terrible — it just wasn’t what I was hoping for, especially after spending the entire afternoon thinking about shawarma.

 Skillet Chicken Gyros

Recipe from Closet Cooking

Serves 4

For the chicken gyros:

• 1 lemon, juice and zest (~1/4 cup juice)
• 1/4 c greek yogurt (or plain yogurt)
• 3 T oregano
• 1 T smoked paprika (optional)
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 2 pounds boneless and skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite sized pieces
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

For the gyros:

• 6 pitas (optionally warmed/toasted) (gluten-free for gluten-free)
• 1 1/2 c lettuce, sliced
• 1 1/2 c tomatoes, diced
• 1 1/2 c cucumber, diced
• 6 T pickled red onions, sliced (or fresh)
• 6 T kalamata olives, sliced
• 6 T tzatziki
• 6 T feta, crumbled

For the chicken gyros:

Mix the lemon juice, zest, yogurt, garlic, oregano, paprika, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.

Mix the chicken and marinade and let sit, covered, in the fridge, for 30 minutes to overnight, before shaking off any excess marinade.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the chicken and cook until cooked through and lightly golden brown on all sides, about 10-15 minutes.

For the gyros:

Assemble the gyros in the pitas and enjoy!