The Athenian's chicken gyros recipe
Gyros are typically made with slices of butter-soft, tender meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie – a piece of kit most of us don’t have in our kitchens. But it is possible to recreate the classic Greek handheld food at home, with no special equipment required.
Tim Vasilakis, founder and CEO of The Athenian, shares how to do just that in a new cookbook filled with favourite recipes from the Greek street-food restaurant. “With this book, I want to make the lives of readers tastier, healthier and a little bit more Greek,” says Tim.
The Athenian started as a small London market stall back in 2014, and now has locations across the UK, Spain and the UAE. The establishment prides itself on its authentic Athenian roots and its use of fresh ingredients.
This chicken gyros recipe comes together easily, while the marinade ensures the chicken is both tender and flavourful. Stacking the meat together is a great way to replicate the vertical rotisserie that’s used in restaurants, replicating the finely shaved chicken slices that form the perfect chicken gyros.
Things to note:
If you're in a hurry, you can cook the chicken at 170°C/325°F/gas mark 3 for 2 hours, although it won’t be so tender. The longer it's cooked, the softer it gets.
This recipe will need to marinate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
For US ingredients and measurements, use the drop-down menu and select 'Cups'.
Ingredients
For the chicken- 4 boned chicken thighs, skinless
- 1 boned chicken thigh, skin on
- 0.5 white onion
- 4 pitta breads
- 10 tbsp tzatziki
- 1 handful crisp romaine lettuce leaves, shredded
- 4 ripe tomatoes, sliced or coarsely chopped
- 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 handful French fries, cooked
- 1 handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 1 pinch smoked paprika, for dusting
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 0.5 tsp sea salt
- 0.5 tsp ground cumin
- 0.5 tsp ground coriander
- 0.5 tsp lemon zest, grated
- 2 lemons, juiced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Details
- Cuisine: Greek
- Recipe Type: Chicken
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 20 mins
- Cooking Time: 180 mins
- Serves: 4
Step-by-step
- Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a bowl until well combined. Add the chicken thighs, turning them in the marinade. Cover the bowl and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours or, better still, overnight.
- When you're ready to cook the chicken, preheat the oven to 130°C/250°F/gas mark 2.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade and place the skinless thighs on top of each other in a stack. Cover with the remaining chicken thigh, skin-side up, and then place the onion half on top. Secure with 4 bamboo or wooden skewers, inserting them through the onion and all the chicken layers. Transfer to a baking tray and cook in the oven for 3 hours until the chicken is very tender.
- When the chicken is cooked, place the stack on a board and, with the skewers in place to secure the meat, slice down through it very thinly with a sharp knife to 'shave' it and create the gyros effect.
- Warm the pitta breads in the oven or on a hot griddle (grill) pan. Spread the tzatziki over them and pile the sliced chicken on top.
- Add the lettuce, tomato and onion together with the French fries. Sprinkle with parsley and dust with smoked paprika, then fold the pittas around the filling and roll up in some baking (parchment) paper or tin foil (aluminum foil) to hold the filling in place.
- Alternatively, arrange the shaved chicken, warm pitta breads and fries on a serving board or platter with a bowl of tzatziki and another of tomato, red onion and lettuce. Sprinkle with parsley, dust with smoked paprika and serve, allowing people to help themselves.
Recipe adapted from The Athenian by Tim Vasilakis (Ebury Press, £14.99). Photography by Haarala Hamilton.
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