Homemade Greek chicken gyros: how to recreate the famous street dish

Gyros is a Greek dish typically made by rotating a large cone of chicken or pork on a vertical rotisserie, influenced by the Turkish doner kebab. You can also do it at home in your oven, using skewers. The name gyros comes from the Greek word circle, round or turn. The skewered meat dish is often called souvlaki in Athens and other parts of southern Greece. It’s a really delicious, traditional street food and has many different variations.

Beef and lamb are delicious cooked this way too, with plenty of lemon juice, herbs and spices. I sometimes add a few tablespoons of yoghurt to this marinade, particularly if I use chicken thighs or beef. The acidic yoghurt tenderises the meat as it marinades and adds great flavour.

Use two skewers to stack the meat on a tray, then roast it all together. It can then be sliced and mixed with the delicious pan juices. The sliced meat is then piled into a warmed flatbread along with the onions and juices. I love to top it all off with a creamy dollop of tzatziki.

It’s great food to feed a crowd but equally good for weekend meal prep. The chicken is so tasty and is perfect for salad bowls too for days when you don’t feel like cooking. Fill a bowl with dressed salad leaves, chicken, plump olives and sun-dried tomatoes, crumble over some feta and add a spoonful of this creamy tzatziki. You could also add a handful of chickpeas for extra protein. Serve the flatbread on the side for scooping up the salad.

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Flatbreads are now more increasingly available but pitta breads are ideal to use too. I usually toast them, then split them and fill them with this delicious combination of chicken, salad and tzatziki.

Recipe: Chicken gyros with tzatziki

Lilly’s Kitchen Tips

1. Traditionally the gyros would contain a handful of shoestring chips. I like to make some Greek-style lemon potatoes, a fast, easy alternative to chips or potato wedges. Toss cubed potatoes in a little olive oil, a pinch of smoked sweet paprika and spread on a tray. Top with thick slices of lemon. Roast for 20-25 minutes at 200 degrees until crisp at the edges.
2. Tzatziki is usually made with yoghurt, garlic, dill or mint and grated cucumber, but the earthiness of raw beetroot works so well too and gives a bright pink dish.
3. Sprinkle flat bread, pitta bread and day old bread with a little water, then pop into a warm oven for a few minutes to revive it. Wrap it in a tea towel to keep warm.