Greek food is one of my favorites and there is nothing quite like the perfect gyro. Since I wasn't able to find lamb at Trader Joe's, I opted for chicken gyros instead. Knowing that they'd be a bit lacking in flavor without lamb, I decided to make the classic Greek tzatziki sauce to accompany the gyros (don't get me wrong, chicken is delish, but it can be boring). The recipe for making tzatziki is simple and adds a needed splash of flavor to any Greek dish.
Here are the tzatziki and chicken gyro recipes I use...the tzatziki makes enough for a ton of people to enjoy and the gyro recipe can be tailored to however many people you are cookin' for. Tonight, I was cooking for two (me and my pops).
TZATZIKI
ingredients:
16 oz of plain greek yogurt
1 cucumber
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 of a lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon of fresh dill (dried dill from a jar works as well)
3 cloves of garlic, chopped (or 5, or 6...I love garlic)
salt and pepper (to add taste)
feta
directions:
1. Chop the cucumbers up into small pieces. I usually cut the center of the cucumber out to get rid of the seeds and excess water. After you de-seed, slice those things up and place them in a bowl.
2. Next you're going to want to drain the yogurt. I am usually too lazy to drain it for the suggested hour or two, so I drained for about 5 minutes before I got anxious and moved on. Once you've had enough draining, pour the yogurt in the same bowl as the cucumbers.
3. Lastly, add the remaining ingredients: the olive oil, lemon juice, dill, garlic, salt and pepper and as much feta as you desire (feta adds a lot to this dish, but has a strong taste...don't go too overboard!) Mix it all around, toss it in the fridge and enjoy as soon as you're ready to eat!
(*It would be ideal to use a blender or food processor to mix the ingredients, however, I don't have either. So I use a bowl and a spoon. Works fine.)
CHICKEN GYROS:
ingredients:
1 pack of Middle Eastern Flatbread
tomatos
red onion
lettuce
feta
chicken breast (however many you desire)
parsley
pepper
balsamic vinegar
directions:
1. Chop all the veggies and arrange them all fancy like on a plate. Watch out for onions, they make you cry. Wear sunglasses while you chop.
2. Cook that chicken. I pan fried the chicken with a little oil and dressed it with parsley, pepper and a bit of balsamic vinegar. If you have a BBQ, that would work out nicely as well. Grill that chick up however you please, checking consistently so you don't over cook. Nobody likes over cooked chicken.
3. Once you've thinly sliced the chicken, grab that flatbread and warm it up a bit on a low-heat burner. This is an important step. Nobody likes soggy flatbread.
4. After you've warmed the bread you're ready to construct a Greek masterpiece. Grab that tzatziki from the fridge and spread some on the warmed flatbread. Next, add chicken. Then, head to your veggies and assemble the lettuce, tomato and onions. Lastly, top it off with a bit of feta.
5. Fold it up and then ENJOY!
