End the Week With These Chicken Gyro Platters

Whenever I find myself in a Greek restaurant, there's no doubt in my mind what I want. It will be a cold day in hell when I end up pulling the trigger on something that isn't either a gyro or gyro platter.

There's something about the richness of the married beef and lamb combo. Coming together with spices before being molded onto a skewer and sentenced to slowly spin atop open flames, it's a beautiful sight and an even better taste.

I came to love the humble gyro after snagging a bite from my mom's platter as a child. That was one of those food moments for me where I was greeted with something unlike I had tried up until that point, and I absolutely loved it.

This recipe will be a slightly healthier spin on the usual gyro, due to the use of chicken breast as the protein. Combined with a homemade tzatziki sauce and fresh produce, this is a great way to end the week.

Ingredients

For the chicken:

2 lb chicken breasts (thighs will work as well)

2 ounces plain nonfat Greek yogurt

1 lemon, juiced

1/4 cup of olive oil

3 Tbsp all-purpose Greek seasoning mix

1 Tbsp ground black pepper

3 gloves of garlic, minced

For the tzatziki:

8 ounces nonfat Greek yogurt

1 lemon, juiced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 cucumber, grated

2 ounces of Dill, finely chopped

Salt to taste

For the platter:

1 heart of romaine, chopped

4 roma tomatoes, sliced thin

1/2 red onion, julienned

4 ounces of dill pickle slices

3 loaves of naan, cut into smaller pieces

The Process:

For the tzatziki:

Step one: Grate your cucumber on the large side of a box grater. Once finished, wrap the cucumbers in a cheese cloth and begin to wring out the moisture. If you don't have a cheese cloth, using paper towels will work as well.

Step two: Once the cucumber has had a lot of the moisture removed, add it to the yogurt. Also add in the lemon juice, dill, minced garlic, and a pinch of salt. Once well combined, taste it and add salt if needed.

Step three: Allow to sit covered in fridge while you prepare the rest of the meal. I like to make my tzatziki when I go to marinate the chicken, as it allows the tzatziki time to sit and have the flavors really come together.

For the chicken:

Step one: Marinate your chicken with all of the listed ingredients (olive oil, nonfat Greek yogurt, garlic, greek all-purpose seasoning, black pepper, lemon juice) for at least 4 hours. I prefer to marinate them overnight, but at the very least allow for 4 hours of marinating.

Step two: Preheat your oven to 375. Heat up a hot skillet, lightly oil it. Once hot, add your marinated chicken, being careful to not overcrowd the pan. Let it cook undisturbed for about 4 minutes before flipping, allowing a crust to develop. After flipping, allow to cook undisturbed again for 4 minutes. After, transfer chicken breasts to a lined cooking tray and put them in the oven.

Step three: Check on your chicken breasts after 20 minutes, taking the temperature at the thickest part of the breast. Cook until the thermometer reads 165 or higher and holds that temperature for 15 seconds.

Step four: Allow your chicken breast to rest for 10 minutes before slicing it. While the chicken breast is resting, I recommend cutting up your veggies for the platter (lettuce, tomato, onions) and heating up your naan.

Step five: Once chicken is finished resting, slice it thinly. Begin to assemble your platters, starting with your sliced chicken breast, and working your way around the plate filling in ingredients.