Did you know that you can make a homemade spit using a potato and a couple of wood skewers and make the most delicious and juicy CHICKEN GYRO. I hope you will try this method. It's so fun to do and the chicken comes out amazing.
One of the spices in this recipe is Teresa’s Tuscan Spice. It is incredible and is available here in my website. I use it in salads, in marinades, on veggies, fish and so much more. If you didn’t purchase it yet, you can use a store bought Italian Spice, but trust me this one is the BEST!!
Chicken Gyro
Ingredients
Marinade
(Serves 5)
3 lbs. Chicken Thighs - boneless and skinless, cleaned
¼ Cup Olive Oil
1 Cup Greek Yogurt
3 tsp. Italian Spice Blend, I use Teresa’s Tuscan Spice
1 tsp. Cumin
1 tsp. Paprika
½ tsp. Coriander
4 tbsp. Lemon Juice
1 tsp. Salt
½ Black Pepper
1 Cup Chicken Broth, plus some of each of the above spices mixed into it (The spices are optional)
1 Large Potato
2 Wooden Skewers, soaked in water and dried well
Tzatiki
1 Seedless Cucumber -shredded
1 ½ Cups Greek Yogurt. -I use 2 percent
2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
5 tbsp. Fresh Lemon Juice
1 Garlic Clove grated
½ tsp. Salt
4 tbsp. Fresh Dill Chopped
For the Gyro
5 Pita Breads
Toppings of choice. I like chopped cherry tomatoes, chopped cucumber and feta.
Method
In a bowl combine the olive oil, yogurt, Italian spice, cumin, paprika, coriander, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add in the chicken and marinate covered in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. The longer it marinates the better.
For the tzatziki…Grate your cucumber on a cheese grater and put in a dish cloth. Squeeze out as much water as you can. Put the cucumber in a bowl and add in the yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, grated garlic, salt and dill. Mix well. Quick note, make sure your garlic is grated really well. I grate and then chop to make it even more fine. Refrigerate
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Now for the homemade spit…in a shallow baking pan. I use a 9 x 7 baking pan, cut the bottom off a large potato. Place the potato flat side down in the pan. This will make the potato stable and not make it turn over, creating your base. Stick two wood skewers into the potato about an inch apart.
Take the marinated chicken and stick it piece by piece (each piece right on top of each other) onto the skewers. Cut off any excess from each skewer.
Pour the chicken broth around the perimeter of the potato. You can also season the chicken broth. I like to season it with each one of the spices in the marinade. This part is optional but I feel like it gives great flavor.
Using aluminum foil, make a small tent over the top of the chicken. Get it in the oven. Baste with the juices every 25 minutes and bake for about 1 hour and 20 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken reads 165 degrees. Also, you can remove the aluminum foil so the chicken can get extra crispy.
Remove from the oven and let the chicken rest for about 10 minutes. Slice into thin strips.
Assemble the gyro using the tzatziki and your toppings of choice