grilled chicken gyros

Sometimes I find myself wondering if I'm the only one with the quirk of really wishing I liked a certain food, but no matter how many times I try it, I just flat out don't. For example, I really dislike the flavor of cucumbers. Seriously, they make me gag. I can't eat them in a salad, in Gazpacho, and most especially by themselves. Here's the funny part though. I absolutely love Tzatziki Sauce on gyros. Main ingredient is...cucumbers! For whatever reason, the creaminess of the yogurt combines and has an amazing result--even though its quite a cucumber-y taste. Go figure.

So how did I get hooked on this recipe? When we lived in Ohio, we ate at a place called Sub House that served chicken gyros. Loved them. They were so yummy and of course being a military family, we don't stick around in a place forever. So those gyros became one of the things we missed from Ohio. What's a military family to do?--Come up with our own version! I have to say, we were successful too. In fact, we went back to Ohio in September 2009 for the Air Force 1/2 marathon and 5k and stopped by there to have one...quite comparable!

So how do we make them?

1) We grill chicken that was marinaded in olive oil, red wine vinegar, oregano, and freshly ground pepper.

2) Heat up the gyro bread by lightly sprinkling water on them, wrapping them in foil, and throwing them on the grill. (We use Aladdin Baker's Authentic Greek Plain Flatbread.)

3) Make Tzatzki Sauce (recipe below).

4) Slice up some tomatoes and purple onion.

5) Pile the chicken, tzatziki sauce, tomatoes, purple onion, and feta cheese on the flatbread and enjoy!

We serve this with couscous and salad.

Tzatziki Sauce
16 oz plain fat-free yogurt
1 med cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped (I use the food processor)
pinch of salt
3-4 cloves of garlic, pressed
1 T olive oil
2 tsp of red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp dried dill

1) Drain yogurt by placing in a tea towel and then in a strainer that is placed in a bowl for a few hours to extract the whey.

2) Place chopped cucumber in tea towel and squeeze to remove the liquid. (I'm always amazed at just how much water comes out.)

3) In a medium bowl, combine the drained yogurt, cucumber, salt, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and dill.

Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week.
yield: 1 1/2 cups


There ya go Andrea! Just as you predicted! ;o)