Greek Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce

DISCLAIMER: I am not any kind of expert with Greek food. In fact, I am pretty new to it. But I love the flavors that Greek food uses so I have started creating some of my own recipes. They may not be authentically Greek, but they are inspired by Greek flavors. So basically, don't be hatin' on me if my Greek food isn't Greek enough for you.

Darin has always been a great facilitator of me trying new cooking styles. And his love of gyros has inspired me in the past few months to try my hand at Greek food. I have made basic chicken gyros a few times and I think it is time to share. There are two parts to this recipe, one for the tzatziki sauce and one for the chicken. If you have the opportunity for grilling, DO IT!! It will be so much better than the way I had to make it. Prepare the chicken the same way, just skewer it with some chunks of onion, artichoke hearts and throw it on the grill! On a side note: I used store-bought hummus for my gyros but I know that it is really easy to make as well. I decided to be lazy and buy some delicious roasted red pepper hummus from the store. Be sure to stuff your gyros to the brim, if its not falling apart while you are eating it, then it's not a real gyro!

YUMMMMMMMM

TZATZIKI SAUCE 

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups plain greek yogurt
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely diced
1 clove of garlic, grated or finely minced
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Juice of one lemon

DIRECTIONS
Mix everything except the yogurt together in a bowl first, then stir in the yogurt. Cover and chill for at least an hour or two to get the best flavor. Stir again before serving. You can use this on your gyros, kabobs or just eat it plain with some pita bread.

GREEK CHICKEN GYROS

INGREDIENTS

2 chicken breasts, thinly sliced

1/2 onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves of garlic, grated or finely minced

2 tsp ground marjoram

2 tsp ground coriander

Salt & Pepper

1 cup of marinated artichoke hearts, thinly sliced

Juice of one lemon

Pita bread, hummus, shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, chopped olives, feta cheese, tzatziki sauce

DIRECTIONS

In a medium bowl combine chicken, onions, garlic and toss with marjoram, coriander, S&P until evenly coated. Heat a large frying pan to medium heat and add 2 Tbsp of olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add chicken and pan fry on all sides till almost cooked through. Add the sliced artichoke hearts for the last few minutes until they are heated through. Top with lemon juice after adding the artichokes. Build gyros with a warm pita, hummus, chicken, veggies, cheese and tzatziki.