Chicken Gyros
Marinate the chicken for these Greek-style spiced kebabs as long as possible to soak up all the flavour and make it really tender.
Ingredients
12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
For the marinade
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried mint
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp sweet paprika
½ tsp ground cinnamon
2 lemons, 1 zested and juiced, 1 cut into wedges to serve
4 garlic cloves, crushed
For the pitta wraps
250g strong white bread flour
7g sachet fast-action dried yeast
1 tsp golden caster sugar
2 tsp olive oil, plus extra for the bowl
For the tzatziki
½ cucumber
200g Greek yogurt
small bunch mint, finely chopped
1 small garlic clove, crushed
½ lemon, juiced
To serve
1 round lettuce
4 large tomatoes, seeds removed, chopped
1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced
Method
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Tip the chicken into a large bowl and add the marinade ingredients, along with 1 tsp salt and plenty of black pepper. Mix well, ensuring each thigh is well coated. Cover and chill for at least 3 hrs, or up to 48 hrs.
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A few hours before you want to eat, make the pitta. In a bowl, mix the flour, yeast, sugar and ½ tsp salt with your fingertips. Add 150ml lukewarm water and 2 tsp olive oil, and combine to a dough. Tip onto a work surface and knead for 8-10 mins (or use a tabletop mixer for 5 mins). Clean, then lightly oil your bowl, return the dough and cover loosely with cling film. Leave to rise for 1 hr or until nearly doubled in size.
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Divide the dough into four equal pieces. Roll out to circles as thin as you can. Cover with oiled cling film and leave to rise for 15-20 mins.
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For the tzatziki, halve the cucumber lengthways and scoop out the seeds. Finely chop, then combine with the remaining ingredients and a pinch of salt. Chill until ready to serve.
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Heat the grill to its highest setting. Line a roasting tin with foil and find four metal skewers long enough to sit across the top with a little space underneath. Remove the chicken from the fridge. Take one thigh and thread it over two skewers, so it has a skewer through either side. Thread another piece of chicken on top, leaving a slight gap between each piece (you should fit six thighs on each pair of skewers). Position the skewers on top of the roasting tin and set aside while you finish the pittas.
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Heat a large frying pan (or two if you have them) over a medium-high heat and brush the breads with oil. Gently lift one into the pan. It should sizzle, and bubbles should appear on the surface after 1-2 mins. When the underside is golden, flip it and cook for another 2-3 mins. Continue until all the breads are cooked, wrapping them in foil as you go. Keep the bread warm in the bottom of the oven while you cook the chicken. Alternatively, cook on the barbecue for 5-8 mins, turning occasionally.
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Put the chicken under the hot grill and cook for 15-20 mins, brushing with oil and any juices from the bottom of the tin regularly, and turning halfway through cooking. Once cooked, remove from the oven and rest for 5 mins.
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Cut through each pair of skewers to make four kebabs and serve in the warm bread, with lettuce, tomato, red onion, lemon wedges and tzatziki.
PER SERVING
707 kcals • fat 34g • saturates 9g • carbs 52g • sugars 4g • fibre 4g • protein 46g • salt 2.3g
