Chicken Souvlaki Gyros

I had the chance of a lifetime to go on a leadership trip glorified vacation to Greece the summer after my sophomore year of college, and I fell in love with the food. Their overuse of feta cheese and propensity to put everything in a pita was perfection. I have never had a gyro like the ones I ate in Greece, but I'll take the Americanized version over nothing. My friend Jimmy recently made this recipe for us, and it was so good that I nabbed the recipe and made it again. When I first read the recipe he used, I almost didn't make it. Anything that calls for lemon juice, white vinegar, and olive oil mixed together just doesn't sound right, but no worries friends, somehow those bizarre ingredients create something delicious. If your looking for a way to change up your dinner menu, give this recipe a try!

Ingredients (serves 4):

Chicken Marinade

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 tsp salt and pepper

1/4 cup white vinegar

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp dry mustard

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp sage

1/4 tsp savory

1/4 tsp thyme

Tzatziki Sauce
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 cup sour cream
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp lemon juice
**1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 Tbsp dill
1/2 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic, minced

Extras
pita pockets
1 tomato, diced
feta cheese, crumbled
1 red onion, sliced
kalamata olives (we aren't olive people, so I left those out)

**Cucumbers are mostly water, so pat your cucumbers dry as best you can to remove excess water from getting into your tzatziki sauce.

Directions:

1. Combine all marinade ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Stir in chicken cubes, and refrigerate at least 2 hours before cooking. 

2. Meanwhile, mix all of your tzatziki ingredients together with a whisk. Chill in the refrigerator 2 hours before serving.
3. When you are ready to eat, throw your marinated chicken in the skillet and cook until no longer pink and juices run clear.
4. Take a pita pocket and fill with chicken, extras, and tzatziki sauce to top. Serve and enjoy!

Have you ever had a gyro?