Saturday, April 4, 2009

Chicken Gyros

Super easy and super delicious.  I could eat the yogurt sauce with a spoon (and I ended up with extra that I used as a dip for chips and veggies).  YUM.

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/4" strips
2 Tbsp. finely chopped dill
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 large onion, thinly sliced
a few tablespoons olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper
Tzatziki (recipe follows)
8-10 small pitas
fresh lemon juice

Tzatziki (Yogurt Dill Sauce):
1 large container Greek Yogurt 
1/2 cucumber, grated and drained (see note below)
2-3 Tbsp. fresh dill, finely chopped
4 scallions, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press
1-2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
a drizzle of olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper--to taste

Directions: 
- Place chicken, onion, dill, oregano, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and olive oil in a gallon-size freezer bag to let it marinate. 
- Make the dill sauce (combine all ingredients).  
- Let the chicken marinate anywhere from 1/2 hour to overnight. 
- Chill the dill sauce for anywhere from 1/2 hour to overnight to allow flavors to meld.
- Fifteen minutes before serving, heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. 
- Add a little olive oil. 
- Saute the chicken and onions until chicken is cooked through. 
- To serve, place some of the chicken on the pita, top with tzatziki and a little fresh lemon juice. Fold up and enjoy!

Tips and Tricks:
- Cucumbers are so full of water that it is necessary to let them drain in a sieve before using in the yogurt sauce. You may even notice up to 1/4 cup liquid in the bowl after draining.
- You can also just squeeze the grated cucumber out with several paper towels.
- I grated them on the larger grate setting (that I would use for cheddar cheese).  I tried the smaller setting but it made a mess.  It did leave larger strings of cucumber in my sauce, but I did not care.
- I used nonfat plain yogurt for the Greek yogurt, and it was awesome.
- I felt all cool making a recipe with an ingredient that I can't pronounce (tzatziki).  

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