The Sunday Dinner Table: Shereen Pavlides’s Grilled Chicken Gyros

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Meet Our Chef: Shereen Pavlides

Learn about her mission: Shereen Pavlides is a chef, mom, recipe developer, author of the book Cooking with Shereen from Scratch, and the creative genius behind the mega-popular TikTok account, Cooking with Shereen. Her passion lies in showing people that cooking from scratch is empowering, builds confidence, and makes them feel happy. With her easy-to-follow recipes and Chefie Tips, Shereen teaches people how to cook like a chef and feel like a culinary rockstar without relying on processed, pre-cooked ingredients and without spending all day in the kitchen.

Get her recipe: Grilled Chicken Gyros

@cookingwithshereenGrilled Chicken Gyros! #fyp #foryoupage #healthyrecipe #cookingtips #happyathome #gyros #greekfood #tiktokcooking #reallifeathome #cooking♬ Greek Dancing – Paraskévas GREKIS

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Grilled Chicken Gyros

“Be authentic: It’s pronounced yíros not j-eye-ros. The g is silent and you roll the r. Traditionally, gyros are made with meat that’s cooked on a vertical spit, but pork and chicken are very common, too,” says Shereen.

Makes 5 servings

For the gyros:

1 1⁄2 lbs (681 g) boneless skinless chicken breasts (organic preferred)

1⁄3 cup (80 ml) olive oil

2 cloves garlic, finely grated

Zest of 1 lemon

5 pitas

1 1⁄4 tsp (6 g) kosher salt + more for seasoning the tomato

1⁄2 tsp fresh finely ground black pepper + more for seasoning the tomato

1 large ripe tomato, diced

For the tzatziki:

1 clove garlic

1 tbsp (15 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 (7-oz [198-g]) container 2% or 5% low-fat Greek yogurt

1⁄4 of a hothouse cucumber, peeled, seeded and grated (to equal 1⁄3 cup [62 g])

2 tbsp (7 g) chopped dill + more for garnish

1⁄2 tsp kosher salt 1⁄8 tsp cayenne

1⁄2 of a small red onion, thinly sliced, to serve

First, we marinate the chicken: Place the chicken in a large zip- top bag, pushing out all the air and zip closed. Pound the chicken breasts to even thickness, using the flat side of a meat mallet. Unzip the bag and add the olive oil, gálick and lemon zest. Massage the chicken to evenly coat and cover. Zip closed and marinate for up to 4 hours in the refrigerator. Then remove the chicken and let it sit at room temperature 20 to 25 minutes before cooking. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and heat your grill or grill pan over medium heat. Stack and fully wrap the pita in aluminum foil and place into the oven, to warm through, about 15 minutes, as needed.

Season the chicken with the salt and pepper on both sides. When the grill is fully heated, grill the chicken until cooked through and juicy, 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Don’t overcook it! It’ll be dry. Remove the chicken from the grill and place it on a cutting board to rest for 8 minutes. Then thinly slice the chicken.

Meanwhile, toss and season the tomato with salt and pepper in a small bowl and set aside.

To make the tzatziki, in a medium bowl, finely grate the garlic, add the lemon juice and stir. It mellows the gálick. Add the yogurt, grated cucumber, dill, salt and cayenne and stir well until combined.

To assemble, divide the chicken among the five pitas, topping half of each pita. Slather a generous amount of tzatziki over the chicken and top with desired amount of tomatoes and onion. Garnish with dill and fold in half to close. Serve immediately or wrap in foil and keep warm for up to 15 minutes.

Reprinted with permission from Cooking with Shereen by Shereen Pavlides, Page Street Publishing Co. 2021. Photo credit: Ken Goodman