Chicken Gyros Traybake
Do you fancy all the flavours of Greek chicken gyros in a week-night friendly traybake dinner? Then this Chicken Gyros Traybake is the recipe is for you! No need to fire up the BBQ or spit-roast the chicken. It’s family friendly, easy to prepare ahead and makes great leftovers – what’s not to love?
Like my Chicken Fajita Traybake, this is a shortcut version of a family favourite. Serve with warm pittas or flatbreads plus your family’s favourite toppings for a build-your-own dinner.
| Keep reading for everything you need, plus a few swaps if you don’t have everything in or have fussy eaters at home. |
Quick Recipe Summary
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🩷 Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Ingredients
Full ingredients list with quantities is included in the recipe card below. These are some helpful notes about the main ingredients including some swaps and substitutes where applicable.
- Chicken Thighs – Boneless and skinless work best here for easy shredding.
- Greek yoghurt – for the marinade, my preference is 10% (I love this one) but you can use 5% or 0% if that’s what you have.
- Lemon juice – swap for 1-2 tablespoons of red or white wine vinegar.
- Oregano, paprika and cumin – if you have a favourite blend of Greek or shawarma seasoning you could swap that instead.
- Garlic – I specifically use garlic powder or granules rather than fresh to avoid it burning during cooking.
- Pitta or flatbread – to serve with.
- Plus your favourite Gyros add-ins – salad, tzatziki, feta cheese…
Swaps and Substitutions
With this meal, it’s worth keeping to the recipe for the chicken and marinade, but the sides are where you make it your own. This is such a great recipe to flex to whatever you have in, but here are a few ideas if you need some inspiration.
- No pitta? Use Naan, tortilla wraps or any kind of flatbreads. You could even serve in toasted burger buns or rolls.
- Tzatziki would be typical for Gyros but hummus, mayo or aioli all work well. Or try a blend of yogurt, mayonnaise, ketchup, and mustard for a copycat version of the pink Gyros sauce you get at Greek Street Food shops.
- Feta is the traditional cheese of choice but pan-fried halloumi goes down a treat. You could even swap for a kid-friendly mozzarella or grated cheddar.
- Salad is really a choose your own adventure here – sliced or pickled red onion, thick sliced tomato and shredded lettuce or cabbage are typical. I love to make a super speedy Greek inspired chopped salad or white bean salad to serve with Gyros, but a simple bag of mixed leaves or some shredded lettuce do the job.
How to Make
- Add the marinade ingredients to a baking dish and mix to combine.
- Add the chicken and toss to coat well.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, overnight if you can.
- Bake at 200c/400F for 45 to 60 minutes until cooked through.
- Shred or slice the chicken to serve in a warm pitta with salad and your preferred sauce and sides.
Carrie’s Note
My little one loves DIY dinners like this, especially when they include dip! I lay the table with bowls of salad, tzatziki and crumbled feta and let everyone build their own. My husband prefers his chicken with rice for a gyros style bowl. And we all love the leftovers in wraps for lunch the next day.
Everything We Ate
If you want to see some realistic dinner inspiration then I share a regular recap of our family meals (what worked, what didn’t, and how I stretched the leftovers) for free over on Substack.
Tips For Success
- Save the liquid or pan juices left after the chicken is cooked – toss the shredded chicken in it to keep moist and juicy.
- If you want ‘traditional’ gyros charred edges on the chicken, pop the tray under the grill for 3-5 minutes at the end of cooking.
Serving Suggestions
- French fries or chunky chips work a treat as a side for chicken Gyros, just make sure to have extra dip for them.
- Add some sliced peppers and/or onions to the tray with the chicken – these are a great substitute for salad.
- Make Gyros Bowls with rice or coucous, tzatziki and salad.
Make Ahead and Batch Cook
| Fridge: | Add the chicken and marinade to the baking tray and toss to combine. Cover with cling film or foil and place in the fridge for up to 24 hours before cooking. |
| Freezer: | Place chicken and marinade ingredients into a freezer safe bag and toss to combine. Seal and freeze flat for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge before cooking. (Cook within 24 hours of defrosting for best results). Yoghurt may be a little grainy on defrost but just mix well. |
| Batch: | Double up on prep – if you’re making a batch to cook today, make double and freeze half as above for another day or for a week’s worth of lunches. |
Leftovers
| Fridge: | Up to 3 days in an airtight container. |
| Freezer: | Cooked and shredded or sliced chicken can be frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost fully before reheating. |
| Reheat: | Reheat chicken gently on the stove or in the microwave with a splash of water to avoid it drying out. |
| Leftovers tip: | Use leftovers cold to make wraps or filled pittas for lunches, or serve hot with cooked rice or grains for a Gyros bowl. |
More Chicken Traybake Recipes:
- Greek Chicken Traybake
- Chicken and Potato Traybake
- Italian Chicken Traybake
- Spanish Chicken Traybake
I hope you like this recipe as much as I do!
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The Recipe
Chicken Gyros Traybake
Equipment
- Large baking dish
Ingredients
- 1 kg (2.2 lb) chicken thighs skinless and boneless
Marinade Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp greek yoghurt
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp cumin
- ¾ tsp salt
- Pinch black pepper
To Serve
- pitta or flatbread
- salad or shredded lettuce
- tzatziki
- tomato and onion
- feta cheese
Instructions
- Add the marinade ingredients to a baking dish and mix to combine.
- Add the chicken and toss to coat well.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, overnight if you can.
- Bake at 200c/400f for 35 to 45 minutes until cooked through.
- Shred or slice the chicken to serve in a warm pitta with salad and your preferred sauce and sides.
Notes
- Chicken Thighs – Boneless and skinless work best here for easy shredding.
- Greek yoghurt – for the marinade, my preference is 10% (I love this one) but you can use 5% or 0% if that’s what you have.
- Lemon juice – swap for 1-2 tablespoons of red or white wine vinegar.
- Oregano, paprika and cumin – if you have a favourite blend of Greek or shawarma seasoning you could swap that instead.
- Garlic – I specifically use garlic powder or granules rather than fresh to avoid it burning during cooking.
- Pitta or flatbread – to serve with.
- Save the liquid or pan juices left after the chicken is cooked – toss the shredded chicken in it to keep moist and juicy.
- If you want ‘traditional’ gyros charred edges on the chicken, pop the tray under the grill for 3-5 minutes at the end of cooking.
- Plus your favourite Gyros add-ins – salad, tzatziki, feta cheese…
