Kalimera's Famous Greek Chicken Gyros
Recipe video above. This Chicken Gyros recipe was given to me by Thomas Deliopoulos, the owner of Kalimera Souvlaki Art which is a wildly popular gyros bar in Melbourne. It's ridiculously, unbelievably, eye-rollingly good that has top chefs like Australia's Ben Shrewry and New York Times food critic Sam Sifton raving!Thomas’s secret is a touch of curry powder in the marinade. Yes, really!At Kalimera, the chicken is cooked on a vertical spit layered with fat, but even on the BBQ or stove, it’s ridiculously good. I've made it for many people now, and everyone is nuts for it!
Instructions
- 1
Marinate chicken overnight (minimum 3 hours). Mix sauce, make chips. Cook chicken, rest 3 minutes, assemble gyros as follows: Sauce, chicken, lettuce, tomato, onion, chips, sauce. Fold, devour!
- 2
Marinate chicken - Mix the marinade ingredients in a large bowl. Add the chicken and mix well to coat. Marinate in the fridge for 24 hours (absolute minimum 3 hours!)
- 3
Sauce first - Mix the ingredients in a bowl and set aside for at least 20 minutes to let the flavours meld.
- 4
Chips next - If using hot chips, make them before cooking the chicken using whatever method suits - baked, fry, air fry. (I bake for convenience and fry to impress.) Season with salt to taste (sorry, you're going to have to eat one!) Keep them warm in a 100°C/200°F oven while you cook the chicken.
- 5
BBQ option (recommended!) - Preheat the BBQ on medium high (the grill side preferred, flat iron also works). No need to oil the grills. Cook the chicken for - 4 minutes on each side until deep golden with slightly charred edges.
- 6
Stove cook - Heat a large non stick pan over medium high heat (no oil required). Cook the chicken in batches for - 4 minutes on each side until deep golden and cooked through (internal temperature 72°C/162°F). Give the pan a quick wipe with paper towels between batches, to remove excess black bits.
- 7
Remove & rest - Remove chicken onto a tray. Loosely cover with foil and rest for 3 minutes, then slice into 1 cm /
- 8
4" pieces.
- 9
Heat the pita bread until warm and pliable. Honestly, microwave is so easy (stack on plate, 45 sec - 1 1/2 minutes on high). For stove, brush each side with water then heat in lightly oiled non-stick pan for 1 minute on each side (medium high), don't let it go crispy else it will crack when folded.
- 10
Wrapping - Spread 3 tablespoons of the sauce down the middle. Pile the chicken onto the sauce, add lettuce and tomato on one side. Sprinkle with red onion, pile chips on top, drizzle with more sauce. Fold to enclose, wrap in foil to keep everything in place.
- 11
Serve gyros with extra sauce for dunking!
Ago's Notes
- Adjust salt to taste based on your canned goods.
Let the spices dance together as they should, balancing warmth and brightness-this dish is a testament to how simple ingredients, when treated with care, can become something deeply satisfying and unmistakably yours.
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