Deconstructed Gyros

In my article called “Deconstruct!” I explain why I think deconstructed meals are a good idea. And here are my deconstructed gyros!

Simply simplifying

I love Mediterranean food so much, and adore anything Greek like gyros, the tzatziki alone is just *chef’s kiss*. So I really fancied making these at home, but trying to assemble them all for myself and my family seemed like extra work. And I think especially having a baby, who needs to have his food disassembled anyway, inspired this more than anything. So here you go, deconstructed gyros for your enjoyment and ease.

Deconstructed gyros

For 2-4 people

Total time: Roughly 30 mins

For the chicken + marinade

• 4 chicken breasts

• 2 garlic cloves

• 1 tbsp vinegar (I use apple cider, but different ones work!)

• Juice of half a lemon

• 1/3 cup full fat Greek yoghurt

• 1 tsp oregano

• A pinch of salt and a generous amount of pepper

For the tzatziki

• 1 cucumber

• 1 1/2 cups full fat Greek yoghurt

• Juice of half a lemon

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oli

• 1 garlic clove

• A pinch of salt and a generous amount of pepper

• Optional: some finely chopped coriander

For the salad

• Anything you want, but definitely recommend:

• 1 cucumber

• A good amount of cherry tomatoes

• Half a small red onion

• A small handful of parsley

• A dash of olive oil

• Also: 4-6 pitta breads

• Also: A side of chips or (my favourite) quartered potatoes (about 400g as this is just for the side) covered in olive oil and seasoning

Instructions

Start by quartering your potatoes and pour some oil and seasoning over them and place in a pre-heated oven on 200ºC/180ºC fan (356ºF). Cook for about 20-30 minutes.

Chicken: Cut the chicken into strips and put in a bowl. In a small separate bowl, mix vinegar, lemon, yoghurt, oregano, salt pepper and minced/grated garlic. Pour over chicken strips and mix well and let it marinate.

Tzatziki: Chop the cucumber finely, or grate it. I normally don’t bother squeezing out the extra liquid in the cucumber personally, but you can put it in a tea towel and get some of the water out if you like! Put it in a bowl and mix in lemon, olive oil, minced/grated garlic and seasoning. I love adding a bit of finely chopped coriander to my tzatziki. I don’t know if that’s a no-no, but I think the flavours just go so well!

Salad: dice the cucumber and halve the tomatoes, finely chop the onion. mix together and add some finely chopped parsley and olive oil.

In a frying pan on high heat, fry the chicken strips on each side - once they have gone golden on each side you can bring the heat down a bit and let them gently fry until they are cooked through.

Toast the pittas in the toaster or oven towards the end of the chicken and potatoes being cooked.

Instead of wrestling with assembling the gyros, just grab a plate and place some chicken, potatoes, salad and tzatziki on each - or even better; put it all on the table family style and let people help themselves!

Did you make the deconstructed gyros? Did you like it? Share on Instagram and tag @TheFromScratchBody and hashtag #TheFromScratchBody so I don’t miss it!