Chicken Gyro Bowl (15 Minutes, Gluten-Free)

A chicken gyro bowl is among the easiest meals you can make. The marinated chicken and the flavors of the diced cucumbers and Kalamata olives are enhanced with the homemade tzatziki sauce for a fresh, gluten free and customizable meal. Clocking in at 10 minutes to cook the chicken plus assembly, it’s a super fast recipe as well. Gyro bowls are the perfect option for a family meal and just as good to meal prep yourself to a tasty week ahead.

Why This Recipe Works

• Customizable: This recipe is a perfect example of one where you can add or subtract ingredients to make it the perfect bowl for you, including making it gluten free or low carb.
• Quick: It only takes about 10 minutes to cook the chicken and after assembly your bowl is ready in a flash.
• Fresh: Chicken gyro bowls are full of fresh ingredients for when you need a whole bunch of veggies and good stuff.
• Perfect meal prep: Meal prep for the week ahead with this gyro bowl. It is super easy to heat up the chicken and assemble a meal almost anywhere at any time!
• Great buffet style meal: If you are feeding a group, this bowl is perfect for setting out buffet style so everyone can get the perfect mix of good food in their gyro bowl.
• Looking for other Greek-Inspired recipes? Check out our Greek Meatballs, Cherry Tomato and Feta Couscous Salad, Greek Chicken Orzo Bake, or Greek Salmon

Chicken Gyro Bowl Ingredients

Ingredients for the Chicken

In order to make the chicken portion of this recipe you will start with a pound of diced boneless chicken breasts. Roughly one inch pieces or bite sized work the best. Then you will need four tablespoons of greek yogurt, two tablespoons of chopped parsley, a tablespoon of olive oil or avocado oil, a tablespoon of minced garlic, and the juice from one lemon. The juice will be about two tablespoons roughly. For seasonings you require dried oregano, paprika, thyme, cumin, salt, and pepper.

Gyro Bowl Ingredients

For the rest of this recipe, in order to complete the gyro bowl, you need diced cucumbers, kalamata olives (black olives work as well), cherry tomatoes cut into quarters, feta cheese crumbles, and diced red onion. Lastly, orzo or brown rice that has been cooked, parsley, and dill. Pita bread, chips, or crackers are a great addition, as well as lemon wedges if you desire.

Note: You can also use chickpeas or romaine in place of orzo or rice for the base. They work great with the chicken gyro bowl as well!

How to Make Chicken Gyro Bowls

Step 1

Start the marinade for the chicken by adding the greek yogurt, the oil, parsley, minced garlic, and lemon juice to a bowl. Add in the rest of the seasonings for the chicken and mix it together. Once the marinade is well combined, toss in the chicken pieces.

Coat the chicken well and then se it aside to marinate. Marinate for at least 30 minutes but, if you have time, overnight works the best to get all the flavor into the chicken.

Step 2

As the chicken is marinating, make your tzatziki sauce if you are using my simple recipe (found here). If you are using pre-made you can skip this step.

Prepare all the veggies and extras you have set aside for your gyro bowl. Dice the cucumber and red onion. Quarter the cherry tomatoes and make sure your rice or orzo is cooked and ready to go.

Step 3

Next, add one or two tablespoons of oil to a large skillet. Set the stove to medium-high heat and let it warm up. Once it is hot, place the chicken pieces into the skillet. Be sure to not overcrowd the chicken! Let it cook for 4-5 minutes or until browned on one side.

When one side is browned, flip the chicken and let the other side brown for about 3-4 minutes. After the chicken is cooked through, remove it from the skillet. You can discard any extra marinade that may be left in the pan.

Step 4

Assemble the gyro bowls by adding any or all of the ingredients you have prepared for them. This meal works well buffet style for the family to everyone can get the mix that they want.

Finally, dollop on some of your homemade tzatziki sauce and dig in!

Serving and Storing Instructions

Serve this dish with a side of fresh naan or pita chips. You can always serve the chicken gyro bowls buffet style for a family meal or large gathering since they’re so easy to assemble and make to your liking. You can also omit the chicken and use this as a side if you’re grilling lamb or the like!

To store your chicken gyro bowl, let the chicken cool to room temperature and place in an airtight container and refrigerate. You will want to keep the chicken separate from the veggies and the tzatziki sauce for the freshest results when you’re ready for more. The chicken will keep well refrigerated for about 5 days.

If you are using this recipe as a meal prep, add the gyro bowl ingredients to individual meal prep containers and have the tzatziki sauce in a separate dressing container. Heat up the chicken separate from the rest of the ingredients and add it back to the bowl ingredients and add the tzatziki sauce for the best results.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is gyro made from?

A gyro is typically made from lamb, beef, or chicken meat that has been seasoned with a blend of herbs and spices.

How is gyro pronounced?

Gyro is pronounced as “euro” with a slight rolling of the r.

What does gyro mean?

Gyro comes from the greek word “gheereezo” meaning “to turn.”

What is the difference between schwarma and gyro?

While they are both similar as far as the ingredients that are normally used, the biggest difference is in the seasoning of the meat and flavor profile. Gyros are more of a fresh and lighter taste whereas schwarma has more of the middle eastern spicier flavors.

Are gyros healthy?

Gyros are packed with protein and generally have a lot of fresh veggies in accompaniment such as cucumbers, olives, tomatoes, and dill. I’m sure there are plenty of less healthy options out there but with easy customization and fresh ingredients they easily fit into a healthier diet than some!

What is a gyro bowl?

A gyro bowl uses the same ingredients you love in a gyro but is disassembled into a bowl. You ditch the bread for a rice or orzo base and keep all of the fresh ingredients you love!

Other Bowl Recipes You’ll Love!

• Spicy Salmon Bowl
• Grilled Greek Chicken Bowls
• Spaghetti Squash Pizza Bowls
• Chopped Big Mac Salad
• Blueberry Chicken Salad

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