A delicious recipe for a traditional chicken gyros. You can't get much better than fresh homemade pittas, souvlaki chicken, tzatziki and fries. Recipe below...
INGREDIENTS:
Pitta:
8 pittas
250ml water (warm)
8g dry active yeast
0.75 tbsp caster sugar
400g bread flour
0.75 tbsp fine sea salt
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Chicken:
Enough to fill 8 pittas
5 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp dried oregano
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp cumin
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 clove of garlic, minced
1 tsp honey
Salt and pepper
800g boneless chicken thighs
1 red onion (cut into rings)
Tzatziki:
2 cups
Half a large cucumber
1.5 cups Greek yoghurt
2 tbsps olive oil
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves (minced)
Salt (to taste)
Small bunch, roughly 1 tbsp dill (minced)
METHOD:
Pittas:
1. In a jug, mix together the water, yeast and caster sugar. Leave to sit for 10 minutes to bloom the yeast (will turn bubbly).
2. In a new bowl mix together the bread flour and sea salt. Once the yeast mixture has rested, tip this into the flour with the olive oil and mix. Once roughly incorporated (before kneading) leave the dough to rest for 20 minutes to hydrate the flour.
3. After resting, knead the dough for roughly 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Cover the dough and rest until doubled in size (roughly 2 hours).
4. Once risen, knock the air out of the dough and tip out onto a clean work surface. Divide the dough into 8 portions, cover with a damp towel, and leave to rest for 1 hour.
5. Once rested, roll each portion out into a circle, until 1/2 inch thick. Dimple one side with your fingers.
6. To cook, heat up a cast iron pan over a medium-high heat. Lightly grease the bottom of the pan with olive oil. Once up to temperature, place the pita into the pan and cook for roughly 1 minute on each side. Once cooked, set aside and cover with a damp tea towel until ready to serve.
Chicken:
1. In a bowl, mix together the oil, oregano, paprika, cumin, lemon juice, garlic, honey and salt and pepper to season. Once combined, add the red onion rings and chicken thighs. Cover and leave to marinate for at least 2 hours.
2. To cook, place the whole chicken thighs onto 3 skewers, alternating layers between chicken and onion. Cook for 30-40 mins under a grill of 200 degrees celsius, constantly turning, until the chicken is completely cooked through. We are looking for a nice bit of charring and colour on the outside of the chicken, whilst staying moist and juicy on the inside.
3. Once cooked, from the chicken from the grill, rest for 10 minutes before carving off the skewers.
Tzatziki:
1. Cut the cucumber in half and remove any seeds. Grate the cucumber then tip into a cheesecloth and squeeze out as much excess moisture as you can. Place the cucumber into a colander and leave to drain overnight.
2. In a new bowl mix together the yoghurt, garlic, oil, vinegar and salt to taste. Refrigerate and leave overnight. This is step is key - by allowing this to sit overnight in the fridge the strong taste of raw garlic will mellow out.
3. To serve the next day, combine the yoghurt mixture, strained cucumber and fresh dill.
TO SERVE:
Grab yourself a freshly made pitta and add a nice layer of tzatziki onto the bumpy side of the bread. Add a generous portion of your meat, some thinly sliced red onions and tomatoes, and some fresh french fries. Sprinkle with some dried oregano and wrap. Enjoy!