greek chicken pitas with tzatziki & feta

I had a hard time deciding what to call these. They’re not quite a gyro, not quite a chicken sandwich. Cool tzatziki sauce against juicy marinated chicken hot off the grill with the crunch of cucumber and red onion. Sort of gyro-ish but not quite.

Having just returned from vacation where we didn’t eat much of anything that wasn’t fried in oil or dredged in butter, we were all craving something fresh tasting (well, I can’t speak for Kylie & Katie – they could probably live on chicken fingers & cheese burgers for at least another month). I picked up a big pack of boneless, skinless chicken breasts and decided we’d throw them on the grill. I marinated them in balsamic vinegar, oregano, olive oil & lemon juice and let them sit a few hours in the fridge. I had a bunch of crunchy, freshly picked cucumbers and some greek yogurt so I made a batch of tzatziki sauce, thinly sliced some red onion and crumbled some feta. A side of tabbouleh and dinner was served!

Besides being healthy and great tasting, I love this meal because everything not only can be made ahead of time but should be. It’s one of those times where if you let the sauce & tabbouleh sit a couple of hours the flavors will really come together. And since your marinating the chicken anyway, might as well get everything else done at the same time. The recipe makes a lot so feel free to reduce by half if you prefer. I love the amount it makes because it gives us leftovers for a couple of days, plus the chicken is great cold if you feel like sneaking a slice!

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Greek Chicken Pitas with Tzatziki & Feta

For chicken:

•  6 large chicken breasts, boneless & skinless
• 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 T oregano
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Tzatziki sauce:

• 2 cups plain greek yogurt
• 2 T lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3 kirby cucumbers, diced, divided
• 1 T each of fresh parsley, mint & dill
• 1 t freshly ground black pepper
• 1 t kosher salt

Toppings:

• Thinly sliced red onion
• Diced cucumber
• Feta cheese
• Kalamata olives, pepperoncini peppers, diced tomatoes
• Don’t forget the pitas – although the chicken is great without them, too

1. Place all ingredients for marinade in a large, resealable plastic bag. Add chicken, making sure it’s coated well with marinade. Place bag in a large bowl (in case it leaks) and place in fridge for 2-4 hours.
2. Puree lemon juice, garlic, 2 of the diced cucumbers and herbs in a food processor or blender (or just use a hand blender in a bowl; it doesn’t matter if it’s not completely pureed). Mix in yogurt, salt, pepper & remaining diced cucumber. Mix well and keep in fridge.
3. Grill chicken until cooked completely through. Slice on a bias and place on a serving platter. Serve with pita, tzatziki sauce and assorted toppings.

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Kristy Bernardo

Kristy Bernardo is the recipe creator behind The Wicked Noodle. She's a five-time cookbook author, has taught cooking classes to both kids and adults, and has been creating recipes for nationwide brands since 2009. She learned most of her cooking skills from her mom and grandmother, then honed those skills at boot camp at the Culinary Institute of America.

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