Boneless, skinless chicken was buy one, get one free the other day, so of course I bought some, not sure of how I was going to fix it. English cucumbers were also on sale and since the weather was supposed to be perfect for grilling, I decided to make some chicken gyros with homemade tzatziki sauce. Yum!

What I love about this recipe (in addition to the tzatziki sauce) is the Mediterranean-inspired marinade for the chicken. The yogurt acts as a tenderizer and the lemon juice adds a burst of fresh, tart flavor. The reason I like to prepare the chicken as kebabs is because each piece of the chicken is infused with this tasty marinade.

Another reason I wanted to go the kebab route was to use my new flexible grilling skewers from Fire Wire®. These skewers are so cool and make it easy to marinade your kebabs in a container that may not be long enough for traditional skewers. Plus they just look cool! Love these!

If you don’t want to make gyros, these kebabs are great served on a bed of basmati rice. If you do go the gyro route, make sure you prepare the tzatziki sauce a few hours in advance to let the flavors intensify.

Ingredients for the Kebabs

• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into kebab-sized pieces
• 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ fresh lemon, juiced
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 carton (5.3 oz.) plain Greek yogurt (I used nonfat)
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped fine
• Freshly ground salt and black pepper to taste

Extra Ingredients for the Gyros

• Tzatziki sauce (click here for the recipe)
• 6 pita pockets
• ½ cup onion, diced small
• ¾ cup tomatoes, diced small

Preparation

Place all of the ingredients except for the chicken in a large bowl and blend together well.

Place the chicken on skewers.

Coat with the marinade and refrigerate for at least an hour, more if you have time.

Shake off the excess marinade and grill the chicken for 3-5 minutes, and the flip over the skewers and grill for another 3-5 minutes. Chicken should be cooked through (no pink meat.)

If you decide to make gyros, warm each pita on the grill or in a skillet.

Remove the chicken from the skewers. At this point you may want to cut the chicken into smaller pieces — your call.

Place the chicken in the center of the pita. Garnish with the tzatziki sauce, onions and tomatoes. Grab lots of napkins and enjoy!

Bon appétit!

Eat, drink and be merry!

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