A deconstructed gyros sandwich makes the BEST Greek salad, y'all! I was dreaming of a quick and healthy salad loaded with Greek inspired flavors, so I threw together this Gyros Salad with Chicken and we can't get enough of it!

Disclosure:
Life Tastes Good is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. Please note: This post may contain affiliate links to products I use and love.

Gyros Salad

This salad was inspired by my Mediterranean Meatball Gyros Sandwich. I basically took the idea of the gyros sandwich and deconstructed it to make a salad. This Greek salad with lettuce has many of the ingredients in my gyros sandwich such as, red onions, cucumbers, and tomatoes, in addition to green peppers, Kalamata olives, the most flavorful marinated chicken, feta cheese, homemade pita croutons, and, of course, an irresistible creamy tzatziki dressing! Doesn't that sound glorious?!

In recent years I have really come to appreciate all of the fresh flavors in Greek food. It all started with a very simple, low carb recipe for Greek Style Pork Chops. Paired with a fresh cucumber and tomato salad and topped with a dollop of tzatziki sauce, this recipe started my love affair with Greek food. It's why I've started creating recipes such as this Gyros Salad along with my Greek Bowl with Meatballs over CousCous. I can't get enough of all the fresh and exciting flavors in Greek inspired recipes!

What is a Traditional Greek Salad?

My Gyros Salad with chicken recipe is definitely NOT a traditional Greek salad. A traditional Greek salad includes tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, sliced red onion, Kalamata olives, and of course feta cheese. Traditionally, a Greek salad is dressed with extra virgin olive oil or a simple oil and vinegar dressing seasoned with dried oregano and sea salt.

My Gyros salad went off the traditional rails, so to speak, right from the get go when I decided to use romaine lettuce, so I figured I'd keep bucking tradition by adding marinated chicken breast and dressing this non-traditional Greek Salad with a creamy tzatiziki sauce inspired dressing. I think you'll be glad I'm not a rule follower when you give this non-traditional Greek salad with lettuce a try. The flavors are bold and fresh, and because of the lettuce and chicken, this Gyros Salad is satisfying enough to serve as a main dish for dinner.

How to Make Gyros Salad

This Gyros Salad is super easy to make and really doesn't take much time. For best results I like to marinate the chicken first thing in the morning, so by the time I'm ready to make dinner, the chicken is infused with flavor and ready to cook when I am. I WISH I was that organized all the time, but on the days I don't plan ahead I can still make this recipe and have flavorful chicken with only 15-20 minutes of marinating, so it's all good. Follow this order of doing things and you'll have this delicious Gyros Salad with Chicken dinner on the table in no time...

• Make the Greek chicken marinade per instructions below and add chicken. Allow to marinate at least 15 minutes
• While the chicken is marinating, make the tzatziki dressing and pita croutons
• While the pita croutons are baking, chop all the veggies and assemble the salad
• Pan sear the chicken until cooked through
• Slice the chicken and add it to the salad with the pita croutons
• Serve the salad with the tzatziki dressing and enjoy!

Greek Chicken Marinade

Nagi over on recipetineats.com has a Chicken Souvlaki recipe I've been wanting to try, so I adapted her marinade for my Gyros Salad recipe and it worked out perfectly. This Greek chicken marinade is delicious! It is loaded with oregano! I was a little worried it might be too much, but boy was I wrong. The oregano combined with the garlic and lemon really gives this chicken a ton of flavor. Try not to eat it all right out of the skillet!!

• Place 2 lbs chicken breast fillets in a zip top baggie (if your chicken breasts are thick, you'll want to slice them through the middle for thinner fillets)
• Add 2 tbsp olive oil, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1 tbsp freshly minced garlic, 2 tbsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp kosher salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper to the bag with the chicken
• Close the zipper top bag and check to make sure it is secure so nothing leaks out
• Massage the bag to mix all the ingredients together and coat the chicken
• Place the bag in the fridge to marinate the chicken until ready to use
• Marinate at least 15 minutes up to 8 hours

How to Make Tzatziki Dressing

The tzatziki dressing can be made up early in the day or while prepping the rest of the ingredients. The dressing will have a deeper flavor if made up early in the day or a day ahead, but I'm not always that organized and it's still pretty darn tasty even made up right before serving.

• Combine 5 ounces Greek yogurt with 2 tbsps grated cucumber, 1/2 tsp freshly minced garlic, 1/2 tsp olive oil, 1/2 - 1 tbsp fresh dill, 1/2 tbsp of fresh lemon juice, 1/4 tsp kosher salt (or to taste), and a pinch of black pepper (or to taste)
• Mix well. For a smoother salad dressing, process in a blender or food processor until smooth
• Give the tzatziki dressing a taste and adjust the flavors as needed
• NOTE: Because this is a relatively small amount of dressing, I don't bother dirtying my big food processor. Instead I use my Smart Stick Immersion Blender with the small bowl food chopper attachment to mix this into a smooth dressing. It works great!

How to Make Pita Croutons

I first saw Pita Croutons on My Recipes and had to try them. I changed up the recipe a bit to suit our tastes, but the idea is the same and perfect for this Gyros Salad recipe.

I think you'll be surprised by how easy pita croutons are to make and also by how incredibly addictive they are! Don and I typically eat these little bites of crunchy goodness right off the tray when they come out of the oven. They are so hard to resist. We love how crunchy pita croutons are, but at the same time, we love the softness inside with the little pocket of air in the middle.

I season the croutons simply with salt and dried oregano and some olive oil. The salt, in particular, really makes these pita croutons so tasty!

• Preheat oven to 400° F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
• Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut 2-3 pita rounds into small 1" pieces to make about 2 cups of cut up pita croutons
• In a small bowl, combine pita croutons with 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• Mix it to coat the pita croutons
• Give one of pita croutons a taste and add more salt and oregano as needed
• Place pita croutons on the parchment lined baking sheet in a single layer (use 2 baking sheets if needed)
• Bake in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes until golden brown and delicious

How to Assemble the Gyros Salad with Chicken

Once the chicken has marinated and been cooked through, the tzatziki dressing and pita croutons are made, and the vegetables are cut, it's time to assemble the Greek gyros salad. This Greek salad can be served assembled or in a salad bar format where all the components are kept separate and everyone can build their own salad. Here is how to assemble the salad for serving...
In a large salad bowl add 7 ounces chopped romaine lettuce and top with the following ingredients...

• 1/2 pint grape tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1 1/2 cups diced cucumber. NOTE: Use an English cucumber (aka hothouse cucumber). English cucumbers are longer and more slender than regular cucumbers. They are typically not waxed so you'll find them wrapped in plastic instead. The seeds of an English cucumber are smaller and easier to eat. No need to remove the seeds when using in the salad. I like to cut about 1/2 the cucumber into strips and then dice.
• 1/2 cup diced green peppers or more to your liking
• 1/2 cup sliced red onion
• 1/4 cup Kalamata olives, halved (more of less to your liking)
• 1/2 cup crumbled Feta cheese
• Pita croutons
• Pan seared and sliced Greek marinated chicken
• Serve with the tzatziki dressing and enjoy!

**PIN this Gyros Salad with Chicken for later!**

Thank you for visiting! Let's be social! Follow Life Tastes Good on Pinterest | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Life Tastes Good just like it should with FREE recipes delivered to your inbox
Click here to subscribe

gyros salad

Main Dish

Greek

Yield: 6 Author: Life Tastes Good

Gyros Salad with Chicken

A deconstructed gyros sandwich makes the BEST Greek salad, y'all! If you're dreaming of a quick and healthy salad loaded with Greek inspired flavors make this Gyros Salad with Chicken. You are sure to love it!

prep time: 20 minscook time: 25 minstotal time: 45 mins

ingredients:

Greek Chicken Marinade

• 2 lbs chicken breast fillets
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 tbsp freshly minced garlic
• 2 tbsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter

Tzatziki Dressing

• 5 ounces Greek yogurt
• 2 tbsp grated English cucumber
• 1/2 tsp garlic, freshly minced
• 1/2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2-1 tbsp fresh dill
• 1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper

Pita Croutons

• 2-3 pita rounds cut into 1" pieces
• 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano

Gyros Salad

• 7 ounces romaine lettuce, chopped
• 1/2 pint grape tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1 1/2 cups diced English cucumber
• 1/2 cup diced green peppers
• 1/2 cup sliced red onion
• 1/4 cup Kalamata olives, halved
• 1/2 cup crumbled Feta cheese

instructions

Greek Chicken

1. Place 2 lbs chicken breast fillets in a zip top baggie (if your chicken breasts are thick, you'll want to slice them through the middle for thinner fillets). Add 2 tbsp olive oil, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1 tbsp freshly minced garlic, 2 tbsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp kosher salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper to the bag with the chicken. Close the zipper top bag and check to make sure it is secure so nothing leaks out. Massage the bag to mix all the ingredients together and coat the chicken. Place the bag in the fridge to marinate the chicken until ready to use. Marinate at least 15 minutes up to 8 hours
2. When ready to cook the chicken, heat a cast iron skillet over mid-high heat. Remove the chicken from the  marinade and carefully place the chicken into the hot skillet. Discard marinade.
3. Sear chicken for about 5 minutes until a nice crust forms on the one side. Flip chicken over and add a tablespoon of butter to the skillet. Sear chicken for 5 more minutes while basting with butter. Chicken is done when the internal temperature is 165°F and no longer pink inside. Check temperature in thickest part of chicken breast using an instant read thermometer. When chicken is fully cooked, remove the chicken to a cutting board to rest for about 5 minutes.

Tzatziki Dressing

1. Combine 5 ounces Greek yogurt with 2 tbsps grated cucumber, 1/2 tsp freshly minced garlic, 1/2 tsp olive oil, 1/2 - 1 tbsp fresh dill, 1/2 tbsp of fresh lemon juice, 1/4 tsp kosher salt and an 1/8 tsp black pepper.
2. Mix well. For a smoother salad dressing, process in a blender or food processor until smooth. Give the tzatziki dressing a taste and adjust the flavors as needed.

Pita Croutons

1. Preheat oven to 400° F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
2. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut 2-3 pita rounds into small 1" pieces to make about 2 cups of cut up pita croutons
3. In a small bowl, combine pita croutons with 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp dried oregano. Mix together to coat the pita croutons. Give one of pita croutons a taste and add more salt and oregano as needed.
4. Place pita croutons on the parchment lined baking sheet in a single layer (use 2 baking sheets if needed) and bake in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes until golden brown and delicious. Remove from heat and set aside until ready to use.

Assemble the Greek Gyros Salad

1. In a large salad bowl add 7 ounces chopped romaine lettuce and top with 1/2 pint grape tomatoes, sliced in half, 1 1/2 cups diced English cucumber (see note #1), 1/2 cup diced green peppers, 1/2 cup sliced red onion, 1/4 cup Kalamata olives, halved, 1/2 cup crumbled Feta cheese, pita croutons, and the fully cooked and sliced Greek marinated chicken. Serve the Greek Gyros Salad with tzatziki dressing and enjoy!

NOTES:

1. Use an English cucumber (aka hothouse cucumber). English cucumbers are longer and more slender than regular cucumbers. They are typically not waxed so you'll find them wrapped in plastic instead. The seeds of an English cucumber are smaller and easier to eat. No need to remove the seeds when using in the salad. I like to cut about 1/2 the cucumber into strips and then dice.

calories
488

fat (grams)
22.6

sat. fat (grams)
6.6

carbs (grams)
19

protein (grams)
50.9

sugar (grams)
4.1

Fiber
2.4g

https://www.ourlifetastesgood.com/2018/07/gyros-salad-chicken.html

COPYRIGHT © 2018 Life Tastes Good

Created using The Recipes Generator

Nutrition label disclaimer: Nutrient values are estimates only. Variations may occur due to product availability and food preparation. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.