Chicken Gyros

• chicken thighs12 boneless, skinless
• Greek yogurt↗500g g
• lemons↗2

  juice, zest from ½ lemon

• olive oil↗100ml ml
• garlic cloves↗4

  very finely grated or minced

• ground coriander↗1 tbsp tbsp
• ground cumin↗1 tbsp tbsp
• sweet paprika1 tbsp tbsp
• dried oregano↗1 tsp tsp
• dried thyme↗1 tsp tsp
• cayenne pepper↗1 tsp tsp
• ground black pepper↗1 tsp tsp
• ground cinnamon↗½ tsp tsp
• red onion↗2

  cut in half and thinly sliced

• tomatoes↗4

  (plum tomatoes work well) cut in half and sliced

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   First, whisk together all the marinade ingredients with 1 tsp salt in a large bowl, or better yet, in a large plastic container with a lid. Flatten each chicken thigh, cover it with parchment paper and pound it with your hand, then remove the paper and cut the thigh in half. Place the pieces in the marinade and stir until the meat is fully coated. Cover, chill and marinate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours – the longer, the better.

2. 2

   Thread all the chicken meat onto two skewers so that both skewers pass through each piece of meat, pressing them tightly to form a compact kebab (see tip below).

3. 3

   Light the barbecue with the lid on and let the fire die down. When the coals become ashy, gather them to one side, leaving a single layer of coals on the other side. Place the chicken kebab on the side of the grill where there are only a few coals underneath. Cover and cook for 45 minutes, turning every 15 minutes. To finish, lift the lid and move the kebab to a hotter part of the grill to brown the meat, turning it every few minutes until it is well browned and cooked through. Split the chicken pieces in the center to check doneness, or use a digital thermometer – it should read 70 °C or higher. Let rest for 5–10 minutes while you finish cooking the pita (see the recipe opposite). Transfer the kebab to the table and slice thinly with a serrated knife. Arrange the sliced meat in warm pitas, then add sliced red onion, tomatoes, chips and tzatziki (see our recipes below).