Skillet-Shaved Chicken Gyro

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A home-kitchen workaround for the vertical rotisserie: seasoned ground chicken is packed into a loaf pan, baked in a water bath until dense and sliceable, chilled, then shaved thin and seared in a hot skillet until the edges crisp and curl. Piled into warm pita with cool tzatziki, tomato, red onion and a shower of dill, it eats exactly like the street-cart version — crackly outside, juicy inside.

Ingredients

• 1/2 small yellow onion, peeled and quartered
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1.5 lb ground chicken (dark meat or 93% lean, not extra-lean)
• 1/4 cup plain dried breadcrumbs
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1.5 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp neutral oil, for searing

• 1 cup whole-milk Greek yogurt
• 1/2 medium English cucumber, grated
• 1 clove garlic, finely grated
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

• 4 thick pocketless pita or flatbreads
• 2 ripe tomatoes, sliced
• 1/2 small red onion, very thinly sliced
• 1 cup shredded romaine or iceberg lettuce
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta (optional)
• lemon wedges and hot sauce, for serving

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 325°F. Line a 8x4-inch loaf pan with a strip of parchment across the bottom and up the long sides, then rub the inside lightly with olive oil. Put a kettle of water on to boil for the water bath.
2. Put the quartered onion and 4 garlic cloves in a food processor and pulse to a coarse paste, about 10 pulses. Scrape the paste into a clean kitchen towel or a few layers of paper towel and squeeze hard over the sink — you want to wring out at least 2 tablespoons of liquid. Wet onion makes a crumbly loaf.
3. Return the squeezed onion-garlic to the processor with the ground chicken, breadcrumbs, oregano, coriander, cumin, paprika, black pepper, cinnamon, salt and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Process for 45 to 60 seconds, scraping down once, until the mixture is smooth, sticky and paste-like. This over-mixing is intentional: it binds the proteins so the loaf slices cleanly instead of crumbling.
4. Pack the mixture into the prepared loaf pan in three additions, pressing down firmly with wet hands or a spatula after each to eliminate air pockets. Smooth the top and rap the pan on the counter a few times. Cover the surface tightly with foil.
5. Set the loaf pan inside a 9x13-inch baking dish and pour boiling water into the outer dish until it comes halfway up the loaf pan. Bake 50 to 60 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer in the center reads 165°F.
6. Carefully lift the loaf pan out of the water bath. Pour off any accumulated juices, set a piece of foil over the loaf and weight it with a couple of cans or a smaller pan for 20 minutes to compress it. Then refrigerate, still weighted if possible, at least 2 hours or overnight. The loaf must be cold and firm to shave properly.
7. While the loaf chills, make the tzatziki: squeeze the grated cucumber in a towel until fairly dry, then stir it into the yogurt with the grated garlic, lemon juice, dill, olive oil and salt. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
8. Run the parchment sling to lift the chilled loaf out. Using a sharp thin knife, slice it crosswise as thinly as you can manage, ideally 1/8 inch — the slices should be floppy, ragged shingles rather than tidy slabs. Break longer slices in half.
9. Heat 1 tablespoon neutral oil in a large cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium-high until shimmering. Add half the slices in a single layer without crowding and sear undisturbed 2 minutes, until deeply browned and lacy at the edges. Flip and sear 1 to 2 minutes more, then transfer to a plate. Add the remaining oil and repeat with the second batch.
10. Warm the pitas directly in the emptied skillet, 30 seconds per side, until soft and slightly blistered.
11. Build each gyro: a swipe of tzatziki on the warm pita, then lettuce, tomato, red onion, a generous pile of the crisp chicken shavings, more tzatziki, feta if using, and a squeeze of lemon. Wrap the bottom half tightly in parchment or foil and eat immediately, while the edges are still crackly.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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