Gyro Sandwich Recipe

In every culture, there are food items which go under the fast food category. In Greek food, gyro sandwich belongs to the fast food category. This sandwich is made from various rotisseried meats, salad vegetables, such as tomatoes, lettuce and onions with yogurt based tzatziki sauce. The bread normally used to make gyro sandwich is often pita bread. In some countries, however, gyro sandwich may also contain French fries or mustard. At the same time, there can be different variations of pita bread as well. The meat traditionally used in gyro sandwich is pork, chicken, lamb or beef. The meat used in gyro sandwich is often pressed into a conical shape, which is then placed vertically on a spit rod for roasting. Normally the makers of this sandwich shave off generous portions of meat and sear it on a grill, after which the grilled meat is placed on a round piece of warmed or grilled pita bread. Now that we have sufficient information on gyro sandwiches, I guess we should learn how to make a gyro sandwich.

Gyro Sandwich Recipe
This is the recipe to make a Greek gyro sandwich. Very often this recipe is used for breakfast dishes.

Ingredients
  • Ground Beef 2 lb
  • Water 4 tablespoons
  • Lemon Juice 2 tablespoons
  • Salt 2 teaspoons
  • Ground Cumin 2 teaspoons
  • Oregano Leaves 2 teaspoons
  • Pepper 1 teaspoon
  • Garlic Cloves (crushed) 4
  • Onion (chopped) 2
  • Oil 3 tablespoons
  • Pita Bread 6
  • Shredded Lettuce 4 cups
  • Plain Yogurt 1 cup
  • Mint Leaves 4 teaspoons
  • Sugar 2 teaspoons
  • Cucumber (peeled and chopped) 2
  • Tomato (chopped) 1
Method
  • In a mixing bowl, mix ground beef, water, lemon juice, salt, cumin, oregano, pepper, garlic and onion.
  • After mixing well, shape the meat into about 4 to 5 thin patties.
  • In a skillet heat oil and cook the patties over medium heat.
  • It will take about 12 to 15 minutes for the patties to cook, but make sure you keep turning the patties frequently, else the patties will stick to the skillet.
  • While the patties are cooking, split each pita bread half way around with a knife and separate to form a pocket.
  • Place the patty in bread and top it with lettuce.
  • In a bowl mix yogurt, mint, sugar and cucumber.
  • Place a spoon of cucumber mixture on top of lettuce and top with tomato.
  • Now your gyro sandwich is ready to be savored.
Chicken Gyro Sandwich Recipe
I am personally very fond of chicken gyro sandwich, as compared to any other gyro sandwich. This may seem as a very lengthy recipe, but it certainly makes mouth-watering sandwiches.

Ingredients for Marinade
  • Olive Oil 1 cup
  • Fresh Lemon Juice ¾ cup
  • Garlic (minced) ¼ cup
  • Dried Mint 2 tablespoons
  • Dried Oregano 2 tablespoons
  • Black Pepper 2 tablespoons
  • Salt 1 tablespoon
Ingredients for Chicken Gyro
  • Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast (cut into bite sized pieces) 10 pounds
  • Pita Breads 24
  • Feta (crumbled) 12 ounces
Ingredients for Yogurt Dill Sauce
  • Cream Cheese (softened) 1½ pound
  • Plain Yogurt 4 cups
  • Fresh Lemon Juice ¼ cup
  • Garlic (Minced) 2 teaspoons
  • Dried Dill 1 tablespoon
  • Salt 2 teaspoons
Method
  • In a mixing bowl whisk all the marinade ingredients together.
  • Keep ¾ cup of the marinade aside.
  • Pour the remaining marinade over the chicken pieces and toss well. Refrigerate the chicken for about 2 to 2½ hours.
  • Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and sauté chicken in batches till well cooked.
  • Transfer the chicken to a bowl and divide the chicken evenly among one quart size freezer bags.
  • Pour the remaining marinade over the chicken in even quantity and shake the bag well.
  • In a mixing bowl, mix together all the yogurt dill sauce ingredients and whisk with a hand mixer until smooth.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and place foil wrapped pitas in the oven for 10 minutes.
  • Warm chicken in a microwave.
  • On the pita bread place one serving of chicken, yogurt dill sauce and crumbled feta. Roll the bread and serve.
The number of calories in a gyro sandwich will depend on the type of meat you use to make the sandwich. If you choose lean meat and low fat yogurt, the number of calories will be much less.