I have found myself on a quest to find yummy paleo and/or gluten free meals. My daughter has shown signs of gluten sensitivity so that is what kicked my “mama bear” booty into gear.
The other night I made a gluten free version of something I think i’ve had once in my life… Greek Chicken Gyros on Chickpea “flatbread” with homemade Tzatziki sauce. Since I don’t know what they were supposed to taste like, I had to rely on my hubby and toddlers taste buds to let me know if it was a success or not lol. Happy to report I got the thumbs up on adding this to the regular menu!
I am the queen of cutting corners when it comes to cooking (I know, I know.. sue me) But when you have a needy, screaming, hungry child (my toddler, not my husband) hanging from my legs come 5PM, things have to happen in a jiffy.
Most of the time I look in my fridge to see what I have leftovers of and figure it out from there (thank you Pinterest). I try to pre-make lots of chicken at the beginning of the week since its so versatile and duh, kids like chicken.
So… i’ll tell you the “right” way to make it below but add a * next to something that I performed my own little shortcut on, or what specifically I used 😉
Also, I am famous for NEVER measuring… anything. I look at a recipe and just adapt it to what I have, and according to how many people I am cooking for.
Healthy Greek Chicken Gyros
INGREDIENTS:
FOR THE CHICKEN
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced (*garlic powder (gasp I know))
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (juice of 1 lemon should do it)
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar (*I used Bragg’s Apple Cider vinegar because I ALWAYS have that on hand)
- 1/4 cup (56 g) extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons (43 g) plain yogurt (*full fat FAGE)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts
FOR THE TZATZIKI
- 1/2 cup peeled and shredded cucumber (*make sure you strain/dry on paper towel to keep your sauce from getting too watery)
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced (*garlic powder if you’re in a crunch)
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar (*I used Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar)
- 8 ounces Greek plain yogurt (*full fat FAGE)
- 1 tablespoon (14 g) extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill (*I only had dried dill – tasted better than omitting it!)
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
FOR THE NAAN OR FLATBREAD
*I was experimenting with chickpea flour and found this recipe for Socca (Garbanzo or Chickpea Flatbread Pancake from France) Socca from Kalyn’s Kitchen
- 1 cup chickpea flour
- 1 cup plus 2 T water
- 3/4 tsp. sea salt
- 1/4 tsp. ground cumin (David used 1/8 tsp.)
- 1 1/2 T olive oil (plus more for brushing griddle and drizzling over finished Socca)
Next time I will try a more traditional Gluten Free Naan Bread like the one I found here – Gluten Free Naan Bread from Gluten free on a Shoestring
Or this more simple version (I have already tried this and like it) 3 Ingredient Naan from MyHeartBeets
FOR SERVING
- Tomatoes, chopped
- Lettuce, chopped (I like Romaine)
- Red onion, peeled and sliced thinly
- Feta cheese, crumbled
DIRECTIONS:
Marinate the chicken. In a large bowl place all of the ingredients for the chicken marinade and mix to combine well with a whisk. Place the chicken breasts in the marinade, and cover the bowl tightly. Place in the refrigerator and marinate for 1 hour or for up to 2 days. * I had pre-made baked chicken already prepped – see “Cook the chicken” below.
Make Flatbread (or Naan). Whisk together the chickpea flour, water, cumin, and olive oil. Cover container and let rest for 1-3 hours at room temperature. *I did not let it sit that long… make 30 min at most.
Make the tzatziki. Place the shredded cucumber on a clean paper towel and squeeze tightly to remove water from the cucumber. Place the cucumber in a medium-size bowl, add the remaining tzatziki ingredients, and whisk to combine well. Sprinkle the top with a bit more chopped fresh dill, cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Cook the chicken. Remove the chicken breasts from the marinade, and place side by side on a rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and greased with cooking spray. Discard remaining marinade. Place the chicken directly under your oven’s broiler and cook for 6 minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven and flip each breast over carefully. Return to the oven and broil until cooked through (4 to 6 minutes more, depending upon the thickness of the chicken breasts). Remove the chicken from the oven and allow to rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing each breast into strips. *I had chicken breasts in my fridge so I just pulled them out, sliced them into strips, tossed them in my cast iron skillet and seasoned them a little more with olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, dill, lemon juice, etc.
Prep toppings. Slice onion, tomatos, and lettuce. Feta cheese is optional in my opinion 😉
Cook Socca (flatbread). When broiler is hot, brush cast iron griddle or frying pan with olive oil, heat under the broiler for 2-3 minutes, then remove from oven (use a mitt!) and pour on a thin layer of batter. Cook Socca under the broiler until it has firmed and well-browned, especially on the edges. About 2-4 minutes under the broiler. Continue to make Socca pancakes like this, brushing the griddle with oil and heating it between each one. *I did a combo of stovetop and broiler in my cast iron skillet. NOTE – these do not taste like Naan…. they taste like hummus pancakes with some seasoning. Lol I had to preface that with my husband.
Serve. Serve family style with foil – 1. for special effect, 2. because according to my hubby “anything in foil automatically tastes better” and 3. to keep the ingredients in while you eat it. Pile strips of chicken, tzatziki sauce, tomatoes, sliced red onion and crumbled feta cheese in the center of a warm piece of gluten free naan or flatbread. Fold the bread in half and serve.
This recipe was adapted from AllRecipes.com with the help of SEVERAL other sites I found through Pinterest. Seriously though, at this point in my healthy eating journey, I am very grateful for Pinterest as it’s an easy way to find healthy recipes from people who are just like ME! Just regular moms (ahem… not chefs) trying to make a difference in their families health, one meal at a time.
Happy eating!
xo- J
