Chicken Gyros: You too can make your own!

Chicken Gyros are a yummy treat that are pretty easy to make. I love finding a Greek restaurant and ordering a gyro and figured, why can't I make one myself? I spent a few weeks looking for the perfect recipe.

I have to have criteria in place:

1. It has to have less than 40 carbohydrates per serving.

2. It has to be low fat.

3. It has to be easy to make.

4. It has to be kid friendly.

I finally stumbled upon this fabulous recipe: Chicken gyros from Taste of Home Comfort Food Diet Cookbook and I thought BINGO! So I tried it! I must admit I was surprised at how good it was. I do have some drawbacks and some suggestions at the end. This recipe does taste as good as ordering from a Greek restaurant. My kids were less impressed.

So here is the review of the recipe:

Ease of making: This is a fairly uncomplicated recipe. It can get a little messy with the sauce. The marinade can be avoided altogether if you follow my tips at the end of the recipe. Kids who like getting their hands dirty will love helping you make this recipe, because it involves some mess, but not much. It is definitely not a destroy the kitchen recipe. I give it an A- for some mess, but the kids enjoy making the mess so much that we'll let it slide.

Do the Kids like it: This is a tricky one right here. If your kids do not like the strong flavors of Greek food, this is a recipe you should definitely avoid. I am all in favor of making my kids try new foods, but you have to pick your battles. I give this one a C because it is definitely not necessarily a kid friendly recipe. Now with that said, I LOVED this recipe, even if my kids did not. So if you're in the mood to make a lunch just for you, THIS is one you should definitely try!!

Diabetic Rating: This one passes. The nutritional values are very very outstanding. With only 367 calories, 9 grams of fat and 39 grams of carbohydrates, this recipe is a diabetic dream for either a lunch or dinner. If you're looking to add anything to that lunch, then you can't. If you are only going to eat this for lunch its perfect. I have some tips for cutting the size down if you're not interested in eating the whole thing and want to add some fruit and other veggies to your diet.

To Keep or Not To Keep: That depends again on your family. I don't think this one is for my family, but my husband and I will definitely keep it for our home dates when we can't afford a sitter and the kids are in bed. This is an affordable dinner that we can eat that makes us feel good on the inside and out.

Recipe:

Chicken Gyros

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

3/4 teaspoon minced garlic, divided

1/2 ground mustard

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch strips

1/2 cup chopped peeled cucumber

1/3 cup plain yogurt

1/4 teaspoon dill weed

2 whole weed gyro-style pitas (6 inches)

1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

Directions:

1. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine lemon juice, oil, 1/2 teaspoon garlic, mustard and oregano; add chicken. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for at least 1 hour. In a small bowl, combine the cucumber, yogurt, dill, and remaining garlic; cover and refrigerate until serving.

2. Drain and discard marinade. In a large nonstick skillet, saute chicken for 7-8 minutes or until juices run clear. Spoon onto each pita bread. Top with yogurt mixture and onion; fold in half.

Yield: 2 Servings

Nutritional Facts: 1 gyro equals 367 calories, 9 grams fat ( 2 grams saturated fat), 68 mg cholesterol, 397 mg sodium, 39 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 30 grams protein.

Tips to improve on: I like tweaking recipes to make them better. After initially trying the recipe I was definitely looking for ways to make it better. I don't like eating an entire pita, that's a huge amount of bread for me. I like to include more veggies and fruit, and for being a pre-diabetic, 39 carbs does not leave a lot of room for me to add on. So some suggestions I've had to improve on the recipe to save on carbs and to majorly improve on the flavor: don't use the marinade. Instead use a crockpot the night before and just throw in some chicken stock. The chicken is SO juicy and tender. You wake up smelling that, who needs an alarm clock??? Then there's the pita situation. I can't eat an entire pita, so I have only used half, and stuffed the chicken inside, as opposed to what the recipe calls for, using the entire piece. This allows you room to add a piece of fruit or extra veggies that you may miss in a later meal.