Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Holding Out for a Gyro

Before I share today's recipe, some breaking news: *Girl From Scratch joined Twitter! There are so many little fun things to share-- blog updates, and you know, the latest nail colors. For occasional extras in 160-characters-or-less, get your bite-sized fix by following @GirlFromScratch.

Lemon-Chicken Gyros
w/ Homemade Tzatziki 
This week I am still suffering from it's-hot-and-I-don't-have-any-motivation, so I turned to my kitchen BFF, the Crock-Pot. When I'm too busy to watch the stove, she works tirelessly all day, like my own personal live-in cook. And in the summer, my Crock-Pot cooks a hot meal without raising the temperature in the entire kitchen. If you can't stand the heat, go ahead and stay out of the kitchen! Crock-Pot will get the job done.



One branch of my family tree is Greek, so I grew up eating some delicious authentic Greek recipes, ranging from Moussaka and Pastitsio to Spanakopita and BaklavaChicken Gyros with Homemade Tzatziki isn't exactly "authentic" Greek, but it does draw from the same tasty flavor profile. The chicken is dressed in lemon and oregano and drizzled with cool, creamy, cucumber-y tzatziki sauce. Pile it high on a warm pita with feta, juicy tomatoes and crunchy lettuce, and Opa! Make extra sauce because you'll want some for pita chips or pretzels later this week:-) Enjoy!

                                                                                                                           
Lemon Chicken Gyros with Homemade Tzatziki Sauce 
Cast of Characters: Chicken Breast, oregano, onion, lemon, yogurt, cucumber, fresh dill, feta, pita and tomatoes. (Looks like a lot, but a lot of them are pantry staples.)
Layer chicken breast on bed of chopped onions. Salt and pepper. Cut lemons and sprinkle dried oregano. Turn Crock-Pot on high and walk away!
In a bowl mix 2 cups plain yogurt with diced cucumber.
Use a cheese grater or micro-plane to shred the rest of the cucumber.
Add garlic. Fresh is best, but I was lazy and added garlic powder. Use what you like.
Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
Fresh dill.







Once chicken is cooked through, cut in chunks and layer on pita bread. Sprinkle with feta cheese, lettuce, tomato and the homemade tzatziki sauce. Opa!
Nail Color: Shellac "Hot Pop Pink"

Lemon-Chicken Recipe
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 onion
1 lemon
oregano
salt/pepper/garlic

Layer chicken on bed of chopped onions. Add everything else. S/P to taste. Cook on high for 2-3 hours.

Homemade Tzatziki
2 cups plain yogurt
1 hothouse or english cucumber
1 TB olive oil
lemon
dill
garlic
S/P

Cut half the cucumber and grate the other half. Combine with yogurt in bowl. Salt, Pepper, garlic, dill, lemon juice all to taste/consistency preferred.

I have a feeling the "Crock-Pot hot sandwich" will be a popular go-to this summer. BBQ chicken sandwiches, pulled pork, and sloppy-joes can be prepared with ease in the comfort of your cool kitchen. Any other Crock-Pot favorites?

4 comments:

  1. That is an excellent recipe. I am definitely going to put this on my list of things to try!

    ReplyDelete
  2. sounds yummy! ow all need to do is invest in a crock pot!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Margaret let me know how it goes! And Eys, i see lots at the thrift store:-)

    ReplyDelete
  4. This reminds me of the huge container of tzatziki that Aunt Priscilla made when we were in HH the year before last. I adore the stuff. This recipe looks deelish! I made something similar last week that is vegetarian friendly. A sandwich using the following ingredients:

    -2 slices your fave bread (toast it in olive oil for a little more flavor)
    -1-2 tbsp goddess dressing
    -3-4 slices of tomato
    -3-4 slices of cucumber
    -2 leaves romaine
    -several shards of feta
    -freshly ground black pepper

    Yum, yum, yum!!!
    Thanks for all your hard blogging, sister!
    Love,
    Anna

    ReplyDelete