Greek Chicken Street Tacos
This is one of my favorite recipes that I have created. My Greek Tacos are a perfect example of my style of cooking: Simple, fresh and most importantly delicious. Growing up I ate so many gyros and I mean so many. My parents used to take us to Greece every summer when we were younger and to have a gyro over there is the absolute best. So it was only natural for me to create a recipe of a taco version of the famous gyro, because I just love tacos so much. The pico in this recipe is certainly the star. The fresh dill and fresh basil along with the acidity from the lemon and vinegar really burst with flavor, elevating this taco to a whole new level. Your traditional Tzatziki sauce is easy to prepare and that creamy texture that every taco needs.
makes 8 tacos
Cucumber Pico
English Cucumber, 1/2 each
Red Pepper, 1/2 cup
Jalapeno, chopped small, 1/2 - 1 each
Tomato, diced, 1/4 cup
Fresh Dill, 1/2 teaspoon
or Dry Dill, 1/4 teaspoon
Fresh Basil, 1 tablespoon
Kosher Salt, to taste
Black Pepper, to taste
Garlic Salt, 1/4 teaspoon
Red Wine Vinegar, 2 tablespoon
Juice of Lemon, 1/2 each
Lets Get Cooking:
Prepare the cucumber by peeling, then dicing it into 3/8” pieces. Seed and chop the peppers to a smaller size chop than the cucumbers. The jalapeños need to be seeded and chopped fine. Finally, slice and dice the tomatoes about the same size as the cucumbers. Place all these ingredients into a bowl and gently stir to incorporate.
Then chop your fresh dill and fresh basil to a fine chop, remember to measure the herbs after you chop them and not before. Add the fresh herbs to the vegetables and then add the red wine vinegar and juice of the lemon, being careful not to get any pits in your pico. Stir the pico and add your garlic salt and a little salt and pepper. Have yourself a taste and decide if you want a little more salt and pepper.
Once you are happy with the taste of your pico, store in an air tight container and allow to rest in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to allow your flavors to mingle.
Tzatziki Sauce
Cucumber Sauce is on my top 3 favorite sauces/condiments list of all time. My dad showed me how to make Tzatziki Sauce and I am pretty sure my mom showed him but either way, I never changed it, because why mess with perfection.
English cucumber, peeled, rough chopped, 1 cup
Fresh garlic, peeled, rough chopped, 2–3 pieces
Greek yogurt, plain, 1 cup
Sour cream 1 tablespoon
Granulated garlic, 1/4 teaspoon
Juice of fresh lemon, 1 each
Olive oil, 1 teaspoon
All-purpose seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon
Fresh or Dry dill, pinch to taste
Prepare the cucumber and garlic, add to a food processor, and pulse until finely chopped. Do not puree because the cucumber will not be strainable.
Place cucumber-garlic mixture in a fine strainer, press as much water out as possible, and then place in a bowl. Combine all the rest of the ingredients and whisk together.
Use immediately or store in an airtight container for up to 10 days.
Assembling Tacos
Chicken Thighs, boneless, skinless, 1 lb 8 oz
Kosher Salt, as needed
Black Pepper, as needed
Oregano, as needed
Juice of a Lemon, 1
Olive Oil, 2 tablespoon
Corn or Flour Tortillas, 8 each
Feta Cheese, about 1 cup
Baby Arugula, as needed
Cucumber Sauce, about 1/4 cup (see recipe)
Trim any fat off of your chicken thighs and transfer to a plate. Season on both sides with salt, pepper and oregano. Set aside for 10-15 minutes.
In a large non-stick skillet pan, heat the olive oil over a medium high heat and cook the chicken thighs about 3-4 minutes on each side until no longer pink in the center. Do not cook more then 4-5 thighs at a time. Once the first batch is ready, transfer to a cutting board, squeeze some fresh lemon overtop, scrap out anything stuck to the bottom of the pan, heat 2 more tablespoons of oil and cook the rest of the chicken as stated above.
Once all the chicken is ready, chop and set aside.
In a small pan heat the tortillas 1 at a time, about 1 minute on each side or until they start to brown and are hot. Reserve on a plate and cover with a piece of paper towel. Repeat until all the tortillas are ready.
Assemble your Tacos: Spread the tzatziki sauce across the middle of the tortilla, then in a small bowl, toss the Arugula with juice from the pico, and place in the center of each tortilla. Add the chicken, the Cucumber Pico a sprinkle of feta cheese.
For a printable or PDF version of this recipe, click below...
Greek Chicken Tacos
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The crew at WFXB Fox TV's Carolina AM loved this recipe ... Check out Greg Rowles and I cooking up my Street Greek Tacos!
Check out my recipe for Cilantro Shrimp Tacos for a quick, weeknight dinner.
If you want to learn about what I do and the food I create on a daily basis at my restaurant’s, Johnny D’s, website at johnnydswaffles.com.
