Chicken gyros

Method

1. 01

   Tip the chicken into a large bowl and add the marinade ingredients, along with 1 teaspoon salt and plenty of black pepper. Mix well, ensuring each thigh is well coated. Cover and chill for at least 3 hours, or up to 48 hours if you have time. Food-safety addition: refrigerate at 4°C or below, follow any earlier use-by date and count these 48 hours within the chicken’s total refrigerated storage time, not as extra time after storage.

2. 02

   Then, a few hours before you want to eat, make the pita. In a bowl, mix the flour, yeast, sugar and half a teaspoon salt with your fingertips. Add 150 ml lukewarm water and 2 teaspoons olive oil, and combine to a dough.

3. 03

   Tip onto a work surface and knead for 8–10 minutes (or use a tabletop mixer for 5 minutes). Clean, then lightly oil your bowl, return the dough and cover loosely with cling film. Leave to rise for 1 hour or until nearly doubled in size.

4. 04

   Divide the dough into four equal pieces. Roll out to circles, as thin as you can. Cover with sheets of oiled cling film and leave to rise for 15–20 minutes.

5. 05

   To make the tzatziki, halve the cucumber lengthways and scoop out the seeds. Finely chop, then combine with the remaining ingredients along with a pinch of salt. Chill until ready to serve.

6. 06

   Then heat the grill to its highest setting. Line a roasting tin with foil and find skewers long enough to sit across the top with a little space underneath. Remove the chicken from the fridge, take one thigh and thread it over 2 skewers, so it has a skewer through either side. Thread another piece; you should fit 6 thighs on each pair of skewers. Position the skewers on top of the roasting tin and set aside while you finish the pitas.

7. 07

   Heat a large frying pan (or two if you have them) over a medium-high heat and brush the breads with oil. Gently lift one into the pan. It should sizzle, and bubbles should appear on the surface after 1–2 minutes. When the underside is golden, flip it and cook for another 2–3 minutes. Continue until all the breads are cooked, wrapping them in foil as you go. Keep the bread warm in the bottom of the oven while you cook the chicken. Alternatively, cook the pita breads on the braai for 5–8 minutes, turning occasionally.

8. 08

   Put the chicken under the hot grill and cook for 15–20 minutes, brushing with oil and any juices from the bottom of the tin regularly, and turning halfway through cooking. Food-safety addition: check the thickest part of the chicken with a food thermometer for at least 74°C (165°F), checking several thighs, especially where they overlap. Cook longer if necessary; do not rely on the timing alone. Stop basting with juices from undercooked chicken before the final cooking stage, and do not pour them over the finished dish unless thoroughly cooked.

9. 09

   Once cooked, remove from the oven and rest for 5 minutes. Cut through the chicken between each pair of skewers to make four kebabs and serve with the warm bread, lettuce, tomato, red onion, lemon wedges and tzatziki. Leave the metal skewers intact; slice the chicken off them to fill the pita wraps.