Indian Spiced Chicken Gyros with Mint Mayonnaise

When I was in college, after a late night of bar hopping (yes, mom, I said, bar hopping...I know, big shock, right?), we would stop at this place called George's Gyros...or maybe it was George's Gourmet Grill....I can't remember exactly, sorry.  Anyway, you could pretty much find me there at least a few times a month on a Friday or Saturday night after the bars closed, ordering a gyro and fries.  They were to die for.  To this day, sometimes I wonder if they really were that good or if it was just the "drunken" goodness I remember so much.

Now I know that when you order a gyro it usually comes jam packed with meat and tomatoes and onions, but mine were a bit thin (I only used 2 small chicken breasts). I was perfectly ok with it, but you might not be, so go ahead and add another chicken breast or two to the recipe, that way you get enough to fill your pita!

Oh, I forgot to tell you about where I got the recipe from.  A few years back I was gifted a cookbook called InterCourses by Martha Hopkins and Randall Lockridge.  It is a cookbook that utilizes aphrodisiacs.  I love this cookbook, but just recently realized that I've only made a handful of things from it.  That's pretty much par for the course though for me when it comes to cookbooks...I'll find about half a dozen recipes I know I'll like and that's about it.  Anyway, this is a great book, it has little romantic stories throughout and the recipes really are heavenly.  I decided to adapted this recipe, it's something I knew both Chris and I would enjoy....and I hope you will too!

Indian Spiced Chicken Gyros with Mint Mayonnaise
Adapted from InterCourses by Martha Hopkins and Randall Lockridge
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup plain yogurt (I used Greek yogurt)
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
2-4 whole pita rounds
tomato, diced
lettuce, shredded (optional)
1/4 onion, thinly sliced or diced (optional)
1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced (optional) (I didn't have cucumber but know it would be a perfect addition to the gryo)

Mint Mayonnaise-
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dried mint
1/4 teaspoon dried dill weed

Directions:
In a small bowl, mix all ingredients for the mint mayo together.  Cover and store in refrigerator until ready to use.

Place chicken in a resealable bag.  In small bowl, mix all other ingredients together until well blended.  Pour over chicken and marinate for at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours.

Preheat grill to medium.  Remove chicken and discard marinade.  Place chicken directly over the fire on oiled grill grates.  Grill 5-6 minutes per side or until chicken is cooked through.  Remove and allow to cool for 5 minutes and cut chicken into thin slices.  Warm the pita and pile on chicken, tomatoes, onions, cucumber, and/or lettuce.  Drizzle mint mayonnaise over top and serve.  (You can also spread the mayo on the pita before you put the meat and veggies on it.) Enjoy!