MY “BIG FAT GREEK” THEME NIGHT! (CHICKEN GYROS & FRIES WITH TZATZIKI SAUCE)

As Flavor of the Month continues here, I thought I’d share some of my favorite flavorful foods with my cuties!! While quarantine started with everybody becoming experts in banana bread making, we’ve now moved on to more creative and fun recipes here at Color Me HQ. As some of you know, my Mom (who has been quarantining with us since March), has become quite the connoisseur of homemade popsicles in exotic fruity flavors. But she’s also been able to help me recreate some of my favorite summertime dishes, included one we ate all the time growing up.

MY “BIG FAT GREEK” CHICKEN GYROS & GREEK FRIES WITH TZATZIKI SAUCE (45 MINUTE TOTAL TIME)

Growing up, we used to frequent a restaurant in Arizona called by Big Fat Greek Restaurant. As you can imagine, this eatery was named after “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”. Aside from opportunistic naming of the restaurant, there were three things I remembered about it. 1 – Amazing Greek Fries. 2 – Thee BEST Tzatziki Sauce. 3 – Terrible tap water lol.

SKIRT: tiered mini skirt blue || TOP*: crop top with tie || TOP*:square neck top

Summer, summer, summertime calls for refreshing recipes and it doesn’t get more refreshing than these My “Big Fat Greek” Chicken Gyros. Lucky for you, my fellow Arizonian Melissa made this delicious recipe. We made some of our own updates & sharing everything below. (Photo Credit: Modern Honey)

INGREDIENTS: CHICKEN MARINADE: 2 lbs. Chicken Breast cut into pieces 1/4 cup Greek Yogurt 3 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1 Tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar 1 1/2 teaspoon Salt 1 teaspoon Pepper 2 teaspoons Oregano

TZATZKIKI SAUCE: 1 1/2 cups Greek Yogurt 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice 1 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar 1-2 teaspoons Salt 1 Tablespoons Fresh Dill diced 3 Garlic Cloves finely diced 1 cucumber grated and squeezed to drain

GREEK SALAD: 3 Tomatoes diced 2 Cucumber peeled and diced 1/4 Red Onion diced 2 Tablespoons Fresh Italian Parsley diced 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil Salt and Pepper to taste Feta Cheese

GREEK FRIES 1 bag frozen thin cut/crunchy fries 2 tbsp olive oil 1 clove garlic, minced Greek seasoning (1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp dried thyme, 1 tsp dried rosemary, 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley) Juice and zest of 1/2 a lemon Feta cheese, crumbled Fresh parsley, chopped

INSTRUCTIONS 1 – Place chicken, yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and oregano in a bag and let marinate at least 30 minutes, preferably 2-4 hours. 2 – To make tzatziki sauce, stir together yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, dill, and garlic. Stir in grated cucumber and taste for seasonings. Squeeze the cucumber to remove excess water before adding to the rest of the ingredients. 3 – To make a greek salad, place tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, parsley, olive oil, salt and pepper in bowl. Stir to coat. Season to taste. 4 – To make greek fries, heat oven to 450F, toss pureed garlic and olive oil in a large bowl with fries until evenly coated. Pour onto a baking sheet & top with lemon zest before baking for 15-20 minutes. 5 – Heat skillet to medium high heat. Sprinkle with oil. Add chicken and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until chicken is fully cooked and golden brown. 6 – Place chicken in pita bread. You can warm the pita bread to make it pliable. Top with tzatziki sauce and greek salad. Add additional feta, if desired. 7 – Remove greek fries from the oven. Top with crumbled feta cheese and fresh chopped parsley and serve with Tzatziki sauce.

MAKE IT A THEME NIGHT!!!! Looking for some entertainment to pair with your meal? might I suggest… Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (1 & 2) available to rent Hercules on Stream on Disney+ My Big Fat Greek Wedding on Stream on HBO Max or Rent Before Midnight on Stream on STARZ via Amazon or Rent Mamma Mia Here We Go Again! Stream on HBO GO or HBO NOW Mamma Mia Stream on STARZ, STARS @ Amazon or Rent