Chicken gyros

1. 1

   Mix together the yoghurt, garlic, olive oil, juice of 1 lemon, all the spices and ½ teaspoon each of sea salt and pepper.

2. 2

   Place the chicken thighs between two sheets of greaseproof paper (you’ll have to do this in batches) and hit them with a rolling pin or the base of a frying pan until they are all 1cm/½in thick.

3. 3

   Place the chicken in the marinade and mix together well. Cover and place in the fridge overnight.

4. 4

   About half an hour before you want to cook, light a barbecue. Allow the flames to die down and the charcoal to be grey and ashen at the edges. You don't want to burn the chicken, so a nice even heat is required.

5. 5

   Thread the thighs onto two large skewers (you can use one if you like, but two makes it more stable) or a spit. They should be stacked tightly enough to keep each other in place but not so compactly they take ages to cook.

6. 6

   Place the skewers on the barbecue, not too close to the coals, and cook for 45 minutes-1 hour, turning a couple of times. The chicken is cooked when the juices run clear when pierced with a skewer in the thickest part.

7. 7

   Once the meat is cooked, drizzle with olive oil and squeeze over the juice of the second lemon, then place the gyros closer to the coals for a final 10 minutes so it chars evenly.

8. 8

   To serve, carefully stand the skewers upright on a chopping board and slice the meat onto hot pitta breads. Top with tzatziki, thinly sliced red onion, tomato and a sprinkle of oregano. Add some pickled chilli and serve with lemon wedges.

1 serving ≈ 350 g

Nutrition values are estimates. - means data is unavailable.