Layered gyros salad: A lighter twist for holiday feasts
Layered gyros salads are a hit at any home party. Especially between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, people look for good, reliable, but not too heavy, options. For the gyros salad, I recommend a lighter sauce - this version will not "sit" heavily on the stomach.
Gyros salad owes its name mainly to the gyros spice, which is added to the fried meat. It's usually chicken, but sometimes minced meat appears in some recipes.
Light yoghurt dressing
What pairs perfectly with fried meat strongly seasoned with intense spices is obviously mayonnaise. Unfortunately, right after the holidays, many people experience heaviness and slightly tighter clothing, so to avoid adding extra digestive problems, it's better to replace this ingredient with another product. The best choice is natural yoghurt, but with a thick, velvety texture. I do not recommend Greek yoghurt - although its consistency is tempting, it is not a low-calorie dairy product. Yoghurt should be properly seasoned. And here, too, you should be careful with the additions because the premade gyros spice mix contains a lot of salt, which can cause water retention in the body and the characteristic feeling of fullness and bloating.
Recipe for a lighter version of gyros salad
What also makes an impression in gyros salad is the presentation. You can use a salad bowl or a glass baking dish, for example, a pâté mould.
Ingredients:
- 1 double chicken breast,
- 3 tablespoons of homemade ketchup or with a good ingredient list,
- 1 large red onion,
- 200g of canned corn,
- 3 large pickled cucumbers,
- 200g of thick natural yoghurt,
- 2 cloves of garlic,
- optionally, 1 tablespoon of 18% sour cream,
- freshly ground black pepper,
- Butterhead or Romaine lettuce (a few leaves),
- 1 tablespoon of gyros spice (can also be homemade),
- 3 tablespoons of crispy fried onions,
- 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil for frying.
Preparation:
- Clean the meat and cut it into small cubes. Fry in hot oil, season with gyros spice, and set aside. Find out how to cleverly remove membranes from chicken.
- Peel and dice the onion. Drain the corn. Dice the pickled cucumbers.
- Peel the garlic cloves and press through a garlic press. In a small bowl, mix yoghurt, garlic, freshly ground black pepper, and optionally a tablespoon of sour cream.
- Wash, dry, and tear the lettuce into smaller pieces.
- Layer the ingredients in a dish - starting with the chicken, then ketchup, followed by red onion, pickled cucumbers, corn, white sauce, and top with lettuce and crispy onions. The lighter version of the layered gyros salad can "marinate" for a moment before serving.
