Kalimera’s Well-known Rooster Gyros – RecipeTin Eats

October 31, 2025

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This Rooster Gyros recipe was given to me by the proprietor of Kalimera Souvlaki Artwork, a wildly fashionable gyros bar in Melbourne. It’s ridiculously, unbelievably, eye-rollingly good. The key lies in a easy marinade made with simply 4 pantry spices. Severely!!!

Kalimera’s Greek Rooster Gyros

A few years in the past, I did a sequence for Good Meals Australia referred to as Secret Recipes the place I shared recipes for a few of the world’s most iconic dishes, generously handed to me by the very eating places well-known for them.

The primary one I did was for the good Greek gyros. I’ve at all times been obsessive about gyros, and for many of my life I’ve been loyal to my authentic recipe made with a heady yogurt-garlic-oregano marinade. I nonetheless like it, however right this moment’s gyros recipe is one thing else….

It was given to me by Thomas Deliopoulos, proprietor of Kalimera Souvlaki Artwork which is a wildly fashionable souvlaki bar in a vibrant Greek neighbourhood referred to as Oakleigh in Melbourne. It serves up gyros so good it has esteemed cooks like Australia’s Ben Shrewery and New York Instances meals critic Sam Sifton raving about it!

At Kalimera Souvlaki Artwork with an enormous hen gyros!

Thomas’ recipe has a novel marinade made solely with spices – it doesn’t even have minced garlic in it – with a stunning secret – curry powder! Not sufficient to make it style like curry, it simply provides a layer of flavour that makes an in any other case pretty common spice combine into one thing wow!

At Kalimera, the gyros is cooked the standard method on big vertical rotisseries layered with fistfuls of fats. I simply pan-fry or BBQ it, and was initially anxious this dwelling model could be missing. However by tweaking the spice quantities barely (additionally as a result of I’m fairly certain Kalimera makes use of higher high quality spices than common grocery shops promote), I can safely say I used to be unsuitable. I’ve made it for many individuals now, and everyone seems to be nuts for it!

Thanks for the recipe Thomas! It’s critically nice. I stay up for visiting Kalimera once more!

Substances in Kalimera’s Greek Rooster Gyros

That is an uncommon mixture of pantry spices that creates a magical gyros marinade – the flavour Kalimera Souvlaki Artwork has develop into well-known for!

1. Kalimera’s secret hen gyros marinade

Curry powder – Simply common western curry powder, the kind you get from abnormal grocery shops. Delicate, not spicy. Kalimera’s secret ingredient!
Mustard powder – One other stunning ingredient you don’t often see in typical Greek marinades! Provides earthiness into the flavour. Dijon mustard isn’t fairly the identical however will make an honest substitute.
Candy / common paprika – not spicy or smoked.
Dried oregano – a Greek favours. Contemporary oregano isn’t the identical right here.
Further virgin olive oil – the liquid to make the marinade.
Salt and pepper – I take advantage of cooking salt (kosher salt is the US equal). In the event you solely have desk salt, lower the portions within the recipe by 50%, you probably have salt flakes, enhance by 50%.

2. COPYCAT KALIMERA GYROS SAUCE

Thomas was coy about revealing his actual gyros sauce recipe, nonetheless, he did inform me what’s in it so I made a copycat up. I feel it’s fairly shut! Right here’s what you want:

Plain yoghurt – ideally Greek or Greek-style. Full fats is greatest, although low-fat will work simply positive.
Entire-egg mayonnaise – That is the one kind of mayonnaise I take advantage of as a result of it has a smoother flavour than common mayonnaise which is extra vinegary and/or sweeter. S&W and Hellman’s are the manufacturers I get. Kewpie can also be best as it’s related in flavour. However, it’s okay! 🙂 You should utilize common mayonnaise if that’s all you bought, or want!
Further virgin olive oil – to complement the sauce.
American yellow mustard – the key ingredient!! Provides the sauce a heat color and a touch of flavour. Dijon mustard isn’t the identical, we wish the full-on vivid yellow stuff!! 🙂 Substitute with Dijon mustard. Don’t use sizzling English mustard, oh gosh, that might make this too spicy!
Garlic and paprika – These are the 2 spices that add flavour into the sauce.

3. for the gyros

Use the bread-type of pita bread, if you could find it. That’s the standard bread used for gyros. In any other case, any flatbread will work right here.

Gyros pita bread / souvlaki bread – As famous above, I take advantage of the bready-type of pita bread that’s about 5mm / 0.2″ thick, 21cm / 8.5″ large. My favorite is the Golden High model Souvlaki Bread , which is fashionable with Greek eating places and souvlaki retailers right here in Australia. I get mine from Harris Farms (I’m in Sydney).

Don’t be deterred for those who can’t discover the sort of pita bread! Gyros is fabulous wrapped in something – common skinny pita bread, flatbreads, Lebanese bread, even tortillas!
Tomato – Halved and thinly sliced.
Lettuce – Kalimera don’t use lettuce in theirs however I do like a little bit of recent leafy greengage inside. Be at liberty to skip it!
Purple onion – Equally to lettuce, that is my addition. I like a little bit little bit of oniony-freshness is wraps like this.
HOT CHIPS! I do know the gyros purists will approve, it wouldn’t be a correct Greek street-style gyros with out them! Nevertheless, it’s non-obligatory and I need to confess, a lot of the occasions I make gyros for an everyday meal I don’t embrace them, simply out of sheer laziness – and since the gyros is so good (and stuffed full) even with out them. 🙂

I simply use frozen – cook dinner them as you please (I bake for on a regular basis, fry to impress) – although for those who actually wish to showcase, make your individual fries!

The right way to make Kalimera’s well-known Rooster Gyros

Kalimera cooks their hen gyros on big vertical rotisseries. We’re simply going to make use of our range or BBQ, not skewering concerned. Not the identical present however you continue to get the flavour!

1. Marinade hen

Combine the marinade in a big bowl.
Marinade – Toss the hen via, ensuring you get the marinade into all of the cracks and crevices! Then depart it to marinade in a single day – 24 hours is right, 12 hours is sufficient, 3 hours is the naked minimal (in my books, although a good friend has made this with out marinading in any respect and thinks that after the hen is chopped and tossed, you get sufficient flavour).

2. Prepare dinner

Sauce first – Combine the sauce up first earlier than cooking the hen because it advantages from resting for about 20 minutes to let the flavours meld.
Scorching chips subsequent, if utilizing – Then cook dinner the recent chips utilizing no matter technique works. In the event you’re baking or air frying, time it so they’re prepared when the gyros is able to assemble. In the event you’re frying, fry then hold them heat in a 100°C/200°F oven.

Prepare dinner hen both on the range in a non-stick pan or higher but, on a BBQ, till deep golden brown and charred on the sides. You gained’t want oil because the marinade has sufficient. Use medium excessive warmth, so the floor gained’t burn earlier than the within cooks via.

Small thighs will take about 3 minutes on all sides, giant ones 4 – 5 minutes. If you wish to ensure, test the interior temperature – it must be a minimum of 72°C/162°F whenever you take it off the BBQ. It’s going to rise to 76°C/169°F as soon as rested.

Relaxation – Take away the hen from the BBQ/range right into a pan or tray. Loosely cowl with foil then let it relaxation for 3 minutes (or nonetheless lengthy it takes to cook dinner the remainder, if cooking in batches utilizing a fry-pan). Resting is crucial so the fibres re-absorb the meat juices in order that they don’t run out whenever you chop the hen!
Heat the pita bread – Whereas the hen is resting, heat the pita bread. That is particularly essential if you’re utilizing the bready-type, else it should crack whenever you fold. The simplest method is to only stack on a plate and microwave for 1 – 1 1/2 minutes on excessive, till it’s heat and pliable within the center.

Else, you’ll be able to brush with water and pan fry (cautious to not make the floor crispy, else it should crack when folded) or wrap in foil and heat within the oven.

Slice the hen into 8mm / 1/3″ strips.
Assemble gyros – To assemble, smear sauce down the center. Pile hen on, then place lettuce and tomato down the aspect. Sprinkle with pink onion, high with chips, drizzle with extra sauce then fold and devour!

That is such an excellent recipe to make in large batch as a result of it’s so easy to make the marinade – simply measuring out dry spices, no squeezing lemon, not even mincing garlic. Wonderful to bag up marinated meat for the freezer, or big-batch cooking for teams.

It’s additionally a type of meals you could lay every thing out for everybody to assist themselves to make their very own wraps. I make no secret that I’m a fan of meals like that (like this one, this one, this one and this one). Sure, partially as a result of it’s much less work for me. But in addition I similar to DIY meals – simply feels extra interactive and inclusive to eat this manner reasonably than formal plated meals!

Ideas? 🙂 – Nagi x

PS Whereas I made gyros wraps, are you able to think about how good this may be in plate-form with a pile of this meat on spiced Lebanese rice (Mejadra) with tabbouleh or shredded lettuce and tomato, an enormous dollop of tzatziki or hummus and folded flatbread tucked into the aspect? Yesssss!!

Watch the right way to make it

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Kalimera’s Well-known Rooster Gyros – RecipeTin Eats

Kalimera’s Greek Rooster Gyros