Hades: Chicken Gyro

Hades released from early access just recently and Jeff has finally jumped into the game. I’ve been able to catch a few of his play sessions and the two things I got out of it were: this is a game I would be terrible at playing and all the characters in the game are extremely beautiful. I’ll let Jeff take it for a moment and describe his experience with the game so far.

I’ve played my share of roguelites over the years and Hades strikes the perfect balance of a fun time each run and enough motivation / progression across attempts. Too often, roguelites feel so punishing when your run comes to an abrupt end, but Hades makes sure every attempt Zagreus makes pushes the story, character progression, and your own game knowledge forward. The combat is fast paced and can be difficult, but it’s really responsive and I never feel like the game didn’t let me do what I wanted to do. And of course, the music and the art are wonderful.

There are a few food items found throughout the world of Hades. The moment I saw Jeff run into the gyro set, I knew what I would be making that weekend. The gyro is an item that will heal Zagreus slightly during a run. This recipe has a lot of elements but it is extremely delicious and worth the effort. I added a few ingredients that you would typically not see in a gyro based on what I have seen of the game. First, I added black garlic to the tzatziki to give it a slightly darker hue to match that feel of the world. But also because black garlic is delicious and it should be in more recipes. I wanted to make sure that pomegranate was present in this recipe because of how often it is found in the game and in Greek mythos. Pomegranate seeds are just added on top of the gyro to add a nice bit of sweetness and a crunch texture throughout. It is a super simple implementation of the pomegranate but it truly adds a lot to this dish as a whole.

Tzatziki
1 cucumber, peeled and grated
2 (20 g) whole black garlic
3 (13 g) garlic cloves, minced
1 ½ cups (340 g) greek yogurt
2 tbsp (24 g) olive oil
½ tbsp (18 g) red wine vinegar
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp (1 g) dill
1 tsp (1 g) oregano
½ tsp (1 g) salt

Salt the cucumber and let sit for 10 minutes to help remove some liquid. Smash the whole black garlic in a large bowl.

Mix in the garlic and yogurt until well combined. Add the olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice and zest, dill, oregano, and salt. Mix until well combined. After the cucumber has rested, squeeze out the extra liquid. Add to the bowl and mix together. Can be stored in the refrigerator for a week.

Fries
2 russet potatoes, cut into fry portions
¼ cup (43 g) olive oil
zest and juice of 2 lemons
1 tsp (5 g) garlic powder
1 tsp (4 g) onion powder
1 tbsp (3 g) oregano
½ tsp (1 g) pepper
2 tsp (8 g) salt

Preheat oven to 450°F. Combine olive oil, lemon juice, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, pepper, and salt in a large bowl. Toss the potatoes in the mixture.

Prepare a baking sheet with aluminum foil and nonstick spray. Transfer the seasoned potatoes onto the sheet and place in the oven. Bake for 15 minutes. Toss and bake for another 10 minutes. Toss once more and bake for another 5 minutes. Turn on the broiler and cook the fries until they are crispy, about 4-5 minutes.

Meat
1 lb (450 g) chicken breasts, cut into cubes
¼ cup (43 g) olive oil
2 tbsp (22 g) red wine vinegar
zest and juice of 2 lemons
1 tbsp (11 g) garlic powder
1 tsp (3 g) onion powder
1 tbsp (3 g) dried oregano
2 tbsp (14 g) fresh parsley
½ tsp (1 g) dried thyme
½ tsp (1 g) paprika
1 tsp (5 g) sugar
1 tsp (4 g) salt
½ tsp (½ g) pepper

Combine the olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon zest and juice, garlic, oregano, parsley, sugar, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Whisk together until the sugar has dissolved. Transfer to a sealable plastic bag and toss in the chicken. Place in the refrigerator and let marinate for at least one hour and up to four hours.

Allow the wooden skewers to soak in water for thirty minutes prior to grilling. Remove the chicken meat from the marinade. Place a piece of meat on the skewer followed by two pieces of red onion and a bell pepper. Repeat until you have four pieces of meat on the stick. Cook the skewers for five to ten minutes on a preheated grill, flipping to crisp all sides. Remove the meat from the skewers before serving.

Per Gyro
1 pita
tzatziki sauce
3 slices of cucumber
2 pieces of butter lettuce
5 – 7 pieces of chicken
3 small tomatoes, cut in half
pomegranate seeds

To make a gyro, warm up a pita. Top with tzatziki sauce, cucumbers, butter lettuce, chicken, tomatoes, and pomegranate seeds.

Print Recipe

Chicken Gyro

Ingredients

Tzatziki

• 1 cucumber peeled and grated
• 2 (20 g) whole black garlic
• 3 (13 g) garlic cloves, minced
• 1 ½ cups (340 g) greek yogurt
• 2 tbsp (24 g) olive oil
• ½ tbsp (18 g) red wine vinegar
• zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp (1 g) dill
• 1 tsp (1 g) oregano
• ½ tsp (1 g ) salt

Fries

• 2 russet potatoes cut into fry portions
• ¼ cup (43 g) olive oil
• zest and juice of 2 lemons
• 1 tsp (5 g ) garlic powder
• 1 tsp (4 g) onion powder
• 1 tbsp (3 g) oregano
• ½ tsp (1 g) pepper
• 2 tsp (8 g) salt

Meat

• 1 lb (450 g) chicken breasts, cut into cubes
• ¼ cup (43 g) olive oil
• 2 tbsp (22 g) red wine vinegar
• zest and juice of 2 lemons
• 1 tbsp (11 g) garlic powder
• 1 tsp (3 g) onion powder
• 1 tbsp (3 g) dried oregano
• 2 tbsp (14 g) fresh parsley
• ½ tsp (1 g) dried thyme
• ½ tsp (1 g) paprika
• 1 tsp (5 g) sugar
• 1 tsp (4 g) salt
• ½ tsp (½ g) pepper

Per Gyro

• 1 pita
• tzatziki sauce
• 3 slices of cucumber
• 2 pieces of butter lettuce
• 5 – 7 pieces of chicken
• 3 small tomatoes cut in half
• pomegranate seeds

Instructions

Tzatziki

• Salt the cucumber and let sit for 10 minutes to help remove some liquid. Smash the whole black garlic in a large bowl. Mix in the garlic and yogurt until well combined. Add the olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice and zest, dill, oregano, and salt. Mix until well combined. After the cucumber has rested, squeeze out the extra liquid. Add to the bowl and mix together. Can be stored in the refrigerator for a week.

Fries

• Preheat oven to 450°F. Combine olive oil, lemon juice, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, pepper, and salt in a large bowl. Toss the potatoes in the mixture.
• Prepare a baking sheet with aluminum foil and nonstick spray. Transfer the seasoned potatoes onto the sheet and place in the oven. Bake for 15 minutes. Toss and bake for another 10 minutes. Toss once more and bake for another 5 minutes. Turn on the broiler and cook the fries until they are crispy, about 4-5 minutes.

Meat

• Combine the olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon zest and juice, garlic, oregano, parsley, sugar, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Whisk together until the sugar has dissolved. Transfer to a sealable plastic bag and toss in the chicken. Place in the refrigerator and let marinate for at least one hour and up to four hours.
• Allow the wooden skewers to soak in water for thirty minutes prior to grilling. Remove the chicken meat from the marinade. Place a piece of meat on the skewer followed by two pieces of red onion and a bell pepper. Repeat until you have four pieces of meat on the stick. Cook the skewers for five to ten minutes on a preheated grill, flipping to crisp all sides. Remove the meat from the skewers before serving.

Per Gyro

• To make a gyro, warm up a pita. Top with tzatziki sauce, cucumbers, butter lettuce, chicken, tomatoes, and pomegranate seeds.