Chicken Lettuce Wraps Recipe

And somehow, today is the first day of July. I mean, what? Not that I can complain, because I had one heck of a June. It's been one month of summer, and I have yet to buy one new item of clothing, I have yet to put on a pair of jeans (probably my biggest accomplishment), and I have completed eight books. I'm hoping to up that list to ten by the end of the summer. I know it seems like I'm aiming low with that number, but my time is about to get less and less. So finishing two books in that timespan will be quite the accomplishment. But enough about my summer doings - I've got a recipe to share with you guys today! And I think you guys will really like this one because not only is it delicious, but it is so, so easy. It's made in the crock pot (or do you call it a slow cooker?), so aside from the slicing and dicing, all the work is done for you. 

I originally planned on titling this "Copycat P.F. Changs Chicken Lettuce Wraps Recipe," but I couldn't locate any ground chicken at the grocery store. I've had this problem before, so maybe I need to change my grocery store of choice when it comes to recipes calling for ground chicken. Instead, I used chicken thighs, and I cut them into small one-inch pieces. So it's not really a copycat recipe, rather, it's simply modeled after it.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds chicken thighs
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp lemon pepper
• 1/4 cup celery, chopped
• 1/2 cup asparagus, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, cored and finely sliced
• 1/2 white onion, diced
• 1/4 cup hoisin Sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 8 oz can water chestnuts, sliced
• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 2 heads Artisan Romaine lettuce
• Sriracha sauce

Directions:
1. Cut chicken into one- and one-and-a-half- pieces. Place into the crock pot, covering with lemon pepper, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes.

2. Slice and chop celery, asparagus, bell pepper, and onion. Place in a small bowl.

3. In that same small bowl, combine water chestnuts, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, and soy sauce. Gently mix all ingredients, so that vegetables are evenly coated with the sauce mixture.
4. Place vegetable mixture in crock pot over the chicken.
5. Cover and cook on "Low" setting for eight hours, or until chicken is tender and cooked through.
6. When putting together your wraps, place cooked quinoa in the lettuce head before spooning in the chicken mixture.
7. If you're a fan of the spice, add a bit of sriracha sauce. I'm currently addicted.
8. Enjoy!

And it's really as easy as that. And this recipe is good. In fact, it's so good, that I planned on enjoying this recipe for three or four days, but my family just couldn't resist the smell coming from the crock pot, and they too enjoyed a couple of lettuce wraps, meaning my crock pot meal that was meant to last for three days, lasted me just one. But it's about time I earned my keep, right? Even my brother requested that I put this recipe together again. And that's when you know it's a hit. Be on the lookout for a killer track workout being posted on the blog tomorrow. Have a great one!