Welcome to a new feature called Recipe Remix here on Dainty Chef. The idea is that I am going to give you some type of base in which you can prep ahead of time and then use the leftovers to create 3 different meals. I will take the leftovers and present them in new ways for you so you won’t get bored all week eating them. I already have another idea in the works so this won’t be the last time you will see this feature. Hopefully, I can get creative enough to let it be a staple on the blog! How cool would that be? I love to make people’s lives a little bit easier.
Fortunately for me, I am winding down the school year. I have 4 days of work ahead of me after today. I am really looking forward to being able to clean whenever I want, go grocery shopping when no one else does, and cook more elaborate meals on a weeknight. Of course, before we know it my schedule will pick up again and it will be a new school year before I know it, that is when I look for convenience. In comes this meal. I hope you all like buffalo chicken!
I ended up making this particular chicken base on a Sunday since I saw that the cooking time was rather short. From there, I had my wheels turning as to how I could use the leftovers in creative ways. Growing up, I despised leftovers, I mean I refused to touch them. Today, I would definitely prefer a fresh meal over leftovers, but sometimes I don’t have the energy, time, or cash to make something new every night. Plus I hate to waste good food. I guess when you become a grown-up, you learn to cope with some things. This ended up making a ton of food, so what I had planned into maybe two nights of eating became three. The first night we enjoyed these in the most healthy way, lettuce wraps. We sprinkled on some cheese and dolloped them with some homemade ranch. These were super light and of course easy since all I had to do was heat up the chicken.
I was a bit afraid of how Blair would react to this whole idea of eating this chicken every night, but he jumped right on board with it. On Wednesday, I will be sharing a new recipe using this chicken as the base, it was Blair’s favorite one. And finally, on Friday, I will be sharing my favorite one from the week. Believe me, when I tell you, we could have enjoyed this in many other ways too! Here are just a few more ideas that I thought could work with this, leave some of your ideas in the comments below!
Quesadillas, Enchiladas, Taquitos, Buffalo chicken salad, Nachos, Crack Buffalo Chicken dip, Wraps, Mix it in some mac & cheese, buffalo chicken egg rolls, or simply freeze it for later use.
Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients:
For the chicken:
- 24 oz boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1 celery stalk
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic
- 16 oz fat free low sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 cup hot cayenne pepper sauce (I used Frank’s)
For the wraps:
- 6 large lettuce leaves, Bibb or Iceberg
- 1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
- 2 large celery stalks, cut into 2-inch matchsticks
Directions:
In a crockpot, combine chicken, onions, celery stalk, garlic and broth (enough to cover your chicken, use water if the can of broth isn’t enough). Cover and cook on high 4 hours.
Remove the chicken from pot, reserve 1/2 cup broth and discard the rest. Shred the chicken with two forks or in your Kitchenaid Mixer, return to the slow cooker with the 1/2 cup broth and the hot sauce and set to on high for an additional 30 minutes. Makes 3 cups chicken.
To prepare lettuce cups, place 1/2 cup buffalo chicken in each leaf, top with 1/4 cup shredded carrots, celery and dressing of your choice (we like ranch or blue cheese).
