CrockPot Sweet and Sour Chicken with Mango Lettuce Wraps



Chicken Lettuce Wraps are a fun and light and healthy main course. This easy recipe is made in the crockpot slow cooker which keeps your house cool and pleasant in the warm spring and summer months!

chicken lettuce wraps with mango in the crockpot slow cooker

photo updated 2015 via Simply Gluten Free Magazine

Day 303.

These are so much fun to eat! I'm going to tag it "summer cooking" even though we're at the end of October, because this would have been a welcome treat to eat during the hot months---although you can really make this any time you'd like a lighter meal.


The Ingredients.






1 1/2 pounds frozen, skinless breast pieces (I used 3 humongous breast halves)
10 ounce jar mango jam (I couldn't find mango, and used apricot-orange. It was great)
3 tablespoons soy sauce (La Choy and Tamari wheat free are gluten free)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 chopped garlic cloves
1 teaspoon chili paste (you can substitute red chili flakes)
1 inch peeled and grated fresh ginger (or 1 teaspoon ground)
2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and diced
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 whole jalapeño peppers (do NOT cut, just toss in whole)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

to add later:

2 mangoes, peeled and chopped (if you can't find fresh mango, it's ok to use frozen)
romaine lettuce leaves
2 limes
2 tablespoons sesame seeds

The Directions.

Use a 6-quart slowcooker. Put the frozen chicken in. 

Add the jam, soy sauce, sesame oil, and chili paste. Chop the garlic, onion, and cucumber. 

Add that too.

Add spices and ginger. Toss in the whole jalapeño peppers.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or high for 4-5. The meat is done when it shreds easily with a fork.

Cut the mango now while the kitchen is already dirty and put it in a tupperware for later.

When fully cooked, shred the meat with two large forks, and serve 1/2 cup at a time on large romaine lettuce leaves. Add cubed mango, a squeeze of lime, and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.

Enjoy. mmmm.



The Verdict.

3 out of 4 of us liked this a lot. That is a successful meal, by my judgement, and the 4th who didn't like it wouldn't have liked anything last night.

seriously. she was in a funk.

Adam had 3 wraps for dinner, my youngest had 3 plates of meat with some leftover rice, and I had a wrap, then another for a midnight (8:30 pm) snack.

Very tasty. The whole jalapenos lend a bit of spice and smokiness without being overpowering. My little one did wash down every bite with some ice water, but kept digging in for more.

My eldest ended up eating a quesadilla and an artichoke.

If you like chicken lettuce wraps, I made PF Chang copy-cats earlier in the year.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps are a fun and light and healthy main course. This easy recipe is made in the crockpot slow cooker which keeps your house cool and pleasant in the warm spring and summer months!

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Posted by: Stephanie O'Dea | A Year of Slow Cooking at October 29, 2008

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What they say about this article

  1. Day 303? Really? You are in the home stretch! What will become of us when you have completed the year? No really! Will the blog stay up? Do I need to buy a ream of paper to start printing off everything? I have sooooo come to rely on your site as an online catalogue of recipes. I need to get moving to make sure that I have everything I need before the **gasp** end.

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  2. These sound great!

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  3. thanks, Mandy!

    Khaki, I will not take the blog down. But I AM going to go on vacation! :-0

    xox
    steph

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  4. LOL at your 8:30 PM midnight snack. Sometimes I don't even eat dinner until 8:30 PM. Which is good, only because that usually leaves me too full for dessert :)

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  5. Anonymous10/29/2008

    I just came across the blog and was reading old entries and saw the recipe for crockpot playdough.It's not a crockpot recipe but here's an easier gluten free one I got from perpetualpreschool.com. Mix 1C of baking soda and 1/2 C cornstarch. Stir in 2/3 C warm water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it's the consistancy of mashed potatoes. Turn out on a surface dusted with cornstarch and knead as soon as it it cool enough to handle. If you want color add food coloring with the water. It makes a really smooth dough and kneading it when it's really warm helps with arthritic fingers!

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  6. I love chicken with the sweetness of fruit, will have to try this!

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  7. Anonymous10/29/2008

    Going off of Khaki's suggestion, I think an archived cookbook of the blog that we can order is...in order.

    -Keiko

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  8. These sound so good, especially with a little kick of jalepeno in there.
    I'm sooo glad to see you're not going to take the blog down. I was wondering the same thing as khaki.
    I know you don't need me to know how great your blog is, but for saving my butt so many times, there's an award waiting for you on my blog at http://www.ldbeams.wordpress.com

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  9. I can't believe it's day 303! Not only are your recipes in the crock-pot but gluten free too.

    I made baked potatoes in my Rival Crock-pot last night. Potatoes were good but my ceramic liner did crack during the cooking process.

    It's a good thing, because I've hated the crock-pot since I got it! Always cooked way to hot on one side (yes, the side that cracked). So I'll be shopping for another crock-pot over the next few days.

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  10. Anonymous10/29/2008

    Hi Stephanie,

    I have a question. I was comparing the two lettuce wrap recipes. I think I'll make the pf change knockoffs first because my kids LOVE them at pf changs. Do you think it would work to throw whole breasts in there and shred them apart AFTER cooking, like you did in this one? I have the unfortunate combination of being grossed out by raw meat AND being lazy, so I'm hoping you say yes.
    :)
    Thanks for any advice,
    Kelley

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  11. This sounds great. I can't wait to try it myself. I love those lettuce wraps that "Chilli's" has and this reminds me of them.

    By the way, our family favorite is Cowboy Stew. It's a must have dinner several times a month. I have to sub chilli beans for the Ranch Style Beans because our grocer stopped carrying them.

    I'm so glad you aren't taking the blog down.

    http://lolasdiner.blogspot.com/

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  12. This looks so yummy.
    Thanks for sharing!

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  13. sounds delicious! I can't find one thing to get picky about! (except that I didn't get any) ;)

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  14. These sound DELISH! I would totally make these in the summer time to avoid a hot kitchen.

    Thanks!
    Heidi

    PS> KELLEY: shred meat AFTER it's cooked :) WAaaaay easier to do and the meat stays moist while cooking if it is left whole.

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  15. Just wanted you to know I am giving you an award tomorrow on my blog on my "Thoughts for Thursday" post. Please stop by! :)

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  16. Anonymous10/29/2008

    Hi! I am an avid stalker of your blog and I just wanted to let you know that this site it AWESOME!

    I have printed out at least a dozen things that I want to try

    I made the Sausage and Vegetable soup last night! AWESOME!!! My boyfriend and I LOVED IT!! I am now officially more hooked than ever

    I posted a link to your blog in mine today. I hope it sends some new people your way.

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  17. Stephanie,

    I stumbled across your blog over the weekend and I have to tell you I think you are the cutest thing ever! What a crazy and fun idea - but what makes it absolutely wonderful is how you have kept on track with your "resolution"!

    Too bad I found it so late in the year...sheesh...I have a lot of "catch up" reading to do!

    I, too, love my crockpot (is it a contagious condition?) so I'll enjoy coming back often.

    Thanks for testing all of these recipes for us...and for the entertainment!

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  18. I'm totally cracking up right now...I'm thinking I just stumbled upon this little blog and then I went searching around and find out you get like a bazillion hits a day and have been all over the media.

    Duh.

    Sorry, I live a very sheltered life.

    Anyway, LOVE your blog and plan to use it every day while it's cold outside. I'm going to make the PF Chang lettuce wraps next!!!

    I've also added a link to you on my blog...which does NOT get a bazillion hits a day, but I do have a few people who read it. Sometimes. ahem...
    Sandy Cooper
    www.godspeakstoday.blogspot.com

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  19. I love your blog! This week alone I tried the Brown Sugar Chicken and the Rotis. Style Chicken! (I also made chili in the crockpot)
    I cant wait to try this I love mango!

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  20. I just love your blog and have made so many great recipes from it.

    I have to say that I am impressed with how diligently you have kept your resolution. I only weigh 10 pounds less than on Jan. 1, and my home is almost as messy. So much for my resolutions!

    Thanks for all you do here!

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  21. Anonymous10/29/2008

    hey steph.

    i tried yogurt ur way today and it turned out just as well as the stressful on the stove method, lol. thanks for saving me some time.

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  22. Anonymous10/29/2008

    Neat! I just happened to find your interview in the back of my Slow Cooker Recipe Book! Have you tried some Filipino recipes yet? Chicken Adobo would work wonderfully in a crockpot.

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  23. Hi! I'm from the philippines and my grandmother gave me a crockpot for my wedding. She had bought it in the states, but since all appliances there have a 110 voltage, she couldn't use it in our country (we use 220 voltage), so she handed it down to me because my kitchen has a 110V electric outlet. I love it! everything that comes out of it has been wonderful. my grandma missed out on a lot of great dishes. I shall share some with you!

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  24. Anonymous10/30/2008

    I am going to try this! I was at the dollar store yesterday and found Mango Perserves!! Yeah!

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  25. Anonymous11/02/2008

    I have been wanting to try these since the day you put this post up. I finally got to make them today.

    Wow. Wow wow wow. I will be making these A LOT.

    We ate a few wrapped in Lettuce, then we started spooning the chicken on top of some brown rice. Yummy both ways.

    (And my daughter, she's 3, found out she likes Mango. Though she did run around the house calling it "flamingo" instead of mango!)

    Thanks again for another super recommendation!

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  26. I'm making these right now... hope my 3 year old will try these.

    Saw a request for a book format of the blog... blurb.com makes great blog books and you can sell them through their site.

    Thanks for all the great ideas.

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  27. Boy, I wish I had found your blog just about 12 hours ago or so. I made a chicken dish and the chicken came out so dry. I love my crockpot too, but have had no luck with chicken or pork chops. I make a killer pulled pork though, oh yeah. And some great chili. I will have to really take a look around here. Thanks for the resource.

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  28. Anonymous12/29/2008

    I heard about the blog a while ago, and finally navigated my way over here. This is the first recipe I've tried and it's super fantastic! We both really loved it, and the kids liked it too. Thanks so much.

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  29. These were sooo good!! I didn't have enough mango/orange jelly but i have jalapeno jelly so i used that in addition to the mango/orange.

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  30. This was so good. Loved the taste, perfect for a warm day.

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  31. Could I sub some regular onion for the red onion? Would that change the flavor much? I have all the other ingredients and I can't get to the store for a little while. Thanks!

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  32. Lisa in CO2/19/2010

    Steph,

    After eyeing this one for a LONG time, i finally got a chance to make it. It was delicious. loved the slightly spicy flavor. perhaps a silly question, but did you ever eat the jalapenos?

    also, i had two large bone in chicken breasts that i used. during the last hour of cook time, i took the meat off the bone (about 15 oz of chicken...a food scale is my latest toy), shredded it and threw in back in the cp.

    anyway, another favorite here.
    Thanks,
    Lisa in CO

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  33. Hi Lisa,

    I'm so glad you enjoyed these!
    nope, I tossed the jalapenos. It felt wasteful, but when I cut them up once (for the jalapeno poppers), my fingers hurt for so long I'm scared of the little guys!

    oxxo steph

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  34. I made this last night but when I checked on this morning it had a lot of broth in it. I forgot to get the Romaine Lettuce but I had some very sticky Jasmine Rice in the fridge so I added the rice and mango and sesame seeds it turned out really great. Very tasty. However I will be trying it again as a lettuce wrap with no rice. I was thinking of straining off the liquid and using it as base for something else next time. What do you think?

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  35. heather4/05/2011

    This is a yummy dish, and I've made it a few times. But I discovered an even easier way to make this dish! Just use mango salsa (found in the refrigerated section) instead of the mango jam, garlic, onions and jalapenos. Cuts your prep time. You can still add the fresh mango at the end of the cooking time. Thanks for sharing this recipe.

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  36. I just found your blog and LoVe it! I made this tonight and even my super picky 2 year old kept asking for more and more chicken! She wouldn't eat it with the lettuce, but I'm OK with that! Thanks so much!

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  37. Awesome! My husband and oldest son were fighting over the last bites of this and even my picky eaters liked it. Thanks so much for your recipes and inspiration!

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  38. This is yummy! I was the only one who ate them on lettuce, but my husband liked it on rice. My kids were not impressed, but that is nothing new!! I loved it and am looking forward to eating the left-overs for lunch this week!!

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