Friday, February 03, 2006

Indulgence

Yesterday I felt really tired and crampy. I couldn't very well sing with a pained abdomen, so I skipped choir practice. I was bummed about missing it, but I knew I would feel so much better if I could just stay home and relax. And whimper a little so Hubster would pamper me. Which he did.

He made one of our fav meals, Gee Chicken Wraps á la Erica, and then let me pick out a movie so we could cuddle and watch it. Having received it for Christmas, I picked Robin Hood, Disney's best movie of all time. Ever. Don't argue. We got through about 2/3 of it and both fell asleep only to awaken before midnight, trek upstairs and slumber peacefully for the rest of the night. Just what the doctor ordered. Mmmmm . . .

Oh, right, the recipe. For those of you who weren't privileged enough to witness their glory firsthand, the Grove City College Student Union (better known in my day as "The Gedunk" or just "Gee" for short) used to have the tastiest sandwich which they called a "Chicken Tender Wrap." It was made with the battered-and-fried variety of chicken tenders, among other key ingredients, and it. was. DELICIOUS. [I am informed by the classes who still attend the institution, that those wraps are no more. Freshmen, I weep for you.]

Having graduated, K missed them greatly and, being that I am the best wife ever (again, don't argue), I decided to mimic their gloriousness for home consumption. And a family favorite was born.

Gee Chicken Wraps á la Erica

1 chicken breast, sliced into stir-fry strips
2 wraps (preferably burrito-sized or larger)
1 package Rice-A-Roni Spanish Rice
1/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 tomato, diced
1/2 c. chopped lettuce (green leaf or romaine are best, but whatever)
Ranch dressing to taste

1. Start the Rice-A-Roni first because it will take the longest to prepare. If you can't find the brand, use another one. Often they will call for stewed tomatoes but don't add them because the end result will be the wrong flavor and too mushy. You'll have left-overs, but it's delicious so you can just eat it later. Or make these again. The second option being the likelier of the two because, as I've mentioned before, YUM!
2. Once the rice is simmering, preheat a pan (non-stick if you've got one) to medium-high heat for the chicken. Add as much oil as you need (just a spritz or two of Pam for me, usually) and throw the chicken on to cook. Add some spices to taste. I prefer a dash of paprika, and then I use a spice mix that has salt, pepper, and garlic salt but you can use those seperately, too. Keep stirring occasionally till browned and cooked through.
3. You can grate the cheese, and chop up the veggies as you go. The amounts I gave you for those are approximate - there's no real science to it.
4. I usually zap my wraps in the microwave (why did that sound vaguely dirty?) so thay they're more flexible because it's hard not to overfill them with the ingredients. I usually like to melt the cheese, too, so I just plunk the cheddar on the wrap and heat for a minute or so until it's melted.
5. Assemble using half of the ingredients for each wrap and serve. Feeds 2, although the Rice-A-Roni box can feed up to four, so sizing for more is easy.

5 comments:

Mair said...

HOW COULD THEY NIX THE CHICKEN TENDER WRAPS!??!?!??

All of a sudden, my heart grows cold toward our Alma Mater.

Anonymous said...

I think they still have chicken tender wraps, as far as I know. I've only had like...1.5 in my college career, but unless they've gotten rid of them since last semester, I think you're safe.

But making them from scratch is way more adorable.

Yax said...

I seem to recall I had a CTW at homecoming last semester. On the other hand, the quality of the wraps made in the new student union was noticably less than wraps made in the original Gee. So in a way, the Chicken Tender Wrap died when the true Gee was turned into office space.

I'll be trying that recipe though.

lvs said...

I liked them with hot sauce instead of ranch... but, I have to admit, my favorite Old Gee food was chicken tender sandwiches. Mmmm.

Trey said...

Yes, the wraps did go down in quality when they moved the Gee. But I think it's because they attempted to bring the tenders up in quality. They went from cheap (but delicious) tenders to nice ones (kinda like the kind they have at Arby's). They're alright, but they don't make good wraps. Not to mention that nobody knows how to wrap them anymore. It got to the point where I stopped getting them because I was tired of washing the ranch off my hands and eating tortilla and lettuce with a fork.

However, my twist that makes them fanastic. Better than Lindsay's. Pickles instead of tomatoes. Scrumptious.