Since moving to Connecticut seven years ago, I’ve become accustomed to many of the regional expressions, and have adopted a few as my own. I now say  “package store” instead of “liquor store”, or even “the packy” if I’m feeling particularly New Englandy. I know that a “coffee regular” comes with cream and sugar, and a carriage is a shopping cart and not just something that comes after love and marriage when someone is K-I-S-S-I-N-G.

I’ve also adopted the habit of pronouncing “gyro” like “ji-ro.” For the better part of my 37 years, I’ve pronounced it “yeer-o”, but alas, no more. I can’t help it. I was confusing the nice food-truck vendors in downtown New Haven with my west coast speech patterns, and if I wanted to get a warm, grilled pita stuffed with creamy Tzatziki sauce, roasted lamb, tomato, and onion, I needed to learn to ask for it in a way they were used to.

When it comes to delicious food, I’m highly motivated.

This Crock Pot Chicken Gyro recipe is a tasty alternative to food-truck gyros when you don’t have the time to properly season and grill or roast the meat. The slow cooked chicken is tender and flavorful, and it’s a simple recipe to throw together.

I used flatbread for the kids’ gyros, as they were a better fit for their little hands, but whether I used flatbread or pita, both breads were warmed in a pan for a few minutes before being filled with tzatziki, chicken, and toppings.

Wrap them in foil to catch the sauce and filling that will inevitably sneak out of the gyro, and pretend you got them from a street vendor instead of your trusty slow cooker.

I used my 6 Quart Hamilton Beach Set ‘n Forget Programmable Slow Cooker to make these Slow Cooker Chicken Gyros.

I’m dying to know, how do you pronounce gyro, and where are you from?