Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Lady Bird Johnson's quote, "Where flowers bloom, so does hope," beautifully captures the profound connection between nature and human optimism. When flowers gracefully unfold and scatter their vibrant colors across the landscape, they offer more than just visual delight.

These chicken lettuce wraps were "off the charts" in terms of taste and texture. With chicken as a protein, fresh veggies, and a flavorful Asian-inspired sauce all wrapped in a lettuce leaf, it was definitely one delicious meal. Just ask my husband and how he liked the meal, as he had not one, not two, but three helpings!!  I intended to write the meal served four, but after watching him devour it, I'm not sure.😋  

The recipe was adapted from twopeasandtheirpod  and originally, the recipe was to be served in a large romaine leaf and rolled, but with so many ingredients, it worked better to skip the rolling part, and I laid the lettuce leaf flat. If you use smaller portions, the recipe works well as an appetizer. 

Variations

• Instead of using ground chicken, you can use ground turkey or pork. If you want to make vegetarian lettuce wraps, use tofu.
• Use your favorite veggies! Mushrooms and bell peppers are great to add to the mixture. Fresh cucumbers also add a refreshing touch.
• The cashews (or peanuts) add a fantastic crunch, but if you are allergic to nuts, you can omit them.
• You can garnish the wraps with fried rice noodles or sticks.
• Serve plain or serve your favorite sauces on the side. A few good options are sriracha mayo, chili garlic sauce, or peanut sauce. 
• If you don’t want to make a lettuce wrap, you can put the filling on top of a bed of greens, in a tortilla, or make a rice or noodle bowl.

Ingredients: 
For the sauce:

• 1/3 cup hoisin sauce 
• 2 tablespoons lite soy sauce or tamari
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce 
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar 
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch 

For the chicken:

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil or avocado oil
• 1 lb. ground chicken, can use ground turkey, pork, or chicken breasts cut into large chunks  
• 8 oz can water chestnuts, drained and diced

For the lettuce wraps:

• Romaine leaves, or butter lettuce, separated
• 4 scallions, sliced
• 2 cups coleslaw mix (produce section)   
• 1/2 cup chopped cashews, or peanuts
• 1 cup pea pods
• 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes

Directions: 

• In a small bowl, whisk together the hoisin, soy sauce, lime juice, chili garlic sauce, ginger, brown sugar, cornstarch, and garlic. Set aside.
• In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the ground chicken or chicken pieces and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, for 3 to 5 minutes. Add to the cooked chicken water chestnuts, tomatoes, pea pods, and sauce. Cook for 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is thickened.
• To assemble the lettuce wraps, spoon the coleslaw mixture into the center of the lettuce leaves. Top with cooked chicken mixture and sauce. Top with chopped nuts. Serve immediately.