Make: 20-Minute Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Photo by Becca Boyd

Are you in a healthy dinner rut? I’m talking the same old dinner of grilled chicken breast, salad and brown rice night after night? If the answer is yes, it’s time for a change: These lettuce wraps are fun to eat, and they are just about as light as you can get when it comes to dinner. I often order lettuce wraps at restaurants when I’m looking for a light dinner option but truthfully, if you don’t make it yourself, you never really know how “light” a dish actually is. These wraps taste just as good as any restaurant’s version, but here, you control the oil, sugar, and ingredient list.

Plus, these wraps are snazzy enough for company and—I promise you on this one—they actually take just 20 minutes to put together.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Serves 4

Zest and juice of 2 limes
3 tbsp. fish sauce
1 1/2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. cornstarch
1 lb. ground chicken breast
1 tbsp. canola or vegetable oil
1 jalapeno pepper, stemmed, seeded and minced
3 scallions, thinly sliced
2 heaping tbsp. finely chopped cilantro
2 heaping tbsp. finely chopped fresh basil
1 tsp. Sriracha sauce
1 head Bibb or Boston lettuce (about 12 leaves)

Method

1. Whisk lime juice/zest, fish sauce, brown sugar, and cornstarch in a small bowl.
2. Put chicken into a mixing bowl and mash with the back of a spoon to break up the strands of meat.
3. Heat nonstick skillet over medium high heat and add oil—let heat for about two minutes.
4. Add chicken and pepper. Cook, continuously breaking up the meat into pieces, until no longer pink.
5. Add lime juice mixture to pan and cook, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened.
6. Remove from heat and add scallions and herbs. Stir to combine. Add Sriracha and stir to combine.
7. Tear off leaves and serve with chicken—Spoon chicken into center of leaves and eat like a taco.

Per serving: 196 calories, 4.7 grams fat, 71 milligrams cholesterol, 1118 milligrams sodium, 10 grams carbs, 1.5 grams dietary fiber, 6.1 grams sugar, 30.2 grams protein. 

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Becca Boyd is a wife and mom who creates healthy and delicious recipes in her West Chester kitchen. She blogs about them on her website, Home Beccanomics.

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